I am *amazed* that the organizers of the Golden Globe Awards this year did not plan for the rain. We knew all week long that it was going to rain yesterday … hell, it even started raining early enough in the day to give folks the head’s up that they might want to plan for a wet red carpet and yet … there was no planning involved. Everyone on the red carpet, celebs and reporters alike, were just meandering around like wet lost sheep. How dreadful. Many of the celebs had to scramble to find umbrellas and people to hold their umbrella’s for them … only Mariah Carey came prepared with her very own personal valet/husband Nick Cannon who is always at the ready to hold her umbrella for her whenever she needs him. Such a good boy.

But, the show did go off without a hitch. Ricky Gervais, IMHO, wasn’t that great of a host but he did a passable job I thought. And as I mentioned earlier, I was very pleased with many of winners last night — save for just a few winners I did NOT agree with at all. After the jump, check out some photos from the show itself and find out who won and who I thought got robbed …

James Cameron carried home two Golden Globes on Sunday night for his 3-D blockbuster, “Avatar.” “Avatar,” which has sold $1.6 billion in tickets worldwide in just a month, was chosen best movie drama, while Cameron won for best movie director. “We have the best job in the world,” Cameron said. Many of the winners and presenters at the 67th Golden Globes wore red and yellow ribbons, a reminder of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti. “It does feel strange to dress up and play fantasy, but I’m glad we are talking about it,” actress Kyra Sedgwick told CNN on the red carpet. Globe producers included several appeals in the awards broadcast for viewers to donate to Haitian relief efforts. As “Crazy Heart” star Jeff Bridges accepted the best actor in a movie drama award — the first Golden Globe of his career — he joked about his lack of awards. “Wow, you’re really screwing up my under-appreciated status here,” Bridges said. The best actress in a movie drama went to Sandra Bullock for her work in “The Blind Side.” Robert Downey Jr. won the Globe for best actor in a movie comedy or musical for his role in “Sherlock Holmes.” Downey joked that he didn’t have an acceptance speech because his wife told him Matt Damon would win the category for “The Informant!” “The Hangover,” a comedy about misadventures in Las Vegas, won the Golden Globe for best comedy or musical movie. Former boxing champ Mike Tyson, who played himself in the film, stood onstage as a movie director Todd Phillips accepted the award. Austrian actor Christoph Waltz won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor in a movie for “Inglourious Basterds.” The role of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa — the villain in Quentin Tarantino’s film — required Waltz to speak four languages fluently. The Golden Globe for best TV drama was awarded to AMC’s “Mad Men” for the third straight year. Alec Baldwin repeated his Emmy success at the Globes, winning the best actor in a TV comedy or musical series award. Meryl Streep took home her seventh Golden Globe, one for best actress in a comedy or musical movie, for “Julie & Julia.” Streep, referring to last week’s earthquake in Haiti, said it was hard for her to put on her “happy movie self, in face of everything I am aware of in the real world.” Streep had two chances to win the category, because she was also nominated for “It’s Complicated.” Kevin Bacon won the Golden Globe for best actor in a made-for-TV miniseries or movie for his acting in HBO’s “Taking Chance.” It was his first Globe … The Globe for best actress in a made-for-TV miniseries or movie went to Drew Barrymore for HBO’s “Gray Gardens.” It was her first Globe win after three nominations. Chloe Sevigny, who plays the second wife in HBO’s “Big Love,” took the best supporting actress Globe for a made-for-TV miniseries or movie. “Up in the Air,” which was up for Globes in six categories, won the best screenplay award. Showtime’s “Dexter” grabbed Golden Globes for best actor — Michael C. Hall — and best supporting actor — John Lithgow — in a TV series, miniseries or movie. The best actress in a TV drama series went to Julianna Margulies for her work in “The Good Wife” on CBS. Comedian Mo’Nique won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a movie for her role as an abusive mother in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” “I’m shaking when I tell y’all I’m in the midst of my dream,” Mo’Nique said. Toni Collette won the best actress in a TV comedy or musical TV series for Showtime’s “United States of Tara.” It was Collette’s first Globe win, though she has been nominated four times. The Disney-Pixar blockbuster “Up” won the Golden Globe for best animated movie. Pixar has won the category every year since it was started four years ago. “Up” was also honored for best original movie score, which was composed by Michael Giacchino. The award for best original song for a movie went to T Bone Burnett’s “The Weary Kind,” the theme for “Crazy Heart.”

