Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have just set a date night for January 11, when they'll be dressed to the nines with a lot to celebrate. That's right, the nominations for the 66th Golden Globe Awards have been announced, and, as we predicted, both superstars made the cut.
The star factor will be high that night even if you miss the biggest couple since Bogart and Bacall. Anne Hathaway, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn all will be there too, with best actress and actor nominations for critically lauded leading roles in "Rachel Getting Married,""Revolutionary Road" and "Milk" respectively. There was also a nod to the shattering performance as the Joker by the late Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight," earning what many felt was an inevitable and well-deserved supporting-actor nomination.
But it's never just about the drama at the Globes. Will Tom Cruise don a fat-suit and Robert Downey Jr. slap on the heavy makeup for their trip down the red carpet? They weren't very recognizable in their gut-busting performances in "Tropic Thunder," but that didn't stop the Hollywood Foreign Press from acknowledging their work. They're going up against each other, Ledger, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ralph Fiennes for best supporting actor.
(Head here for a complete list of Golden Globes nominees -- and our take on them.)
A few giants of music will be well-represented in the Best Original Song — Motion Picture category: Beyoncй, Miley Cyrus, Peter Gabriel and Bruce Springsteen all got nods for their contributions to "Cadillac Records,""Bolt,""WALL-E" and "The Wrestler." But don't count out a Hollywood legend in that race — Clint Eastwood is nominated for a song he co-wrote and performed in "Gran Torino."
A trio of serious flicks were the big winners on Thursday morning. Pitt's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" earned five nods in all, equal to the number tallied by fellow nominees for Best Motion Picture — Drama, "Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon."
"30 Rock," "Entourage" and "Mad Men" each earned three nominations, but it was a cancelled HBO series, "In Treatment," that led the TV pack with five nods.
Say what you will about the Globes, they're not the Oscars. Most viewers don't know (or probably care) how the awards are even determined by the infamous Hollywood Foreign Press Association. But when it comes to putting on a show, nobody but nobody does it like the Globes. It is a more relaxed ceremony than some of its stiffer competition. The tuxes come out, but so does the liquor, for the affair, which is held as a dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Toss in the fact that the Globes acknowledge dramas and comedies in separate categories, as well as television shows and stars right alongside their big-screen brethren, and year in and year out, the result tends to be a pretty irreverent affair by Hollywood awards-show standards.
Of course, for some, the Globes are the simply ultimate warm-up act for the Academy Awards which will happen over a month after the Globes are handed out in January. Traditionally, the Globes can be seen as a decent indicator for Oscar success. Last year, for instance, both Daniel Day-Lewis (""There Will Be Blood"") and Marion Cotillard (""La Vie en Rose"") took home Globes before attaining Oscar glory.
Last year's Globes were stripped down to an awkward news conference due to the writers' strike. Some have feared that an impending work stoppage by the Screen Actors Guild could once again interfere with the festivities, but the current timetable of the potential strike looks more likely to affect the Oscars than the Globes this time around. If all goes according to plan, the Globes will be broadcast live on NBC on January 11.
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
‘Frost/Nixon’: Showdown, By Kurt Loder
Jennifer Hudson says she’s honored by Grammy nods
(AP)
Golden Globe Predictions: Will Heath Ledger, Beyonce And Brangelina Get Nods?
Jennifer Hudson: Grammy Nods “Truly a Blessing”
(E! Online)
