We countdown to the first major awards show of the season

On Sunday night, the awards season will officially kick off with the handing out of the Golden Globes by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Although occasionally maligned for being more about the quantity of celebrities than the quality of the films, the Globes have nonetheless become the kick-off event leading up to the Academy Awards, and even occasionally been an indicator of which films and artists will go on to Oscar glory.

But more than that, the Globes are known for its more free-wheeling atmosphere, a venerable circus by black tie ceremonial standards where anything that can happen in a room full of Hollywood A-listers, will happen.

Perhaps more than the films and actors this year, the spotlight will be on three-time Globes host Ricky Gervais. The British comedian famously raked the celebrity audience over the proverbial coals during last year’s telecast, and to everyone’s surprise (except maybe network programmers) he was invited back to host this year. Even the HFPA offered a rare disclaimer after it was announced that Gervais would be this year’s host: “While many welcome Gervais’ return, not everyone is happy with the decision because last year his blunt one-liners targeting big-name celebrities caused anger and resentment in some quarters.”

Below is a You Tube clip of Gervais’ opening monologue, and this was before he really got nasty.

 But aside from seeing if/when/how Gervais is going to implode as host, viewers will be kept occupied with a very competitive race between the nominated films. Leading the pack is the silent film The Artist with six nominations, including Best Picture (Comedy or Musical). In the last few weeks, The Artist has emerged as the frontrunner for Oscar expectations, recently securing a Directors Guild of America nomination for Michel Hazanavicius.

In the wake of The Artist is a heavy competition between several films; The Descendants and The Help are each tied for five nominations, while The Ides of March, Midnight in Paris, and Moneyball each secured four. For movies like The Help, The Ides of March and Moneyball, the collection of a Golden Globe or two might bolster their Oscar chances, as nominations for George Clooney and Woody Allen, for The Descendants and Midnight in Paris respectively, seem all but assured.

The same could be said for three-time nominees Hugo and My Week with Marilyn. Hugo continues to ride a wave of positive reviews finishing on many Top 10 lists and winning or placing in numerous critics’ awards. It’s a forgone conclusion now that Martin Scorsese will get his seventh Best Director nod when the Oscar nominations are announced January 24th. Michelle Williams also seems a strong Oscar contender for Best Actress, and easily leads the pack in the Best Actress Comedy or Musical category with perhaps her closest competition for the win being Bridesmaids’ Kristen Wiig. The other movie with the three nominations is also known for its strong female lead, Albert Nobbs.

Glenn Close, faces stronger competition from the likes of Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) and Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), but her performance as a woman in 19th century Ireland that’s spent her life living and working as man is the kind of role the Academy loves.

On the TV side, a group of newcomers will try to get trophies out from returning favourites. In the Drama category, returning champion Boardwalk Empire was the only series not in its first year to be nominated, American Horror Story, Boss, Game of Thrones and Homeland will all try to for the Globe against Boardwalk. It’s almost the same story in the Comedy category with veterans Glee and Modern Family facing off against rookies Enlightened, Episodes and New Girl.

The Golden Globes will air this Sunday at 8 pm EST on CTV and NBC. Press+1 will be coving all the excitement with a live blog during the show and via our Twitter feed.

Written by :

Adam