Thread: Hollywood awards season kicks off with Golden Globes

AFP

Hollywood's biggest stars turn out on Sunday for the Golden Globes, which kick off the industry's awards season this year with a show that promises suspense and cheeky humor.

While their record in predicting Oscars glory has been hit-and-miss, many see the Globes as a pretty strong indicator of films and actors destined for an Academy Award on February 28.

"It's an uncanny crystal ball," said Tom O'Neil, founder of awards tracker GoldDerby.com. "The Globes historically has predicted 75 percent of the Oscars.

"So it's considered your audition for the Oscar."

Returning to host what is described as Hollywood's biggest party of the year will be British comedian Ricky Gervais, who has used previous appearances on the show to dish out politically-incorrect and stinging jokes.

The field is wide open this year as to who will walk away with a Golden Globe, awarded by members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills.

"Some years there are movies like 'Titanic' that just seem to have a momentum and everybody seems to like them," said Timothy Gray, awards editor for trade magazine Variety. "But this year there is genuine suspense."

Leading the pack of films vying for top honors is "Spotlight," which tells the story of Boston Globe journalists who uncovered sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Pundits see the movie as frontrunner for best drama -- but no shoo-in, as it faces competition from "Carol," a lesbian romance starring Cate Blanchett as a housewife who falls for a store clerk played by Rooney Mara.

Other top contending dramas are the epic survival thriller "The Revenant" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the harrowing kidnap tale "Room" and "Mad Max: Fury Road."

- 'It's DiCaprio's year -

The frontrunner for best comedy is "The Big Short," based on a book about the financial crisis of 2007-2008.

Also running in that category are the dramedy "Joy," space blockbuster "The Martian," zany caper "Spy" and Amy Schumer's breakout film "Trainwreck."

In the race for best actor in a drama, DiCaprio appears well ahead for his strong performance as legendary fur trapper Hugh Glass in "The Revenant."

Critics are widely predicting the 41-year-old actor will take home his first Oscar for the role.

"There is a feeling that it's his year," said O'Neil. "All 17 GoldDerby experts have him unanimously out front to win."

Also nominated for best actor in a drama are Bryan Cranston who plays a blacklisted 1940s screenwriter in "Trumbo," Eddie Redmayne for the transgender tale "The Danish Girl" and Will Smith for the hard-hitting sports drama "Concussion."

For best actress in a drama the nominees are Blanchett and Mara for "Carol," Brie Larson for "Room," and Alicia Vikander who plays alongside Redmayne in "The Danish Girl."

On the television front, two series nominated for a Golden Globe are creating a buzz -- "Mr Robot," about a computer programmer and vigilante hacker, and "Narcos," Netflix's take on the infamous Medellin drug cartel.

Movies aside, all eyes will be on Gervais, who raised eyebrows for his off-color jokes when he hosted the show for three years starting in 2010.

The caustic comedian, who takes over from co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, comes with a reputation of poking fun at everyone from Mel Gibson to Angelina Jolie, as well as the Hollywood Foreign Press, and this year he is not expected to hold back.

Gervais has made his apologies in advance for what he will say.

"Because I can see the future, I'd like to apologize now for the things I said at next week's Golden Globes," he tweeted on January 1.

But O'Neil said Gervais' edgy humor was more likely than not to go down well with an audience mellowed by flowing champagne.

"He's a brilliant host because he's an anarchist who loves to rock the house," O'Neil said. "This is Hollywood's biggest party of the year and Ricky is perfectly cast as a wild card upon the stage.


Hollywood awards season kicks off with Golden Globes

Los Angeles (AFP) - Leonardo DiCaprio eats a piece of real bison liver in his new movie "The Revenant," a harrowing tale of revenge and survival in a frigid setting of the American Old West.

Is this what the guy has to do to win an Oscar, after 25 years of acting and five Academy Award nominations but ultimately no statuette?

The original plan was for him to bite into a simulated organ -- "this red, gelatinous sort of pancake" -- but DiCaprio said no, it looked fake.

"I wanted to get the real thing," he told NBC's "Today" show this week.

"It was completely disgusting. My reaction is very much on screen, which is a nauseating one."

In the latest film by acclaimed Mexican director Alejandro Inarritu, DiCaprio, 41, plays a fur trapper named Hugh Glass out on the frontier of 1820s America. The movie, which came out Friday in North America, is based on a true story.

Glass is betrayed by colleagues who rob him, leave him for dead -- buried alive -- and kill his half-Indian son. Glass must then survive on his own, without a weapon, in a harsh, frozen landscape, with just one thing on his mind: revenge.

DiCaprio said the movie, which has enjoyed strong reviews and a string of nominations in Hollywood awards season, captures "the poetry of what it means to have all the chips stacked against you, to have very little chance of survival and this triumph of the human spirit."

The ordeal DiCaprio endures as Glass is a far cry from his role as a flashback teen version of a rich man named Mason Capwell on the soap opera "Santa Barbara," which aired in the 1980s and 90s.

DiCaprio shot to global fame with "Gilbert Grape" in 1993, playing alongside Johnny Depp.

- Fighting a grizzly bear -

"The Revenant" marks a powerful return for Inarritu, whose film "Birdman" about a washed-up actor trying to make a comeback on Broadway won four Oscars last year, including best film and best director.

The new flick brings together heart-stopping action scenes by master cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and fabulous footage of a snowy wilderness filmed in natural light.

The special effects are excellent, be it a scene of Glass fighting a grizzly bear or plunging off a cliff on horseback.

But Glass's journey is also an emotional one, fueled by fear, hunger for vengeance and the pain of having lost his entire family.

The film handicapping website Goldderby.com says that thanks to his portrayal of Glass, DiCaprio is very likely to win the prize for best actor in a dramatic role at the Golden Globe awards on Sunday, and best actor at the Oscars on February 28.

A favorite actor of Martin Scorsese ("Gangs of New York," "Shutter Island," "The Wolf of Wall Street"), DiCaprio has won two Golden Globes, for his work in the latter and in "The Aviator.".

He has come up empty-handed with his five Oscar nominations, however.

But his time may have come because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes on who gets the coveted statuettes, has a soft spot for actors in physically demanding roles.

That of Glass is an example par excellence. DiCaprio described the filming, done in Canada and Argentina, as the hardest he has ever done.

"We had a massive crew that had to logistically move from these remote locations through these incredibly harsh winter landscapes," he said.

"Like these fur trappers, we had to adapt to our environment."

To wit: DiCaprio was forced to film buck-naked in the snow, climb snow-covered mountains in sub-freezing temperatures wearing thick furs, spend hours lying still in the cold, or swim in frozen rivers. Then there was the bit with the raw bison liver.

"The Revenant," which cost nearly $135 million, gets a thumbs-up from 81 percent of film critics who see it, according to Rottentomatoes.com.

It seems set to be a box-office success as well: Its first-weekend revenue is forecast at around $35-40 million.

DiCaprio may finally get Oscars due with 'The Revenant'

Find the list of winners below...

Best Picture – Drama
“The Revenant”

Best Picture – Comedy or Musical
“The Martian”

Best Director – Motion Picture
Alejandro G. Inarritu, “The Revenant”

Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Brie Larson, “Room”

Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”

Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy
Jennifer Lawrence, “Joy”

Best Actor – Motion Picture Comedy
Matt Damon, “The Martian”

Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Kate Winslet, “Steve Jobs”

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Sylvester Stallone, “Creed”

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Aaron Sorkin, “Steve Jobs”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Son of Saul”

Best Animated Feature Film
“Inside Out”

Best Score – Motion Picture
Ennio Morricone, “The Hateful Eight”

Best Song – Motion Picture
“Writing’s on the Wall” from “Spectre,” by Sam Smith

Best TV Series, Drama
“Mr. Robot”

Best Actress – TV Series, Drama
Taraji P. Henson, “Empire”

Best Actor – TV Series, Drama
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Best TV Series, Comedy
“Mozart in the Jungle”

Best Actress – TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Rachel Bloom, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”

Best Actor – TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Gael Garcia Bernal, “Mozart in the Jungle”

Supporting Actress – TV Series, Miniseries or Limited Series
Maura Tierney, “The Affair”

Supporting Actor – TV Series, Miniseries or Limited Series
Christian Slater, “Mr. Robot”

Limited Series or TV Movie
“Wolf Hall”

Best Actor – Limited Series or TV Movie
Oscar Isaac, “Show Me a Hero”

Best Actress – Limited Series or TV Movie
Lady Gaga, “American Horror Story: Hotel”

Golden Globes: Read the Winners List - Speakeasy - WSJ

That's just a fucking joke.

