After scandal and boycott plunged the Hollywood Foreign Press Association into disarray and knocked its annual award show off television for a year, the Golden Globes geared up Monday for its return by showering nominations on the black comedy "The Banshees of Inisherin" and the multiverse mash-up "Everything Everywhere all at Once."
In an attempt to restore early-morning fanfare to the awards-season tradition, nominations were read from the Beverly Hilton and aired live on NBC's "Today" show. Hollywood, which spurned the HFPA after 2021 reports detailed the body's lack of diversity and rampant ethical indiscretions, once again woke up to news of nominees — though this time the response was much more muted.
Martin McDonagh's feuding friends tale "The Banshees of Inisherin" led with eight nominations, including nods for actors Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's existential action comedy "Everything Everywhere all at Once" came in second with six nominations, including nods for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
The Globes spread nominations around to a number of Oscar favorites (Steven Spielberg's "The Fabelmans," Todd Fields' "Tár") while also elevating big-budget spectacles like "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Avatar: The Way of Water." Each, along with Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis," landed nominations for best film, drama.
The nominees for best film, comedy or musical, were: "The Banshees of Inisherin," "Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," "Babylon" and "Triangle of Sadness."
The HFPA has historically been derided — sometimes even by their own hosts — for less diverse nominees and off-the-wall picks. The film nominees Monday included eight people of color among the 30 acting individual acting nominees. No woman was nominated for best director, with nods instead going to Spielberg, Cameron, McDonagh, Luhrmann and Kwan and Scheinert, the filmmaking duo known as "the Daniels." None of the films up for best picture in either category was directed by women.
Among the nominees for best actor in a drama is Brendan Fraser. Fraser has said he won’t attend the Globes after he said he was groped in 2003 by Philip Berk, a former HFPA member and former president of the organization.
On the TV side, the ABC public school comedy "Abbott Elementary" led with five nominations, including best series, musical or comedy, and nods for its stars Quinta Brunson, Janelle James and Tyler James Williams. "The Crown," "Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," "Only Murders in the Building," "Pam & Tommy" and "White Lotus" all came away with four nominations.
The show, which will be telecast Jan. 10 and hosted by stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael, is trying to mount a comeback. A Los Angeles Times investigation in early 2021 found that the HFPA then had no Black members, a revelation compounded by other allegations of ethical improprieties. Many stars and studios said they would boycott the show. Tom Cruise returned his three Globes.
Whether Cruise, overlooked in the lead actor category, chooses to attend this year will be much discussed ahead of the ceremony. His "Top Gun: Maverick," the year's biggest box-office smash, is nominated for two awards: best film, drama, and best song. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was among the first to cheer the film's nominations with a statement of thanks on Monday.
"Top Gun: Maverick" wasn't the only blockbuster welcomed by the Globes. James Cameron's upcoming "Avatar: The Way of Water" scored nods for both best film, drama, and best director for Cameron. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" snagged two nominations, for Angela Bassett's supporting performance and Rihanna's "Lift Me Up."
Arguably no film got a bigger boost than Damien Chazelle's silent-film-era epic "Babylon." The film doesn't open in theaters until later this month, but came away with five nominations, including nods for Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Diego Calva.
Other nominees across categories included Austin Butler ("Elvis"), Ana de Armas ("Blonde"), Jeremy Pope ("The Inspection"), Ana Taylor-Joy ("The Menu"), Emma Thompson ("Good Luck to You, Leo Grande"), Dolly De Leon ("Triangle of Sadness") and Eddie Redmayne ("The Good Nurse").
While enthusiastic statements and social-media reactions often ensue, few nominees publicly celebrated in the first hours after nominations. Social accounts for many of the films, though, did promote their Globe nods.
NBC last year canceled the telecast for this past January. Instead, the Golden Globes were quietly held in a Beverly Hilton ballroom without any stars in attendance. Winners were announced on Twitter.
Over the last year and a half, the HFPA has enacted reforms and revamped its membership to now number 96 people, including six Black voting members.
NBC has praised the HFPA for its ongoing reforms but also reworked its contract: The network will broadcast the 2023 show in a one-year deal, making January's show a possible make-or-break moment. NBC also shifted the telecast to a Tuesday, from the Globes’ previous Sunday night perch, and will also stream the ceremony on Peacock.
Known for its boozy, celebrity-stuffed broadcast, the Globes long ranked as one of the most-watched non-sporting live programs of the year. But ratings, like for most award shows, have recently slid for the Globes. The 2021 show, held amid the pandemic, was watched by 6.9 million, down from 18 million the year prior.
The HFPA sold the Globes earlier this year to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries, which is turning it from a nonprofit to a for-profit venture. The firm also owns Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Globes, and the award show’s longtime home, the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.
For Hollywood studios, the Globes can be a useful marketing tool that helps drive audiences to contenders ahead of the Academy Awards, which will be held March 12. In the past year, no other awards body has emerged as a Globes replacement. With modest ticket sales thus far for many of the fall’s most acclaimed dramas, some in the industry will surely hope to see the Globes restored to their former luster.
