Stars from the big and small screen will flock to Los Angeles on Jan. 25 to salute 2003’s knockout performances at the 2004 Golden Globe Awards.
The Best Motion Picture – Drama category recognized 2003’s most anticipated films. It came as no surprise that Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” was nominated. Competing with “Rings” is “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” placing Russell Crowe back on the awards pedestal yet again. Also nominated was the long-awaited Civil War epic “Cold Mountain” starring Hollywood hotshots Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger.
The Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category presents a unique combination of tastes. It is unusual for a child-oriented animated film like “Finding Nemo” to be contending for the Golden Globe trophy against the likes of Tim Burton’s “Big Fish” and a romantic comedy like “Love Actually.”
Nominees for Best Performance by an Actor – Drama revealed no shockers. Russell Crowe is once again in competition for his role in “Master and Commander.” Other hopefuls are Sean Penn for “Mystic River” and Tom Cruise for “The Last Samurai.” The award veteran Crowe will be closely matched by Cruise’s intense performance in “The Last Samurai.”
In line for Best Performance by an Actress – Drama are Cate Blanchett for “Veronica Guerin,” Nicole Kidman for “Cold Mountain” and Uma Thurman for “Kill Bill-Vol. 1.” While Thurman kicked much butt in Quentin Tarantino’s anticipated action flick, she will not be much opposition for Oscar winners Blanchett and Kidman.
In the Musical or Comedy genre, nominees for Best Performance by an Actor include Jack Black for “School of Rock,” Johnny Depp for “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Bill Murray for “Lost in Translation.” Over the years, Jack Black has proven himself as a comic genius, but this reputation might not pull much weight compared to Depp’s hilarious, off-the-wall performance in “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Bill Murray also has a reputation that precedes him, but his performance in “Translation” from a comedic standpoint was not up to his full potential.
In the Actress field of the same genre, some of the big names nominated were Jamie Lee Curtis for “Freaky Friday,” Scarlett Johannson for “Lost In Translation” and Diane Keaton for “Something’s Gotta Give.”
Given the fact that “Lost In Translation” was not much of a comedy compared to its opponents, Curtis or Keaton are more likely to be taking home the trophy this year.
On the small screen, nominations went to most of the usuals this year.
For Best Television Series – Drama, voters hailed TV usual favorites such as “24,” “The West Wing” and “Six Feet Under.”
This will be a tight match considering the fame of each of these shows. It will not be shocking to see HBO’s “Six Feet Under” snag the Golden Globe, given the enormous acclaim for the network’s lineup.
The Best Television Series – Comedy category did present a few surprises. Nominees include “Sex and the City,” “Will & Grace” and “Monk.”
With “Sex and the City” in its final season, it was appropriately nominated due to its enormous popularity over the years; however, it was a big surprise that NBC’s “Friends” – also in its final season – was not nominated.
While “Friends” was not nominated on the series circuit, Matt LeBlanc will be representing the show, as he was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy category. Competing against him will be Bernie Mac for “The Bernie Mac Show” and the popular Eric McCormack for “Will & Grace.”
The real competition exists between McCormack and the goofy LeBlanc because of their reputations as household names in primetime television.
For the Actress category of the same genre, nominees include Sarah Jessica Parker for “Sex and the City,” Debra Messing for “Will & Grace” and Alicia Silverstone for “Miss Match.”
Although Silverstone is a fresh face on the primetime TV comedy circuit, she will not be much of a “match” against Parker and Messing.
For Best Performance by an Actor in A Television Series – Drama, nods went to stars such as Martin Sheen for “The West Wing” and Kiefer Sutherland for “24.”
In the Actress category, Allison Janney also received recognition for “The West Wing,” competing against Jennifer Garner for “Alias” and Amber Tamblyn for “Joan of Arcadia.”
Tamblyn is relatively new to the screen and should be applauded for receiving award buzz this early in her career, but this year Janney is likely to take home the trophy for her witty and intense role in “The West Wing.” A similar outcome will be in the Actor category, with Sheen’s role as the President of the United States.
The outcome of the Golden Globes will possibly leave viewers with startling surprises as Hollywood approaches the prolific Academy Awards.