Best Picture – Comedy or Musical
“The Martian”

Nope, this is a joke

Originally Posted by Hans Mann

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Sylvester Stallone, “Creed”

Political racketeering....that most create a romantic notion from.

Originally Posted by Dillinger

Nope, this is a joke

Originally Posted by Hans Mann

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Sylvester Stallone, “Creed”

I suspect that's just the HFPA sticking two fingers up to the Academy.

Los Angeles (AFP) - The following are reactions from some of the nominees for the 2016 Oscars. The list of nominations was revealed Thursday, ahead of the February 28 ceremony:

Champagne and Mezcal

"I am in London and just heard the good news! We gave it our all on this film and this appreciation from the Academy means a lot to me and my colleagues who made it possible. Champagne and Mezcal will run tonight!"

-- Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu -- nominated for "The Revenant," the leader among all films with 12 nods -- said in a statement.

Determination

"Making 'The Revenant' was one of the most rewarding and collaborative experiences of my life. None of this would have been possible without Alejandro's talent, vision, and determination. Our dedicated crew also deserves to share in this moment. Together, they have created a truly unique cinematic experience."

-- Leonardo DiCaprio on his nomination for best actor, which is expected to bring him his first Oscar.

Thanks for the invite

"The crew is responsible for making this movie, and I'm glad they're being recognized in this way. (...) I would never have thought this would have happened. It's really nice to be invited to the party."

-- George Miller, to The Hollywood Reporter, on his dystopian action movie "Mad Max: Fury Road," getting 10 nods, including for best picture and best director.

Alice in Wonderland

"I am feeling incredible ... I can't even believe it. I am just sitting here in complete and utter shock over all of this. I feel like I'm in a very bizarre Alice in Wonderland dream right now."

-- Brie Larson, who got a best actress nomination for "Room," in which she plays a kidnapped mother living with her child in captivity, told NBC's "Today" show from Australia.

Tears of joy

"I was asleep and my mom ran in and she was crying and so it was either good news or bad news and it was great news. I'm going to start crying now, but to get Best Actress and to get Best Picture means the absolute world to us."

-- Saoirse Ronan -- nominated for best actress for "Brooklyn," about a young Irish immigrant navigating her way in 1950s New York -- to "Good Morning America."

Full circle

"It feels like it's come full circle. It's great that this character that has carried me along all these years is getting respect."

-- Sylvester Stallone, nominated for a best supporting actor award for "Creed," told Variety magazine.

'Strongest of spotlights'

"You have given our film the strongest of spotlights on a subject matter so crucial for many women across the world today. Thank you to the five young actresses of Mustang for their courage and their persistence in defending freedom."

-- Deniz Gamze Erguven, the Franco-Turkish director of "Mustang," which is among the nominees for best foreign language film.

Joy in Jordan

"Everyone in Jordan is overjoyed at this historical moment for our film and country. There is a huge celebration and we are very grateful to the Academy for this honor."

-- Naji Abu Nawar, the writer and director of Jordanian film "Theeb," nominated for best foreign language film, told AFP.

A first for Colombia

"It is very significant that Colombia's first Oscar nomination comes from a film spoken in indigenous languages, which for us are also foreign languages. I hope that this wonderful moment becomes an opportunity for us to value and respect the infinite traditional knowledge of the peoples of the Amazon, who are the real stars of this film, and with whom we share the joy."

-- Director Ciro Guerra, whose film "Embrace of the Serpent," was nominated for best foreign language film.

2016 Oscars: reactions from the nominees

Outrage as black actors absent from Oscars lineup

Los Angeles (AFP) - The glaring absence of black actors or directors among this year's Oscar nominees has triggered an outpouring of criticism, setting social media abuzz as the list was unveiled.

No sooner had the nominations been announced at a ceremony in Beverly Hills than the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite began trending on Twitter, as was the case last year.

"There was more diversity in the 1936 Berlin Olympics," tweeted one user, named Richard Hine, alongside a picture of African-American athletes at the games.

"The unbearable whiteness of being," was another catchphrase repeated on Twitter.

ThinkProgress, a liberal blog, echoed the sentiment of many who were surprised that black actors and filmmakers were shut out of the race.

"Hollywood sure loves sequels: for the second year in a row, zero actors of color get Oscar nominations," it said in an article on its website.

