.The Golden Globes, that hodgepodge of silver and small screen endorsements, will never live down its role as the Oscars' lesser sibling. It's "a lot of hoopla" and a "lot of hype" as The New York Times' Melena Ryzik puts it. Then again, it's also a "fairly regular predictor," supposedly, of who'll bring home the bacon on Oscar night. Earlier this morning, actors Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes and Blair Underwood announced the nominees alongside Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk.
The big takeaways: The King's Speech won the most nominations with seven, The Fighter and The Social Network hauled six each, and The Kids Are Alright, Inception and Black Swan earned four. As for television, Glee led the pack with five nods and 30 Rock, Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, The Good Wife and Mad Men each earned three. Here's what film and TV critics are saying:
- HBO Cleaned Up, writes Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly:
In keeping with a tradition for rewarding HBO shows, Boardwalk Empire's nominations included Steve Buscemi and Kelly Macdonald as well as the show itself. More surprising was the inclusion of The Walking Dead, which despite its late-in-the-year premiere and a mere half-dozen episodes managed to impress the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Other newcomers included nominations for Laura Linney and The Big C, Scott Caan for his supporting-actor work on Hawaii Five-O, and Julia Stiles' guest turn on Dexter.
- I've Got Mixed Feelings About the Golden Globes "Despite a general sense that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a mostly useless, self-serving organization," writes Russ Fischer at Slash Film, "the HFPA's Golden Globes awards remain an important event. They're considered a semi-useful bellwether for the Oscar nominations and, in fact, last year’s Golden Globes predicted 18 out of 20 acting Oscar nominees. That's in part due to the fact that the Globes nominate more actors, as dramatic and comedy/musical categories are honored."
- There's at Least Some Fun to Be Had, writes Melena Ryzik at The New York Times, including "seeing movies with few Oscar hopes get a glimmer of trophy gold. In the best actor-comedy category, Johnny Depp was nominated twice (for 'The Tourist' and 'Alice in Wonderland'), which the Bagger appreciates, if only so we can see what goofy-sexy-serious face he makes when the camera lingers on him."
- Some Big Disappointments, writes Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly: "Where were the nominations for Fringe and its stars Anna Torv, John Noble, and Joshua Jackson? In a more just alternate universe, Fringe would be leading the pack, along with… Friday Night Lights! Come on, Golden Globes, no Friday Night Lights love, either?"
- How Did 'The Tourist' Get Nominated?! asks a bewildered Choire Sicha at The Awl: "Have you seen The Tourist? Probably not! I have. It's horrible! There's almost no dialogue, and what little dialogue there is gets harvested hard for the trailer, so pretty much you've already seen it."
- No Recognition for 'In Treatment'? wonders Blair Underwood after the announcements were made: