subject: Golden Globe Nomination Snubs [print this page] It's amazing how much influence the Golden Globes wield over the industry. The awards are voted upon by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which may sound prestigious, but in actuality is essentially an organization of little more than 90 celebrity gossip columnists from around the world. Yet studios will actively campaign to, and in some nefarious cases even bribe, members of the HFPA in order to get attention from their show. Why? It's not because they want the Golden Globes icon on the DVD for their films. It's because they want the picture of the Oscar statue on those DVDs, and for whatever reason, the Globes have historically proven to be a great prognosticator for the Academy Awards. So here are five actors/films that had their Oscar chances impaired when their names weren't called for the Golden Globe nods on December 13.
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Indies have never fared particularly well at the Globes, especially ones with no star power. So it maybe shouldn't be viewed as a shock that this highly acclaimed indie didn't land a Best Picture nomination. But it got shut out across the board, even in the acting categories. Quvenzhane Wallis, the nine year old star of the film, was considered a lock to receive a nomination in the Best Actress category. Despite its lack of Globe nods, "Beasts" has done well enough at other awards show that it will still enter the Oscar race fairly strong.
Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook"
The HFPA is notorious for placating to the stars in an effort to up the television ratings. That makes it even more surprising that De Niro wasn't able to secure a Supporting Actor nod for his performance as a diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan in "Silver Linings Playbook." De Niro is no stranger to love from the organization either; he won their lifetime achievement award two years ago. Maybe voters just aren't used to marking his name on a ballot anymore, given the drivel he's starred in the last ten years.
Tom Hooper for "Les Miserables"
Musicals have staged something of a comeback in recent years. The HFPA has done everything they could do to foster that comeback; three films have won a Best Picture prize at the Globes in the last ten years. While "Les Miserables" was able to secure a Best Picture nomination, and may still win that category, the film's director, Tom Hooper, was given the cold shoulder. This isn't the first time Hooper has been overlooked. When his film "The King's Speech" became an awards juggernaut, he still lost out on the Best Directing trophy to David Fincher for "The Social Network."
"Magic Mike"
The Golden Globes separate the top Best Picture honors into two categories: One for dramas, the other for comedies and musicals. Many film journalists like this idea, as it allows for films that would be typically overlooked to garner some attention. Because of the division, one would have thought that Steven Soderbergh's box office hit about male strippers, "Magic Mike," was a lock for a nomination in the latter category. Instead, the HFPA turned their attention to a handful of little seen indies, "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen."
"The Master"
This one may not be such a surprise. Paul Thomas Anderson's epic, about an alcoholic soldier who joins a Scientology-like cult, lost a lot of buzz upon its release. The box office returns were severely underwhelming, even by PTA standards. Many say the film was too cerebral; some say it was mismarketed. No matter which way you look at it, however, "The Master" has been atop more critics top ten lists, except for maybe "Zero Dark Thirty." It's a shame that movies can't sneak in on quality alone anymore. At least the three central stars landed nominations.