Among the actors who had been expected to be nominated were Idris Elba, who earned rave reviews for his role as an African warlord in "Beasts of No Nation," Will Smith for the sports drama "Concussion," and Michael B. Jordan for the "Rocky" sequel "Creed."

The director of the critically-acclaimed "Straight Outta Compton," a biopic about the rap group N.W.A, was also snubbed.

Some were outraged that Sylvester Stallone -- widely seen as a sentimental favorite -- was nominated for best supporting actor for "Creed" instead of Jordan.

Stallone in the movie reprises his iconic role of boxer Rocky Balboa, for which he was nominated but failed to win an Oscar when the original "Rocky" came out in 1976.

"Classic #OscarsSoWhite tho that Creed, with a black main character and director, only gets award nods for the white characters," one tweet read.

- 'Pushed for more diversity' -

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who is black and who has pushed for more diversity in the Academy's ranks since her election in 2013, acknowledged that more action was needed on that front.

"We have been actively bringing in more diversity into our membership... actions need to be taken to make sure the industry as a whole is more inclusive," she told AFP.

But Tim Gray, awards editor for industry magazine Variety, said critics should perhaps look more towards the studios in denouncing the lack of diversity in Hollywood.

"The Academy people don't vote by race or gender but it's the studios that need to fix this by better reflecting the population," Gray told AFP.

Some 6,000 members of the Academy, all of them who work in the film industry, voted for the films, actors and directors that will be vying for an Oscar on February 28.

Comedian Chris Rock, who is black, is hosting the star-studded ceremony and many are predicting that he will have a "field day" poking fun at the all-white lineup of actors nominated.

The Academy had already come in for heavy criticism for a lack of diversity at last year's Oscars at which all the acting slots went to white performers.

Tom Nunan, an academy-award producer and lecturer at the UCLA School of Theatre Film and Television, said change would only come once the Academy expanded its membership to include more minorities.

"If you don't expand the diversity of that membership -- and by extension producers and directors who more fairly reflect society -- you get this grotesque imbalance," he told AFP.

Outrage as black actors absent from Oscars lineup

Di Caprio is an awesome talent (don't care if that's gives you geezers more ammo to call me gay)

He just is... watched "The Revenant" a few weeks ago... very well acted...

All his movies are great... (well... maybe not Romeo and Juliet) now that's gay...

But aside from that... hell yeah, he's the man IMHO... him and Danial day Lewis at the top of my list... oh and Al Pacino (of course)..

Oh, and as for outrage black actors absent rubbish.. well... maybe this year they didn't deserve a mention FFS...

There's always next year innit... bloody PC crap... boils my piss..

Devastated no air-con maintainence vids

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

That's just a fucking joke.

Best Picture – Comedy or Musical
“The Martian”

F*cking ridiculous.

Filmmaker Spike Lee to boycott Oscars over all-white nominees

Los Angeles (AFP) - Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee said Monday that he is boycotting the Oscars next month because for the second year in a row all the nominees in the actor categories are white.

Separately, black actress Jada Pinkett Smith said she too would not be attending the February 28 star-studded ceremony.

Lee, an African American and previous Oscar winner, posted an open letter to the president and board of governors of the Academy Awards on Instagram. The post was accompanied by a photo of Martin Luther King, on the US holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader.

"How is it possible for the 2nd consecutive year all 20 contenders under the actor category are white? And let's not even get into the other branches. 40 white actors in 2 years and no flava at all. We can't act?!"

Lee, who won an Oscar last year for his lifetime achievements as a filmmaker and actor, blamed the executives who run Hollywood studios for the absence of minorities in Oscar-contending roles.

"People, the truth is we ain't in those rooms and until minorities are, the Oscar nominees will remain lilly white," wrote Lee, who is well known for his outspoken comments.

He suggested that Hollywood follow the lead of the National Football League, which requires that minorities be interviewed for head coach and senior executive positions when those are being filled.

"It's worth the effort or it will be the same old hi-jinks," he said.

The Academy on Thursday announced the nominees for this year's awards, hosted by black comedian Chris Rock.

No sooner than the nominations had been announced, than the glaring absence of black actors or directors set social media abuzz under the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.

In a video on Facebook, Smith, the wife of actor-singer Will Smith, said: "Begging for acknowledgement or even asking diminishes dignity and diminishes power, and we are a dignified people and powerful."

