The announcements have been made, and the nominations for the 67th Golden Globe Awards are now officially a matter of public record, but just in case you haven’t caught them elsewhere (which, to be fair, is highly possible), here’s my look at the TV series, mini-series, and movies which received nods, along with my personal picks for who should take home the win for each category.
Best Television Series – Drama
• Big Love (HBO)
• Dexter (Showtime)
• House (Fox)
• Mad Men (AMC)
• True Blood (HBO)
My pick: “Mad Men.” Regular readers of Premium Hollywood had probably already narrowed my pick down to two entries, anyway, since I’m the designated blogger for both “True Blood” and “Mad Men,” but while “True Blood” had a strong season that was tarnished slightly by an unsatisfying finale, “Mad Men” offered up a full-fledged game-changer for the conclusion of their third year. The most notable omission from this list, however, is “Sons of Anarchy,” which you could almost write off as being too harsh for the voters if you didn’t have a drama about a serial killer in the mix.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
• Glenn Close, “Damages” (FX)
• January Jones, “Mad Men” (AMC)
• Julianna Marguiles, “The Good Wife” (CBS)
• Anna Paquin, “True Blood” (HBO)
• Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” (TNT)
My pick: Julianna Marguiles. I know full well that it’s a dark horse pick that almost certainly won’t pay off, but “The Good Wife” has been my favorite drama of the new season, and Marguiles offers a multi-layered performance as Alicia Florrick, a woman having to struggle with the media shining the spotlight on her husband’s infidelity and political and legal misdealings while she’s trying to return to a career as a litigator. And am I the only one who scoffed somewhat at January Jones’ nomination? Of the three primary “Mad Men” actresses, she’s the last I would’ve nominated, and this is one case where I think most would agree with me.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
• Simon Baker, “The Mentalist” (CBS)
• Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)
• Jon Hamm, “Mad Men” (AMC)
• Hugh Laurie, “House” (Fox)
• Bill Paxton, “Big Love” (HBO)
My pick: Hugh Laurie, “House.” God love Jon Hamm, but I said of the “House” season premiere back in September that it was “strong enough to warrant giving Hugh Laurie an Emmy nomination no matter what else he may do on the show during the course of the season’s subsequent episodes,” and I stand by that.
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
• 30 Rock (NBC)
• Entourage (HBO)
• Glee (Fox)
• Modern Family (ABC)
• The Office (NBC)
My pick: “Glee.” As much as I’d like to see “Modern Family” take home the award, I think that even the people who can’t stand “Glee” will agree that it’s one of the most original shows on television right now. Combine that with the ridiculous sales of the show’s soundtrack recordings, and I just can’t conceive of any other show taking home the award.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
• Toni Collette, “United States of Tara” (Showtime)
• Courtney Cox, “Cougar Town” (ABC)
• Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)
• Tina Fey, “30 Rock” (NBC)
• Lea Michele, “Glee” (Fox)
My pick: Tina Fey, “30 Rock.” Even if she wasn’t the driving force of the series behind the camera, I’d still pick Fey, just because she isn’t afraid to make herself look and sound completely ridiculous. But with that said, I absolutely dig Lea Michele’s work on “Glee” and certainly wouldn’t complain if she won instead. (Just as a closing note, while I know a lot of people might favor Toni Collette, it just seems like too easy a pick to me. )
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)
• Steve Carell, “The Office” (NBC)
• David Duchovny, “Californication” (Showtime)
• Thomas Jane, “Hung” (HBO)
• Matthew Morrison, “Glee” (Fox)
My pick: Steve Carell, “The Office.” No one on TV makes me cringe more…and I mean that as a compliment. If I’m to be perfectly honest, though, I think Jim Parsons from “The Big Bang Theory” deserved a nomination, possibly instead of Thomas Jane.
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
• Georgia O’Keeffe (Lifetime)
• Grey Gardens (HBO)
• Into the Storm (HBO)
• Little Dorrit (PBS)
• Taking Chance (HBO)
My pick: “Taking Chance.” The others are all strong, but this one’s arguably the most moving.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
• Joan Allen, “Georgia O’Keeffe” (Lifetime)
• Drew Barrymore, “Grey Gardens” (HBO)
• Jessica Lange, “Grey Gardens” (HBO)
• Anna Paquin, “The Courageous Heart of Irena” (CBS)
• Sigourney Weaver, “Prayers for Bobby” (Lifetime)
My pick: Drew Barrymore, “Grey Gardens.” Anyone who’s skeptical of Barrymore’s ability to act in anything other than light comedies need look no further than this film.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
• Kevin Bacon, “Taking Chance” (HBO)
• Kenneth Branagh, “Wallander: One Step Behind” (BBC)
• Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Endgame” (PBS)
• Brendan Gleeson, “Into the Storm” (HBO)
• Jeremy Irons, “Georgia O’Keeffe” (Lifetime)
My pick: Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Endgame.” Another dark horse pick, but if you saw it, then you know how good Ejiofor was in it. But, then again, he’s good in just about everything. It’s a given, however, that I’d be fine with Bacon takin’ it.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
• Jane Adams, “Hung” (HBO)
• Rose Byrne, “Damages” (FX)
• Jane Lynch, “Glee” (Fox)
• Janet McTeer, “Into the Storm” (HBO)
• Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love” (HBO)
My pick: Rose Byrne, “Damages.” It takes a strong actress to hold her own again Glenn Close, but for two seasons running, Byrne’s proved herself capable of doing just that.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
• Michael Emerson, “Lost” (ABC)
• Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
• William Hurt, “Damages” (FX)
• John Lithgow, “Dexter” (Showtime)
• Jeremy Piven, “Entourage” (HBO)
My pick: John Lithgow, “Dexter.” Is it me, or is this one of the most ridiculous races in recent awards history? Not that Barney Stinson and Ari Gold aren’t anti-heroes in their own way, but pitting them against Arthur Mitchell and Benjamin Linus hardly seems fair. I have to admit that I haven’t caught up on “Dexter” this season, but given the raves that Lithgow’s been getting for his work on the show, I’d be a fool to bet against him, especially since his performance is going to be the freshest in voters’ minds.
