Golden Globes: Another Day, Another Group Of Awards Nominations

Yesterday we got a glimpse into what SAG was thinking. Today we get the Hollywood Foreign Press Association...

Best Motion Picture, Drama

Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

My Pick: My choices for the year didn't make the category, so I gotta go with Boyhood.


Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Julianne Moore - Still Alice
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon - Wild
Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything
Jennifer Aniston - Cake (Not yet released)

My Pick: It was Reese Witherspoon... and while I do really dig Rosamund Pike's performance, I'm totally on board with the Julianne Moore win.


Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell - Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game
David Oyelowo - Selma
Jake Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler

My Pick: Jake Gyllenhaal!! Steve Carell feels like a supporting actor to me...


Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Into the Woods
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
St. Vincent
Pride

My Pick: Gotta go with Birdman for now. Grand Budapest is up there too... but St. vincent shouldn't even be in the category.


Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Julianne Moore - Maps to the Stars (Not yet released)
Amy Adams - Big Eyes
Emily Blunt - Into the Woods
Helen Mirren - The Hundred Foot Journey
Quvenzhané Wallis - Annie

My Pick: This is a really difficult category this year, but right now I'm gonna go with Amy Adams.


Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Michael Keaton - Birdman
Bill Murray - St. Vincent
Ralph Fiennes - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Christoph Waltz - Big Eyes
Joaquin Phoenix - Inherent Vice

My Pick: Ooh, I want Ralph Fiennes to win!


Best Animated Feature Film

The Lego Movie
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls

My Pick: The Lego Movie all the way!!


Best Foreign Language Film

Ida
Force Majeure
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem Gett
Tangerines Mandariinid (Not yet released)
Leviathan

My Pick: Force Majeure... for now.


Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Jessica Chastain - A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game
Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
Meryl Streep - Into the Woods
Emma Stone - Birdman

My Pick: Patricia Arquette please.


Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
Robert Duvall - The Judge
Edward Norton - Birdman
J.K. Simmons - Whiplash
Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher

My Pick: J.K. Simmons gets all my votes.


Best Director - Motion Picture

Ava DuVernay - Selma
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro González Iñárritu - Birdman
David Fincher - Gone Girl
Richard Linklater - Boyhood

My Pick: Alejandro González Iñárritu... he just made so many cool choices.


Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo - Birdman
Richard Linklater - Boyhood
Graham Moore - The Imitation Game

My Pick: Wes Anderson. Cause he's the man.


Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Alexandre Desplat - The Imitation Game
Jóhann Jóhannsson - The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross - Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez - Birdman
Hans Zimmer - Interstellar

My Pick: I loved Antonio Sanchez' drum score! Though Alexandre Desalt deserves mad props.


Best Original Song - Motion Picture

"Big Eyes" - Big Eyes
"Glory" - Selma
"Mercy Is" - Noah
"Opportunity" - Annie
"Yellow Flicker Beat" - The Hunger Games: Mockingly - Part 1

My Pick: Initially I said Yellow Flicker beat having not seen or heard all of these, but I think I'm gonna change my answer to Big Eyes.


The TV stuff gets a little looser...

Best TV Series, Drama

Downton Abbey
The Affair
Game of Thrones
House of Cards
The Good Wife

My Pick: Game of Thrones


Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama

Viola Davis - How to Get Away With Murder
Claire Danes - Homeland
Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife
Robin Wright - House of Cards
Ruth Wilson - The Affair

My Pick: Claire Danes.


Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama

Kevin Spacey - House of Cards
Clive Owen - The Knick
James Spader - The Blacklist
Dominic West - The Affair
Liev Schreiber - Ray Donovan

My Pick: Kevin Spacey.


Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Orange is the New Black
Girls
Jane The Virgin
Transparent
Silicon Valley

My Pick: Silicon Valley


Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Gina Rodriguez - Jane The Virgin
Lena Dunham - Girls
Taylor Schilling - Orange is the New Black

My Pick: Taylor Schilling.


Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Don Cheadle - House of Lies
William H. Macy - Shameless
Ricky Gervais - Derek
Jeffrey Tambor -  Transparent
Louie C.K. - Louie

My Pick: Louie C.K.


Best TV Movie or Mini-Series

Olive Kitteridge
Fargo
The Missing
True Detective
The Normal Heart

My Pick: True Detective


Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie

Jessica Lang - American Horror Story: Freak Show
Maggie Gyllenhaal - The Honorable Woman
Frances McDormand - Olive Kitteridge
Allison Tolman - Fargo
Frances O'Connor - The Missing

My Pick: Frances McDormand.


Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie

Martin Freeman - Fargo
Matthew McConaughey - True Detective
Woody Harrelson - True Detective
Billy Bob Thornton - Fargo
Mark Ruffalo - The Normal Heart

My Pick: Woody Harrelson.


Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie

Kathy Bates - American Horror Story: Freak SHow
Uzo Aduba - Orange is the New Black
Joanne Froggatt - Downton Abbey
Michelle Monaghan - True Detective
Allison Janney - Mom

My Pick: Uzo Aduba.


Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie

Bill Murray - Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight - Ray Donovan
Matt Bomer - The Normal Heart
Alan Cumming - The Good Wife
Colin Hanks - Fargo

My Pick: Alan Cumming.

My 2014 Golden Globes Wish List

Dear 2014 Golden Globes,

My name is Caleb and this year I'd really love it if you'd let all of my nominated choices win in this season's award show.

I don't know the TV side as well, so I'll breeze through these

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie - Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie - Hayden Panettiere (Nashville)

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie - Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dancing on the Edge)

*I just think it would be cool if he took home both acting awards in the same year...

Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie - Elisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake)

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series - Top of the Lake

Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy - Jason Bateman (Arrested Development)

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy - Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy - Parks and Recreation

*perhaps its last hurrah...

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama - Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex)

*yes, he's so good that he keeps pace with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Spacey... though it could go to any of those three and I'd be happy...

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama - Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black)

*Kind of hate the show, but she's great...

Best TV Series, Drama - Breaking Bad

*Duh...

Best Original Song, Motion Picture - Let It Go (Frozen)

*Yeah, it's a little too poppy for my taste, but sadly I don't think Mr. Kennedy (Inside Llewyn Davis) can compete...

Best Original Score, Motion Picture - Steven Price (Gravity)

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture - Spike Jonze (Her)

Best Director, Motion Picture - Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Daniel Brühl (Rush)

*He gets the nod because his part is so much more important than my other front runner, Michael Fassbender's...

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)

*I'm amazed that she did so well to get my attention this year...

Best Foreign Language Film - Blue is the Warmest Color

Best Animated Feature - Frozen

*I really did like The Croods, but Frozen takes the bacon...

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - Joaquin Phoenix (Her)

*As much as I loved Oscar Isaac, Joaquin put out a performance like I've never seen before... speaking to... nothing...

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha)

*Yup, I loved this movie, and she was a huge part of the reason why...

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - Her

*Easiest decision I've ever had to make...

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama - Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)

*Again? Yes please. Chiwy's the best. Pay the man!

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama - Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

*Cate over Sandra... Why? Because while they both drove their respective movies, Cate's character required a great deal more range than Sandra's... and she performed with extreme gusto...

Best Motion Picture, Drama - Rush

*Not Gravity or 12 Years a Slave, not Philomena... all three of which I looooved... and certainly not Captain Phillips. Rush was just that damn good. I would still give Director to Cuaron even if Ron Howard was nominated... but then again, if I had the choice, all of these awards would go to Her anyway.

What a crazy year it has been. I've gotta admit, Rush surprised me. And Philomena came up from nowhere to capture my heart. But in the year of the totally awesome Gravity and an excellent Coen Brothers film (Inside Llewyn Davis), ultimately Her was just on a completely different level. I truly think it deserves every award this year... but then, that's why I'm not a voter.

If you want to learn more about the nominees check out the Golden Globes website. The broadcast will air tomorrow, January 12th at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific.

Is Ricky Gervais Really A Comedian?

I just finished watching the 7 episode first season of Ricky Gervais' new Netflix series Derek.

And it's not really a comedy. It's a character study with... political implications and a genuine message. In fact, I could make an argument that everything I've seen of his is actually the same.

The Office doesn't make me bust up laughing. It shows a bunch of somewhat regular people trying to make their workspace something more than tedious and dull. But at the same time, the economy and the changing times seem to be against this small group of people... representative of a much vaster piece of the population. There is a genuine message here.

Extras is far closer to a comedy than anything else he's done. He plays around with people's celebrity status giving them ridiculous personalities, but almost always allowing for a silver lining. However, his own character lacks the ability to enjoy simply being a celebrity for status' sake. When the Christmas special finally rolls around, his character learns what it is he's really supposed to care about and for the first time (it would seem) in his life, he fights for more than just his own social clout. Once again, there is a genuine message.

In The Invention of Lying, Gervais made a comedy out of a horrible world that we're taught from kindergarten to respect. "Don't lie. It is unbecoming and wrong." Parents and teachers say. However, once and a while basic human kindness directs us to lie. It is such an important message. Not all bad is bad and not all good is good. Once again, genuine.

So it was odd to me, coming into Derek after having read someone's facebook status implying that they could not stop laughing throughout this series. That has just never been my experience with his work. Well I don't know what show that person on the social network was watching, because this one was rather blunt. I'd say more direct to its message than any of the others. No, it's not really a comedy. It's a character study with political implications. Derek only wishes to be nice to everybody. And he expects the same treatment. He works in an old folks home because everybody deserves a little bit of kindness. And the political motivations of the show clearly state that these are people and they should not be treated like sheep, albeit with a couple silly moments here and there. For the most part, the show never does anything you wouldn't expect to see in real life.

If you'll recall, a few years back, Ricky Gervais hosted The Golden Globes. His hosting mostly consisted of blunt and often mean spirited critiques of celebrities. This is certainly a form of humor, though a surprising one considering how he deals with his own shows. I think, when he cameoed on Louis for a couple of episodes, that was the closest I ever saw him come to actually trying to be funny.

So I guess what I'm wondering is should Ricky Gervais really be labelled a comedian?