The Golden Globe Awards by many standards should not be taken too seriously. The voters consist of just some 80 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, working for far away publications.
But over the years the Golden Globes has assumed its own status as an awards powerhouse.
It holds a prime spot, near the start of the cavalcade of awards ceremonies that follow. And as a weather vane, it frequently points to the likely competitors that will vie for next year’s Oscars.
Unlike the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes divides films into drama and comedy categories. And awards are given for television shows as well as movies.
This 2017 Golden Globe nominations were announced on Monday establishing a top tier of contenders while also featuring the usual number of snubs and surprises.
The hit musical La La Land sang and danced its way to seven nominations, the most for any film. Included were nods for director Damien Chazelle, stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and for best musical or comedy motion picture.
Moonlight, a powerful film about a poor black youngster who is gay and confronts bullies and faces other challenges as he matures, followed with six noms including best picture in the drama category and best director and screenplay nods to newcomer Barry Jenkins.
Manchester by the Sea, about one person in a small fishing town struggling to overcome a horrific personal tragedy, got five nominations including one for best dramatic film and nods for Casey Affleck as best actor in a drama, Michelle Williams as best supporting actress, and two nominations to Frank Lonergan as director and screenwriter.
In the television category, The People vs. O.J. Simpson, about the sensational trial of football star Simpson accused of murdering his wife, came up with five nominations including best limited series or motion picture, and for four of the actors: Courtney B. Vance, Sterling K. Brown, Sarah Paulson and John Travolta.
Competing in the same category, The Night Manager, based on a John Le Carre story, racked up four nods for actors Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman as well as for the entire six-part AMC series.
Westworld, the new HBO series about a futuristic theme park populated by artificial people, scored as best dramatic series and for actors Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood.
Other new shows receiving nominations in the best television drama category included The Crown, about the British Royal Family, Stranger Things, a supernatural sci-fi show — both on Netflix — and NBC’s This Is Us, about a group whose paths constantly criss-cross in unusual ways. The fifth contender is Game of Thrones, the multi-season HBO smash.
Critically applauded newcomer Atlanta, about the city’s rap scene, got a nod for best comedy. Other shows competing in the category are Black-ish, Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent — both on Amazon – and Veep, a Golden Globes old reliable.
Among movies, a surprise standout with four Golden Globe nominations was Florence Foster Jenkins which so far hasn’t received much respect from critics in their end-of-the-year favorites lists.
The true story about a horrible opera singer who winds up performing in Carnegie Hall got three acting nominations, the most of any film, as well as being named in the best comedy or musical movie category.
Meryl Streep, an all-time favorite of the HFPA, got her 30th Golden Globe nomination (she has eight wins) as best actress in a musical or comedy for playing the off-key but very sympathetic warbler. She will also receive the organization’s Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award at the January event.
Meanwhile Hugh Grant was nominated for best actor and Simon Helberg, of The Big Bang Theory, received a best supporting nod for playing Streep’s vocal coach.
In addition to La La Land and Florence Foster Jenkins, the three other films competing for best comedy or musical are Deadpool, Twentieth Century Women and Sing Street.
For best dramatic motion picture, nominees are Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water and Lion contending with Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea.
Mel Gibson got his first Golden Globe nomination since 2001 for directing Hacksaw Ridge.
Tom Ford’s melodrama Nocturnal Animals got a best director nom for the fashion designer turned helmer and another for best screenplay. Aaron Taylor-Johnson was nominated for best supporting actor for his role in the film.
Natalie Portman, star of Jackie, got a nomination for best actress in a dramatic motion picture, playing Jacqueline Kennedy in the week following JFK’s assassination. But otherwise the film got shut out.
Shut out entirely was Sully, the movie about the heroic airline piloted who successfully landed his jet full of passengers on New York’s East River, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Clint Eastwood.
A bigger shock was the goose egg for Silence, the highly-touted film by director Martin Scorsese about missionaries in Japan in the Sixteenth Century, which has yet to open.
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon is set to emcee the Golden Globes Awards show on January 8 live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Golden Globes 2017: The Complete List of Nominations
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
20th Century Women
Deadpool
Florence Foster Jenkins
La La Land
Sing Street
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton – Loving
Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge
Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington – Fences
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Amy Adams – Arrival
Jessica Chastain – Miss Sloane
Ruth Negga – Loving
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Colin Farrell – The Lobster
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins
Jonah Hill – War Dogs
Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
Lily Collins – Rules Don’t Apply
Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen
Emma Stone – La La Land
Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Simon Helberg – Florence Foster Jenkins
Dev Patel – Lion
Aaron Taylor-Johnson – Nocturnal Animals
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Viola Davis – Fences
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Nicole Kidman – Lion
Octavia Spencer – Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea
Best Director – Motion Picture
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Tom Ford – Nocturnal Animals
Mel Gibson – Hacksaw Ridge
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Tom Ford – Nocturnal Animal
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
Taylor Sheridan – Hell or High Water
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Nicholas Britell – Moonlight
Justin Hurwitz – La La Land
Johann Johannsson – Arrival
Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka – Lion
Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, Benjamin Wallfisch – Hidden Figures
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Trolls
Music and lyrics by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Shellback
“City of Stars” – La La Land
Music by Justin Hurwitz, lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
“Faith” – Sing
Music and lyrics by Ryan Tedder, Stevie Wonder and Francis Farewell Starlite
“Gold” – Gold
Music and lyrics by Brian Burton, Stephen Gaghan, Daniel Pemberton and Iggy Pop
“How Far I’ll Go” – Moana
Music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Best Animated Feature Film
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
Sing
Zootopia
Best Foreign-Language Film
Divines (France)
Elle (France)
Neruda (Chile)
The Salesman (Iran/France)
Toni Erdmann (Germany)
Best Television Series – Drama
The Crown
Game of Thrones
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
Atlanta
Black-ish
Mozart in the Jungle
Transparent
Veep
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Rami Malek – Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys – The Americans
Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan
Billy Bob Thornton – Goliath
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Caitriona Balfe – Outlander
Claire Foy – The Crown
Keri Russell – The Americans
Winona Ryder – Stranger Things
Evan Rachel Wood – Westworld
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish
Gael Garcia Bernal – Mozart in the Jungle
Donald Glover – Atlanta
Nick Nolte – Grave
Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical
Rachel Bloom – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep
Sarah Jessica Parker – Divorce
Issa Rae – Insecure
Gina Rodriguez – Jane the Virgin
Tracee Ellis Ross – Black-ish
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Riz Ahmed – The Night Of
Bryan Cranston – All the Way
Tom Hiddleston – The Night Manager
John Turturro – The Night Of
Courtney B. Vance – The People v. O.J. Simpson
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Felicity Huffman – American Crime
Riley Keough – The Girlfriend Experience
Sarah Paulson – The People v. O.J. Simpson
Charlotte Rampling – London Spy
Kerry Washington – Confirmation
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Sterling K. Brown – The People v. O.J. Simpson
Hugh Laurie – The Night Manager
John Lithgow – The Crown
Christian Slater – Mr. Robot
John Travolta – The People v. O.J. Simpson
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Olivia Colman – The Night Manager
Lena Headey – Game of Thrones
Chrissy Metz – This Is Us
Mandy Moore – This Is Us
Thandie Newton – Westworld
Best Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
American Crime
The Dresser
Night Manager
The Night Of
The People v. O.J. Simpson