Snubs and Surprises for Awards Season

The first “official” awards presentation of the new year will be the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, which will take place on January 10 in the heart of Beverly Hills.

While it is well known within the industry that the Golden Globes are, shall we say, not exactly considered the cream of the crop during awards season much like how the industry views the People’s Choice Awards – [let’s just say neither awards presentation are held in high esteem], it’s best not to say the truth too loudly in public.

And given the fact that the Golden Globes are always the first awards show to air each year and the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has a long legacy, its better just to go with the flow.

When the nominations came out earlier this week, people were a bit surprised (not unlike previous years, of course) by a number of the movies or people who were nominated but they were also just as surprised by the snubs toward movies and people who were left off the list.

While I won’t go into all of the snubs or surprises from the 2016 Golden Globe nominations, there are several that really threw me for a loop. Let take a look at those:

In the drama motion picture category, the summer blockbuster film Mad Max: Fury Road was among the nominees. Really? This was a better movie than Bridge of Spies or even Straight Outta Compton? Granted the movie that focused on the controversial hip-hop group N.W.A. was not my “cup of tea”, but it certainly received a good bit of acclaim.

Then there is the fact that the box office movie Spotlight was nominated (in the Best Director and Best Screenplay categories), but none of the cast received any acknowledgement. I saw this film not that long ago and at the very least Mark Ruffalo should have gotten a nod.

The TV series Outlander received a lot of acclaim not only from its worldwide fans but also from the media, especially for the final two episodes of the debut season that really pushed the boundaries even for a cable network drama. The show received a nomination for Drama TV Series while cast members Caitriona Balfe and co-star Tobias Menzies both received nods for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor (respectively). Don’t get me wrong, I am delighted for the show, Caitriona and Tobias; but I was very disappointed that Sam Heughan didn’t get a nod for his portrayal (especially for those aforementioned two episodes).

There was also the complete shut-out by the Globes toward the movie Black Mass that starred Johnny Depp as vile mobster Whitey Bulger. Johnny literally disappeared into this role and should have been rewarded for his extraordinary performance.

Web series have really made a mark with viewers over the years with four of them making the comedy nomination list this time around. But there was one glaring omission in the drama category: Marvel’s Daredevil that aired on Netflix earlier this year. Daredevil was, in my opinion, one of the best shows of 2015 regardless of where it aired.

It should also be noted that the Golden Globes are known for making nominations for actors and/or actresses as well as shows and/or movies that otherwise would not receive any kind of acknowledgement from other award shows.

Here are a few examples of surprise wins:
• Keri Russell, Felicity (1999)
• Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin (2015)
• Jennifer Garner, Alias (2002)
• The Affair, Best Drama (2015)

This time around, actress Sarah Hay has been nominated as Best Actress in a TV movie or limited series for the new Starz mini-series Flesh and Bone. Whether the newcomer will land the prize or not is yet to be seen, but it certainly wouldn’t be out of the first time that a surprise win takes place at the awards show.

What is your opinion of the Golden Globe nominations for this TV season? Will you be watching the award presentation on January 10? Please share your thoughts below.