As I gushed earlier, I was thrilled at the Dexter wins but I was also pleased that Robert Downey, Jr. won for his work in Sherlock Holmes, that Drew Barrymore won for her work in Grey Gardens and that Meryl Streep won for her work in Julie & Julia. 3 great performances, 3 well deserved wins. Now, at the risk of sounding like a hater, I get that everyone loves Avatar so much but I vehemently disagree that it was the Best Film of the year. No way. The Hurt Locker alone is far superior in every way that matters, IMHO. Avatar is a great 3D movie but it’s all visuals and no substance. The story is fine but it’s far from superb. I cannot believe the hype has carried the film to the heights of box office success and now to awards show glory. The Golden Globes are a great precursor to the Oscars so I think we know who the contenders are. Mo’Nique will very likely win an Academy Award and Jeff Bridges also has a very good shot. I hope and pray that a more deserving film will win Best Film but, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Click HERE to see a full list of winners at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards last night. Did YOUR faves win? What did YOU think of the show itself?

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

When last we saw co-stars Hall and Lithgow together, they were discussing the events that took place during the shocking season finale ep of the 4th season of Dexter … so it’s nice to see them side-by-side again in this way. The only award that Dexter was nominated for that they didn’t win was Best Drama Series (which is a damn shame, I think) but, again, these men truly did the series proud and their wins are much deserved. MCH has been nominated 4 times and this was his first, overdue, win. After the jump, watch video of each man giving their acceptance speech at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards last night …

The Golden Globes are essentially the opening act of the awards show season — it’s safe to bet those taking home Globes could hit it big at the Oscars. But that’s not at all why you should watch it. Unlike the much more uptight Academy Awards, the Globes are the funnier, cooler party where everyone would rather be. Here are 10 reasons why — even though you might care more about who wins an Oscar — you should never miss the Globes.

10. You can watch celebrities chow down
They’ve dieted for months to fit into their designer dresses, and chef Suki Sugiura, at the Beverly Hilton hotel, is making sure no one pops a seam with a light, locally grown menu. Attendees will feast on an arugula-radish salad with herb-crusted mozzarella and eggplant, California short ribs, Pacific sea bass and a white chocolate envelope alongside a chocolate sponge cake with Cointreau and mandarin oranges.

9. Kanye West will not be there
… but many of the rest of the presenters from the MTV Video Music Awards will be. More casual than the Oscars, this year’s show is filling the red carpet with the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Zoe Saldana, Gerard Butler and the cast of “The Hangover.”

8. The underground society of Golden Globes voters
Critics of the Globes have always looked askance at its voters, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, an international cadre of film-loving (critics would say “celebrity-loving”) journalists. The organization has been so controversial that a 2004 documentary tried to uncover “Hollywood’s Dirty Little Secret.” The comparatively small group of voters — often less than a hundred, in comparison with the more than 6,000 members of the Academy who vote on the Oscars — has been accused of sticking around for the parties thrown and being too easily wooed by Hollywood’s power players. But that that kind of questionable undercurrent is precisely what makes the Globes so much fun.

7. Two words: Ricky Gervais
The Globes have decided that they need a ringmaster for their circus, and there are few actors more qualified than Ricky Gervais. The last time the Globes used a master of ceremonies, in 1995, they had to use two: John Larroquette and Janine Turner. Let’s hope Gervais will have better luck. “The Office” creator and film star has promised to bring the emcee job back with a bang, including plenty of “gentle ribbing,” particularly of people “younger and richer and thinner and more attractive than he is.”