"Hey Chris," she added, in apparent reference to the host.

"I won't be at the Academy Awards and I won't be watching. But I can't think of a better man to do the job at hand this year than you, my friend. Good luck."

Filmmaker Spike Lee to boycott Oscars over all-white nominees

Critics Choice Awards 2016 - Winners List

FILM:

BEST PICTURE -- "Spotlight"

BEST ACTOR -- Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"

BEST ACTRESS -- Brie Larson, "Room"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR -- Sylvester Stallone, "Creed"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS -- Alicia Vikander, "The Danish Girl"

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS -- Jacob Tremblay, "Room"

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE -- "Spotlight"

BEST DIRECTOR -- George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY -- Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY -- Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, "The Big Short"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY -- Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Revenant"

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN -- Colin Gibson, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST EDITING -- Margaret Sixel, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN -- Jenny Beavan, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP -- "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS -- "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE -- "Inside Out"

BEST ACTION MOVIE -- "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE -- Tom Hardy, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE -- Charlize Theron, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

BEST COMEDY -- "The Big Short"

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY -- Christian Bale, "The Big Short"

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY -- Amy Schumer, "Trainwreck"

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE -- "Ex Machina"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM -- "Son of Saul"

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE -- "Amy"

BEST SONG -- "See You Again", Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa, "Furious 7"

BEST SCORE -- Ennio Morricone, "The Hateful Eight"

TELEVISION:

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES -- Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent, Amazon

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES -- Rami Malek, Mr. Robot, USA

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES -- Idris Elba, Luther, BBC America

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES -- Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The CW

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES -- Carrie Coon, The Leftovers, HBO

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES -- Kirsten Dunst, Fargo, FX Networks

BEST COMEDY SERIES -- Master of None, Netflix

BEST DRAMA SERIES -- Mr. Robot, USA

BEST GUEST ACTOR/ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES -- Timothy Olyphant, The Grinder, Fox

BEST GUEST ACTOR/ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES -- Margo Martindale, The Good Wife, CBS

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES -- Fargo, FX Networks

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES -- Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fox

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES -- Christian Slater, Mr. Robot, USA

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES -- Jesse Plemons, Fargo, FX Networks

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES -- Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory, CBS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES -- Constance Zimmer, UnREAL, Lifetime

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES -- Jean Smart, Fargo, FX Networks

BEST ANIMATION SERIES -- BoJack Horseman, Netflix

BEST REALITY SHOW -- COMPETITION -- The Voice, NBC

BEST REALITY SHOW HOST -- James Lipton, Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo

BEST STRUCTURED REALITY SHOW -- Shark Tank, ABC

BEST TALK SHOW -- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO

BEST UNSTRUCTURED REALITY SHOW -- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, CNN

Critics' Choice Awards: Complete winners list - CNN.com

Host Chris Rock deflects calls to join Oscars boycott

Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee say they won’t attend or watch the Oscars this year because of the failure to nominate a single nonwhite actor — but sources say host Chris Rock will not pull out of the gig despite mounting pressure.

For the second year in a row, all the acting nominees in Hollywood’s most important awards competition are white. Smith, whose husband, Will Smith, starred in “Concussion,” said to Rock in a video posted to Facebook: “Chris, I will not be at the Academy Awards, and I won’t be watching, but I can’t think of a better man to do the job at hand this year than you, my friend. Good luck.”

She’d earlier posted: “At the Oscars . . . people of color are always welcomed to give out awards . . . even entertain, but we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments . . . Should people of color refrain from participating all together?”

Rock posted a joke on Twitter: “The #Oscars. The White BET Awards.” That drew responses including, “You have a chance to send a strong message! What would MLK do? Not host,” and, “Why not stand up and refuse to host instead of making jokes?”

And a source told website Naughty Gossip that “behind the scenes Chris is under extreme pressure to pull out. Many leaders in the black community think he would help progress be made if he quits his hosting job.”

However, “Chris is listening to what they have to say, but thinks he will have a bigger impact by doing the show. He thinks it is easier to make a difference from the inside. Chris has already started to write white people jokes for the show.”

A rep for Rock did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

Lee received an honorary Oscar at November’s Governors Awards. He posted on Instagram Monday, under a pic of Martin Luther King Jr., that he and his wife would not attend the awards show on Feb. 28.

Host Chris Rock deflects calls to join Oscars boycott | Page Six