The holidays came early for many in Hollywood once again, as the 2013 Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. Ed Helms, Jessica Alba, and Megan Fox were on hand to read the list of nominees at the crack of dawn, and Steven Spielberg’s historical drama “Lincoln” lead the pack with (four score and) seven nominations.
In addition to the “Lincoln” noms (including stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field), the terrorist hostage-meets-Hollywood drama “Argo” was close behind with five nominations, including Best Director for Ben Affleck. The film will compete with “Django Unchained,” “Life of Pi” and “Zero Dark Thirty” for Best Motion Picture, Drama.
The dramatic musical “Les Miserables” also scored big on nominations. It leads the Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical category, going up against beloved Brit flick “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom,” the Ewan McGregor flick “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” and momentum-building awards season heavyweight “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Meanwhile, “Les Mis” stars Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway are nominated for their performances as the criminal Jean Valjean and the doomed Fantine, respectively. Jackman will face off for Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) against Jack Black’s transformative performance as a murderous mortician in “Bernie,” Bradley Cooper’s critically-acclaimed turn in “Silver Linings Playbook,” McGregor in “Salmon” and Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt in “Hyde Park on Hudson.” Hathaway will battle for Best Supporting Actress against Amy Adams’ work as a cult leader’s devoted wife in “The Master,” Field in “Lincoln,” Helen Hunt’s bare-all performance in “The Sessions,” and Nicole Kidman in a much-talked-about performance in “The Paperboy.”
No awards show would be complete without Meryl Streep on the red carpet, of course – and this year is no different. The legendary actress is nominated for Best Actress, Comedy or Musical, for her performance in “Hope Springs.” Joining her in the category are Emily Blunt in “Salmon,” Judi Dench in “The Best Exotic,” Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings,” and Maggie Smith in the Dustin Hoffman-directed retirement home film “Quartet.”
On the television side, the HBO film “Game Change,” about Sarah Palin rise to fame during the 2008 election, leads the pack with five nominations. The hit Showtime series “Homeland” is close behind with four nominations, including stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis.
Other television nominees include “Boardwalk Empire,” “Breaking Bad,” “Downton Abbey,” “Homeland,” and “The Newsroom” for Best Dramatic TV Series. The Best Comedy nominees are “The Big Bang Theory,” “Episodes,” “Girls,” “Modern Family” and “Smash.”
Among this year’s notable snub? “Revenge” failed to score a single nomination, disappointing many die-hard fans. Meanwhile, critically-acclaimed box-office hits “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Avengers,” and “Skyfall” once again proved that voters often have trouble seeing past the popcorn.
Jodie Foster will be the recipient of this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, an honorary award that honors outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. The awards show will be hosted by funny girls Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Tune in January 13th to see who goes home a winner.