6. You will invariably use OMG and WTF throughout the whole thing
What would the Globes be without a questionable moment or three? The 2006 red carpet featured a frisky Isaac Mizrahi, who happily went in for a grope while interviewing Scarlett Johansson; in 2009, there was a hilariously rude speech by Sacha Baron Cohen when he presented the best comedy award; and then there was Jack Nicholson’s 2003 acceptance speech, when he acknowledged that he’d popped a Valium.

The rest of the list continues after the jump …

5. Blame it on the alcohol
The Globes would not be the Globes if the nominees weren’t loose enough to potentially shirk their handler’s instructions and drop an F-bomb or two during an acceptance speech. The best way to get them to that point where great television is made is to play like a speed dating mixer and provide an open bar. Ricky Gervais took to the stage last year as a presenter with a beer in hand, quipping, “I can’t believe I’m not nominated. What a waste of a campaign. That’s the last time I have sex with 200 middle-aged journalists.” And that’s how you seal a hosting gig for the next one, kids.

4. The season’s first chance for a real fashion faux pas
The red carpet at the Golden Globes can set the tone for the season in the same way winning a Globe is a pseudo-predictor for the Oscar race. The red carpet is brutal, and many still haven’t lived down their flubs. (Drew Barrymore, green dress, and the lack of a bra come to mind). On the other hand, if you get it right, you tend to rock your way through awards season. Last year, Kate Winslet wore an amazing gown to the Globes, nabbed two of them for best actress in a supporting role (“The Reader”) and best actress in a drama (“Revolutionary Road”), and then went on to land a spot on People’s 2009 best-dressed list. There’s a trend here, people — first the gown, then the awards.

3. The cast of ‘Glee’
So they probably won’t be invited to the Oscars, but you can see Mercedes, Coach Sue, Quinn and Finn make their red-carpet debut on Sunday night. With four nominations, someone from “Glee” is bound to win something, and one can only hope the acceptance speech will be done in song.

2. You don’t have to sit through an acceptance speech for best short film (live action)
The thing about watching the Academy Awards is that it drags…and drags…and drags to its final conclusion, when all you really wanted to see was who takes best picture. With the Globes, while you may take a bathroom break during the best original score category, by and large, the show keeps boring categories to a minimum.

1. The inevitable Leno/Conan cracks
Whatever critics may say about the Globes, their popularity is practically iron-clad with the public, unlike the Academy Awards. For a hurting NBC, this night of ravishing ratings attention comes at just the right time. However, be forewarned: there undoubtedly be a bunch of Leno vs. Conan barbs thrown around all night.

While the Academy Awards may be the granddaddy of all awards shows, the Golden Globes manages to keep an air of respectability while also keeping an air of coolness intact. The relaxed nature of the show, with everyone in attendance seated at dinner tables, drinkin’ lots of booze, is the perfect recipe for the unexpected to happen. The Golden Globe Awards are deffo one of my fave awards shows because they set the standard for the rest of the awards season. Pay heed to who wins awards tomorrow night … they may end up being the big winners as the rest of the awards season unfolds.

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Sure there will be winners and losers at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, but everyone who attends the show will be smiling when they get this year’s gift bag. The goody-filled giveaway features a large Dooney & Bourke satchel for the ladies or a Tumi duffel bag for the men. Inside the women’s bag will be treats to help her feel beautiful, including Euphoria perfume by Calvin Klein, L’Oreal cosmetics and InStyle’s book The New Secrets of Style. His bag will include Euphoria for men, a custom shirt by designer Alexander West and a style book for guys. Both bags will include a DVD directed by this year’s Cecil B. DeMille recipient Martin Scorsese. Each bag is valued at $500. Meanwhile, for the first time, guests will have a place to sip champagne, nosh on hors d’oeuvres and touch up their make-up before presenting an award. During the telecast on Sunday, presenters will be able to get pampered backstage in the Presenters Lounge, a room specially created by interior designer Kenneth Bordewick. The surroundings are sure to make the stars feel like a million bucks: The room features a chandelier with more than 2,000 crystals, furnishings worth $500,000 and artwork totaling about $3 million. “I wanted to combine the glamour of old Hollywood,” Bordewick tells PEOPLE, “with the contemporary glitter of today.”

