Although the year is coming to a finish, the Awards Season is only getting begun. With the announcement of this year’s Golden Globes, we not only get our first serious look at the Oscar battle, but we also get a preview of what we might see at next year’s Emmy Awards (while also giving some a final shot after this year’s Emmys).
So, let’s go through some of the most interesting facts without further ado!
TELEVISION:
The “Game of Thrones” franchise makes its first major return to awards season with the new spinoff/prequel “House of the Dragon,” which makes a low-key cameo at the Globes. While nominated for Best Drama Series, just one of the show’s many excellent actors, Emma D’Arcy, was nominated (for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series). No Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, or even Paddy Considine, who ate and left no crumbs in every episode, were named. While it’s true that “Game of Thrones” never made a large mark at the Globes (with only 8 total nominations and one win), I’m still astonished because this series is so good.
While it’s true that “Game of Thrones” never made a large mark at the Globes during its run (with only 8 total nominations and one win), I’m shocked, given how well this series performed. We’ll have to wait until the Emmys next year to see if this series takes off. (It’s also worth mentioning that “HotD’s” main rival this year, Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” garnered no nominations…)
Another program that received widespread appreciation but a fairly “whomp-whomp” welcome from the HFPA was Lucasfilm’s “Andor,” which received a tiny – albeit well-deserved! – Diego Luna received one nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series. The Star Wars franchise has had noticeable difficulty entering big award presentations over the years. Like “HoTD,” I honestly believed “Andor” would be the breakthrough, but no such luck. Again, we’ll have to wait and see what the Emmys bring for this show next year. “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Lucasfilm’s second significant series from this year, and Marvel’s “Moon Knight” were both completely excluded.
FILM:
Brendan Fraser gets a nod for his work in the recently released The Whale, keeping the Brenaissance on track. It comes after Fraser stated that, even if nominated, he would not attend the ceremony due to his shady past with the event – and we don’t blame him, even though we hope he wins! He’ll face heavy competition, especially from Austin Butler (Elvis), whose candidacy is also expected.
Ke Huy Quan, nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his part in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, is another great comeback story we love to see on these lists. Quan, best known for his roles as a child in The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, may be an even bigger comeback story than Brendan Fraser, who waited for his big return. The film has six nominations in total, including Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Best Director (Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert), Best Screenplay (DK & DS), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis – her eighth nod), and of course, Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress.
As expected, the yet-to-be-released and (very) long-awaited Avatar sequel, The Way of Water, was nominated in Best Picture Drama and Best Director. The same can be expected at the Oscars next year, along with a bevy of technical honors.