Roundup: Golden Globe nominations hold some surprises

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Golden Globe nominations came out Monday, with dark fantasy "The Shape of Water" gaining seven nominations to be the biggest "winner" in the film section, while "Big Little Lies" led the TV categories with six nominations.

Announced this morning at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles in the U.S. state of California, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Golden Globe nominations herald the quasi-official kick-off of the famed Hollywood award season, known to make or break careers in the entertainment industry.

Hollywood's hippest party, the Golden Globe Awards ceremony itself, will take place on Jan. 7, two months prior to the Oscars. This head start has traditionally given the Globes considerable influence over Oscar voting in years past.

Playing Santa Claus this year were co-hosts Sharon Stone, Alfre Woodard, Kristen Bell, and Garrett Hedlund.

Former Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee, Sharon Stone, told Xinhua this morning that "The acting community is a very close one, and I know how hard all of today's nominees have had to work to receive this wonderful recognition."

The Academy Award-nominated British actor, Gary Oldman, was a shoo-in for a Best Actor, Drama nomination for his moving portrayal of Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour."

Gary Oldman told Xinhua, "I wondered if I was the best person to do the role. Churchill's been so mythologized, I wondered if I could get past the statue."

His pithy portrayal may well have gotten him past Churchill's statue to one of his own.

"The Shape of Water" about a mute, female janitor who is drawn into an otherworldly love affair, tops all movies with seven nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Movie Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Original Score.

After "The Shape of Water," historical drama "The Post" and black comedy crime film "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" tied for second place with each gaining six nominations.

Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg, Martin McDonagh, Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott were nominated for the Best Director award.

Industry pundits noted at a time when Hollywood is finally making an effort to promote the status of talented women, it was disappointing that the fine female directors of such critically acclaimed and commercially successful films as "Wonder Woman," "Mudbound," "Ladybird," "Breadwinner" and "Loving Vincent" were all snubbed by the Golden Globes in the Best Director category, though their films or stars received top nominations.

Pat Saperstein, a journalist with U.S. entertainment weekly Variety, wrote "In a year in which Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman and Dee Rees' "Mudbound" also received universal praise -- and in the case of "Wonder Woman," massive box office as well -- the slight was seen as significant."

"Big Little Lies" topped the TV nominations, pulling in Best Limited TV Series and other five nominations.

The Best TV Series, Drama nominations went to the battle scarred "Game of Thrones," the elegant "The Crown," the misogynistic fable "The Handmaiden's Tale," the poignant, dysfunctional family's "This Is Us," and the through-a-lens-darkly, coming-of-age, "Stranger Things."

Asian-centric "Master of None" pulled in two nominations for Best TV Series Comedy, and Best Actor in TV Series, Comedy for previous winner, actor and creator Aziz Ansari.

There were a few surprises, including "Mudbound" and "Darkest Hour" not making the cut for Best Motion Picture, Drama; Kate Winslet being edged out by Michelle Williams for the last slot of Best Actress, Drama; Jake Gyllenhaal failing to snag another nomination for Best Actor, Drama, while his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal was picked for Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama; and no nod for fan favorite, actor Kumail Nanjiani of the "Big Sick."

Also unexpected was the nomination of "Get Out's" Daniel Kaluuya for a Best Actor, Musical or Comedy, and Thai-born actress, Hong Chau, who immigrated to the United States as a child with her Vietnamese parents, landing a Best Supporting Actress in any Picture nomination for her compelling performance in "Downsizing."

On the production and distribution side, a few big "winners" dominated the top categories.

For motion pictures, 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight led the pack with 12 and 15 nominations respectively. Meg Ellison's scrappy indie shingle, A24, ranked second with seven nominations -- the clear heir apparent to the Weinstein Company -- and Sony Classics and Sony Pictures each pulled in six.

As expected, HBO continued to dominate the TV categories, pulling down 12 nominations, while Netflix and FX followed with nine and eight each.

The award season runs through the holidays, culminating in the industry's Big Kahuna, the Academy Award Ceremony, on March 4, 2018. Enditem.