In addition to these amazing gift bags, celebs of all sort (including those who will NOT be attending the Golden Globe Awards this weekend) are hitting up Gifting Suites all over town to pick up free swag even before the show takes place on Sunday night. Sure, it must be really amazing winning one of those coveted trophies but it really does sound like “an honor just to be nominated”, especially when you take into consideration all the fun swag the celebs get just for showing up at the show.

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Expect a hangover at the Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Globes, says the cast of the summer comedy “The Hangover” will serve as presenters at Sunday’s ceremony, along with Felicity Huffman, Helen Mirren and Samuel L. Jackson. Other presenters include Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston, Josh Brolin, Christina Aguilera, Colin Farrell, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson, Sophia Loren and Cher. The 67th annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, will be broadcast live on NBC.

Yes, the Hangover guys enjoyed themselves quite a Summer last year so it makes sense that they would get invited to participate in the first BIG awards show of the season. I’m fairly certain the dudes will get all gussied up in swanky tuxedos and suits but I think it would be amazing if they wore something like this instead:

Actually, on second thought, I think I’d prefer seeing hottie Bradley Cooper in hot tux. Whatever the guys wear, I hope they bring the funny. It’d be incredibly lame if the cast of the biggest comedy of the year were forced to deliver some watered down jokes on stage.

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Kate Hudson, Ashton Kutcher, Zoe Saldana and Amy Adams will appear on the Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Globes, says the four actors will serve as presenters at Sunday’s ceremony. Ricky Gervais will host the 67th annual awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The show will air live on NBC (8 p.m. EST). Other presenters include Cameron Diaz, Josh Brolin, Christina Aguilera, Colin Farrell, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson, Sophia Loren and Cher.

I am really excited for the GGs this year … it is the first big awards show of Awards Season and will give us an idea of how things may play out in other awards shows leading up to the big enchilada, The Academy Awards. The laid back nature of the Golden Globes usually results in some unscripted yet very entertaining moments and the cavalcade of fashions on the red carpet usually tends to be better than most other carpets. To prepare for this year’s awards show, you can click HERE for a full list of this year’s Golden Globe nominees. Considering the folks listed here (and others) will be the ones handing out the trophies, it might be a good idea to pick your faves in case they end up winning :)

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Up In The Air, starring George Clooney, led the nominations at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, with six nods, it was announced Tuesday morning – along with double-barreled recognition for both Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock. Among Up in the Air’s nominations were those for best drama, best actor for Clooney and best director, Jason Reitman. Streep will essentially compete against herself, as best comedy actress in both Julie and Julia and It’s Complicated, while Bullock picked up nominations for leading dramatic role in The Blind Side and as comedic actress in The Proposal. In the dramatic movie category, Up in the Air will be up against Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. Comedy and musical best-picture nominees are (500) Days of Summer, Nine, The Hangover, It’s Complicated and Julie & Julia. As best dramatic actor nominee, Clooney will be going up against Tobey Maguire, Brothers; Morgan Freeman, Invictus; Colin Firth, A Single Man; and Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart, while Streep’s competition in the comedy arena will be Bullock; Marion Cotillard, Nine; and Julia Roberts, Duplicity. In best actress for a motion-picture drama, Bullock is up against Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria; Helen Mirren, The Last Station; Carey Mulligan, An Education; and Gabourey Sidibe, Precious. Best-comedy actors contenders are Matt Damon, The Informant; Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine; Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer; and Michael Stuhlbard, A Serious Man. On the small screen, the best dramas are True Blood, Big Love, Dexter, House, and critics’ favorite Mad Men. 30 Rock, Entourage, Glee, Modern Family and The Office are in the running for best TV comedy. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 17, with British funnyman Ricky Gervais as host.

