After a tumultuous few years of scandal, restructuring, and soul-searching, the Golden Globes return tomorrow morning, aiming to prove they’re still Hollywood’s most charmingly irreverent precursor awards show. Once the darling of the awards season, the Globes have had to fight for relevance in the post-Hollywood Foreign Press Association era. Now under the stewardship of Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, and with a five-year CBS contract in hand, the Globes hope to once again balance frothy glamour with the gravitas of genuine star power.
Comedian Nikki Glaser takes the reins this year, hosting live from the iconic Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Glaser is looking to bring the zing back to the show that struggled under the weight of host Jo Koy’s lapses last year. The broadcast starts at 5:30 AM on Monday, January 6 on Lionsgate Play.
.@NikkiGlaser, we’d swipe right on you ☺️She’ll be bringing her humor and charm to the #GoldenGlobes this Sunday → LIVE on @CBS and @paramountplus at 8 ET | 5 PT! pic.twitter.com/l3QCTDTytl
Among the cinematic frontrunners, leading the nominations is Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, a Netflix musical extravaganza with 10 nods, including Best Comedy or Musical. Close behind is Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, a postwar epic that has captured critical acclaim, and Edward Berger’s tense papal thriller, Conclave.
On the drama side, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist dominates with seven nominations, while Edward Berger’s Conclave follows with six. Predictions have turned the race into a game of musical chairs: Emilia Pérez is the critics’ favorite for Best Musical or Comedy, while The Brutalist seems destined for Best Drama glory, with a trifecta of major publications putting their chips on its brooding postwar epic.
Other contenders include Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, a box-office behemoth now vying for the nascent “cinematic box office achievement award.” It faces stiff competition from Emilia Pérez, but its star-studded cast, including Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, could tip the scales. Meanwhile, Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light, fresh off its Cannes Grand Prix victory, represents India with nominations for Best Director and Best Non-English Film, signaling its potential as a dark horse for international acclaim.
On the acting front, Angelina Jolie (Maria) and Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) are the drama favorites, while Mikey Madison (Anora) and Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) are pegged to steal the comedy spotlight. For Chalamet, his role in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown could finally land him his first Golden Globe. His competition is fierce, with Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) also in the mix. Supporting nods lean toward Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), though, in typical Globes fashion, nothing is set in stone until the envelopes are opened.
The Golden Globes have always been a fickle fortune teller when it comes to predicting Oscar winners. According to Vulture, over the last 30 years, only about half of the Golden Globe film winners have gone on to claim the corresponding Academy Award.
Last year, the Globes hit a rare streak of accuracy: Oppenheimer triumphed at both ceremonies as Best Picture, and all four acting winners at the Oscars first tasted glory at the Globes. But the year before, the Globes misfired in three of the four acting categories, and Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once lost out to The Banshees of Inisherin for Best Comedy or Musical. This divergence stems from the voting pools — while the Globes are decided by a compact group of 334 international journalists, the Oscars are the realm of more than 10,000 Academy members, a broad coalition of industry professionals.
While the Globes aren’t always predictive of Oscar glory, they remain a key stop on the awards season circuit. This year’s race lacks a clear frontrunner, but strong showings from Conclave, Anora, or The Brutalist could shake things up.
Meanwhile, for television, heavy hitters like The Bear, Shogun, and Only Murders in the Building lead the nominations, while Selena Gomez, Kate Winslet, and Sebastian Stan are among the double nominees, spanning both film and TV categories.
As always, the Globes offer the perfect stage for Hollywood’s dramas—both on-screen and off. This year, the shadow of Blake Lively’s lawsuit against It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni looms large, with allegations of harassment and libel sparking chatter.
On the other hand, The Apprentice, a fictionalized look at a young Donald Trump, has stirred its own political fiasco. Starring Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, the film has already ignited debates, making it one of the evening’s more controversial nominees.
This year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award will honor Viola Davis, a powerhouse performer whose roles in Fences, The Woman King, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom have cemented her as one of Hollywood’s greatest talents. Meanwhile, Ted Danson, a three-time Globe winner and beloved star of Cheers and The Good Place, will receive the Carol Burnett Award for his outstanding contributions to television.
With the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominations and the Critics Choice Awards following just a week after the Globes on January 8 and 12 respectively, as well as the Oscar nominations soon after on January 17, the pieces are already in play for the awards season this year.
Published – January 05, 2025 02:28 pm IST
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