By Brooks Barnes
To many, the Golden Globe Awards are a perfect example of Hollywood’s two faces.
In public, the entertainment capital plays along: It’s an honor just to be nominated, giggle tee-hee, this event is an absolute delight.
In private, smiles drop and eyes roll: The prizes are not seen as meaningful markers of artistic excellence, but there is no way around them. From a business perspective, the Globes represent a crucial marketing opportunity for winter films and TV shows.
The nominations for the 81st ceremony, which will be televised by CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Jan. 7, were announced Monday morning by Cedric the Entertainer and Wilmer Valderrama. New movies like “American Fiction,” “Poor Things” and “The Zone of Interest” will compete alongside summertime behemoths like “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.”
“Barbie” led the nominations with nine, followed by “Oppenheimer” with eight. In the television categories, “Succession” had the most with nine, followed by “The Bear” and “Only Murders in the Building” with five apiece.
In one obvious snub, “The Color Purple,” based on the Broadway version of the story and backed by Oprah Winfrey, was left out of the best film, musical or comedy category. In a surprise, voters found a way to invite Taylor Swift to the ceremony, nominating her “Eras Tour” concert film in a new category for blockbusters.
The Golden Globes have long been positioned as an important campaign stop for Oscar hopefuls. Nomination voting for the 96th Academy Awards begins on Jan. 11.
In truth, the impact may be overblown. “The Fabelmans” won 2023 Globes for best film drama and best director, while “The Banshees of Inisherin” was named best film musical or comedy, also picking up Globes for acting and screenwriting. Neither film won anything at the Academy Awards.
The companies behind the Globes hope that next month’s installment marks a turning point for the beleaguered enterprise.
In June, California officials agreed to a complicated reorganization plan that dissolved the troubled Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which invented the awards in 1944 as a way to gain access to celebrities. As part of the deal to address an ethics, finance and diversity scandal, Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, which is part of Penske Media, bought the Golden Globe assets for an undisclosed price. (Penske controls the biggest Hollywood trade publications, which rely on awards-related advertising income.)
The new owners expanded the voting pool to about 300 journalists from around the world, with attention paid to diversity. Fewer than 100 people voted on the Globes until a couple of years ago; as recently as 2021, there were no Black voters.
The January show will include two new categories — one for stand-up comedy on television and the other for blockbuster films, defined as those taking in at least $100 million at the United States box office and $150 million worldwide. (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars, introduced a category for “popular” movies in 2018 as part of an effort to boost viewer interest. The film establishment had a meltdown, and the academy backtracked. To compare, Hollywood responded with shrugs in September when the Globes announced a category dedicated to box office winners, perhaps revealing how little the Globes are regarded as actual honors.)
With the exception of the blockbuster category, which has eight slots, the categories now have six nominees, up from five. In other words, more stars to populate the televised ceremony and its accompanying red carpet spectacle. Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Timothée Chalamet, Matt Damon, Fantasia Barrino, Annette Bening, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were nominated on Monday.
At least 20 nominees did not attend the most recent Globes. A hotel workers strike that involved the Beverly Hilton, where the Globes are scheduled to take place, could have prompted even more nominee no-shows in January. The Beverly Hilton and Unite Here, a union representing housekeepers, front desk attendants, servers and other workers at the hotel, said Friday that they had reached a tentative deal for a new contract.
“Together, the iconic Beverly Hilton and its employees set the stage for the awards season, and we are delighted to be able to do so once again,” the union said in a statement.
The recipients of the Globes for lifetime achievement, one in film and the other in television, will be named in the coming weeks — along with a host for the ceremony, the spokesperson said.
The stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael hosted the 2023 Globes, which attracted about 6.3 million viewers, down 10% from the 6.9 million for the televised Globes ceremony in 2021. (NBC refused to broadcast the event in 2022, citing the HFPA’s problems.)
To compare, the Oscars attract about 19 million viewers.
