The Golden Globes nominations were announced today, and as if right on cue, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced to the world their intention to keep it weird every single time. This small, secretive voting body has a tendency to make some outside-the-box picks (remember when The Tourist was nominated for Best Picture?) and 2021 was no different.
There were expected nominees to be sure. Prestige dramas like Nomadland and Mank racked up their presumed nominations and continue to barrel towards the Oscars. But then there were also some head-scratchers – both in terms of what was left out and what made the cut. So without taking the Globes too seriously, let's break down the weirdest, silliest snubs and surprises of the 2021 Golden Globes Nominations.
What in the World Is ‘Music’?
The first WTF nomination came in the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy category, where Kate Hudson landed a nod for a movie called Music. And then, lo and behold, Music got nominated for Best Picture Musical or Comedy – despite pretty much everyone never having heard of this movie in the first place. Written and directed by Sia, it’s only been released in Australia so far, and is getting a limited IMAX release in the United States on February 10th before a VOD release. Granted some other nominees haven’t been released yet (like Nomadland and Judas and the Black Messiah), but those were at least on peoples’ radar. This literally came outta nowhere. Keep it weird, HFPA.
Where’s Delroy Lindo and ‘Da 5 Bloods’?
It’s hard to get upset about “snubs” at the Golden Globes because the awards themselves are kind of a joke, but not seeing Spike Lee’s Netflix drama Da 5 Bloods anywhere was kind of a bummer. At the very least, Delroy Lindo deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination – especially considering who did get nominated in his stead. Or how about a Best Score nod for Terence Blanchard? Alas, the Vietnam War drama was nowhere to be found. Here’s hoping the Oscars don’t follow suit.
James Corden Is the Only Acting Nominee from ‘The Prom’
Okay so Ryan Murphy’s Netflix musical The Prom is pretty much Golden Globes catnip. It’s big and colorful and full of A-list stars. So it’s kind of hilarious that, in addition to a Best Picture Musical or Comedy nod, the film’s only acting nomination went to James Corden over the likes of Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman and even Andrew Rannells. Corden got some blowback from the LGBTQ community for his, uh, exaggerated performance of a gay Broadway star in the film, so the nomination was surprising to say the least. Is this some kind of practical joke they’re playing on Corden? Is it payback for Cats? Who’s to say.
Creepy Jared Leto Sneaks Into Supporting Actor
Speaking of, the Supporting Actor category is chaotic as hell and I’m kind of here for it. In addition to the aforementioned Corden, Jared Leto got nominated for his creepy performance in the Warner Bros./HBO Max thriller The Little Things. Yes, the movie that was just released last weekend, and for which Leto’s drawn some criticism. Now Leto is far from a bad actor – he’s been genuinely great in a number of things, and his Oscar win for Dallas Buyers Club was deserved – but The Little Things? Really? Over Delroy Lindo? You couldn’t even spring for a J.K. Simmons in Palm Springs or something?
‘Emily in Paris’ Finds Love
The Globes aren’t exclusively weird to movies. One of the most predictable trends every year is that they will go gaga over some big brand new series regardless of its critical reception, and this year was no different. Netflix’s Emily in Paris was kind of critically scorned despite audiences seeming to mostly dig it, so leave it to the HFPA to nominate this very silly show for Best TV Series Musical or Comedy and for Best Actress, for Lily Collins. Similarly, Netflix’s Ratched landed a Best TV Series Drama nomination despite also not being very well-received critically. That’s not to say this trend is a fully bad thing – it led to wins for freshman shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Mr. Robot, and this year some very good new shows like Perry Mason and The Flight Attendant got nominated. It’s just funny to see something somewhat trivial like Emily in Paris alongside a critical darling like Ted Lasso.
As always, the HFPA remains an absolutely chaotic organization. You can’t say they’re not committed to the bit.
For a look at how the Oscars, a more respectable organization, are shaping up, check out my Best Picture predictions.
The 2021 Golden Globes airs live on NBC on February 28th, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.