Here is a list of Globe nominees:
Best Motion Picture, Drama
“Anatomy of a Fall”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Maestro”
“Oppenheimer”
“Past Lives”
“The Zone of Interest”
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Air”
“American Fiction”
“Barbie”
“The Holdovers”
“May December”
“Poor Things”
Best Motion Picture, Animated
“The Boy and the Heron”
“Elemental”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Suzume”
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
“Wish”
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
“Barbie”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
“John Wick: Chapter 4”
“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part 1”
“Oppenheimer”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour”
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language
“Anatomy of a Fall”
“Fallen Leaves”
“Io Capitano”
“Past Lives”
“Society of the Snow”
“The Zone of Interest”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Annette Bening, “Nyad”
Cailee Spaeny, “Priscilla”
Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”
Greta Lee, “Past Lives”
Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”
Barry Keoghan, “Saltburn”
Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”
Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Colman Domingo, “Rustin”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Alma Pöysti, “Fallen Leaves”
Emma Stone, “Poor Things”
Fantasia Barrino, “The Color Purple”
Jennifer Lawrence, “No Hard Feelings”
Margot Robbie, “Barbie”
Natalie Portman, “May December”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Nicolas Cage, “Dream Scenario”
Timothée Chalamet, “Wonka”
Matt Damon, “Air”
Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Beau Is Afraid”
Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”
Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”
Jodie Foster, “Nyad”
Julianne Moore, “May December”
Rosamund Pike, “Saltburn”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Willem Dafoe, “Poor Things”
Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”
Charles Melton, “May December”
Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”
Best Director, Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”
Greta Gerwig, “Barbie”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things”
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Celine Song, “Past Lives”
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, “Barbie”
Tony McNamara, “Poor Things”
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Celine Song, “Past Lives”
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, “Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Jerskin Fendrix, “Poor Things”
Ludwig Göransson, “Oppenheimer”
Joe Hisaishi, “The Boy and the Heron”
Mica Levi, “The Zone of Interest”
Daniel Pemberton, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Robbie Robertson, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Addicted to Romance,” from “She Came to Me”
“Dance the Night,” from “Barbie”
“I’m Just Ken,” from “Barbie”
“Peaches,” from “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
“Road to Freedom,” from “Rustin”
“What Was I Made For?,” from “Barbie”
Best Television Series, Drama
“1923”
“The Crown”
“The Diplomat”
“The Last of Us”
“The Morning Show”
“Succession”
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“Abbott Elementary”
“Barry”
“The Bear”
“Jury Duty”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Ted Lasso”
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
“All the Light We Cannot See”
“Beef”
“Daisy Jones and the Six”
“Fargo”
“Fellow Travelers”
“Lessons in Chemistry”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Helen Mirren, “1923”
Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”
Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”
Sarah Snook, “Succession”
Imelda Staunton, “The Crown”
Emma Stone, “The Curse”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Brian Cox, “Succession”
Kieran Culkin, “Succession”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”
Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Dominic West, “The Crown”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Bill Hader, “Barry”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jason Segel, “Shrinking”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Movie
Riley Keough, “Daisy Jones and the Six”
Brie Larson, “Lessons in Chemistry”
Elizabeth Olsen, “Love & Death”
Juno Temple, “Fargo”
Rachel Weisz, “Dead Ringers”
Ali Wong, “Beef”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series of Motion Picture Made for Television
Matt Bomer, “Fellow Travelers”
Sam Claflin, “Daisy Jones and the Six”
Jon Hamm, “Fargo”
Woody Harrelson, “White House Plumbers”
David Oyelowo, “Lawmen: Bass Reeves”
Steven Yeun, “Beef”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role
Elizabeth Debicki, “The Crown”
Abby Elliott, “The Bear”
Christina Ricci, “Yellowjackets”
J. Smith-Cameron, “Succession”
Meryl Streep, “Only Murders in the Building”
Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession”
James Marsden, “Jury Duty”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Alan Ruck, “Succession”
Alexander Skarsgard, “Succession”
Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy or Television
Ricky Gervais, “Ricky Gervais: Armageddon”
Trevor Noah, “Trevor Noah: Where Was I?”
Chris Rock, “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage”
Amy Schumer, “Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact”
Sarah Silverman, “Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love”
Wanda Sykes, “Wanda Sykes: I Am an Entertainer”