You know, up until this moment I hadn’t really thought about how many great acting performances have been featured in both film and television but seeing this list of who will be competing against who really shows that there are a lot of talented people vying for award recognition this year. I have a few movies to see before I can make my picks (particularly Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker, among others) but I’m happy that some of my fave TV shows have been recognized. Dexter, ye gods, MUST win this year. Who are you rooting for? Have any of your faves been snubbed? Click HERE to see a full list of this year’s Golden Globe Award nominees.

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There were quite a few fashion disasters on the red carpet last night and I’m convinced that many of the folks who made their way down the red carpet were totally loaded. I watched NBC’s red carpet coverage and was aghast at how horrible the whole thing was. Not only did Nancy O’Dell look like she had a mop afixed to her head but she and her interviewer cohorts were simply HORRENDOUS as they interviewed the celebs:

If you watched the show, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But, once the show got underway and the awards started to get handed out, things leveled off and got sorta interesting. In the end, the Hollywood Foreign Press saw fit to bestow HEAPS of awards on Slumdog Millionaire (in the Film categories) and John Adams (in the Television categories). Here are a few pics from the press room and a rundown of what went down last night:

The movie “Slumdog Millionaire” emerged as the big winner at the 66th Golden Globes late Sunday, scooping four awards to underline its credentials ahead of next month’s Oscars. Late Australian actor Heath Ledger earned a posthumous Golden Globe for his performance in Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight” while Kate Winslet won two awards for best drama actress and supporting actress. But, ironically, on a star-studded night in Beverly Hills, it was “Slumdog Millionaire” the rags-to-riches love story about an orphan who fights his way out of Mumbai slums on an Indian television game show. The film — featuring a cast of virtual unknowns — won best drama and also picked up honors for director Danny Boyle, as well as honors for best screenplay and best music. Sally Hawkins also won the best musical/comedy actress award for her performance in the light-hearted Mike Leigh film “Happy-Go-Lucky.” The 32-year-old actress beat favorite Meryl Streep (“Mamma Mia!”), Frances McDormand (“Burn After Reading) and fellow Britons Rebecca Hall (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”) and Emma Thompson (“Last Chance Harvey”). After a disastrous event last year that was reduced to a celebrity-free zone by the entertainment industry’s writers strike, this year’s Globes red carpet read like a who’s who of the movie industry’s A-list. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio were just a handful of the A-listers in attendance at the Beverly Hilton. Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes — which are chosen by around 80 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — have separate best picture awards for dramas and musicals. In the past four years the Globes have failed to accurately predict the best picture winner at the Academy Awards but overall, some 67 percent of Oscars best picture winners had first received a Golden Globe. As such the Globes are seen as an important staging post ahead of the Academy Awards, offering clues to which films will be successful at the Oscars, which take place at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater on February 22. The acting awards on Sunday saw Australian heart-throb Ledger honored as expected for his portrayal of arch-villain the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” Director Christopher Nolan accepted Ledger’s award, saying the actor’s death at the age of 28 had “ripped a hole” in the future of cinema. “All of us who worked with Heath on ‘The Dark Knight’ accept this with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride,” Nolan said. “For any of us lucky enough to work with him, I think for any of us lucky enough to enjoy his performances, he will be eternally missed, but he will never be forgotten,” he added. The victory cements Ledger’s status as the odds-on favorite to win a best supporting actor Oscar at next month’s Oscars. The other big winner in the acting categories was Winslet, who scooped best actress in a drama for her performance in “Revolutionary Road” and best supporting actress for “The Reader.” Winslet, 33, who had been overlooked after five previous nominations, was overcome following her double win, apologizing to her rival nominees and thanking “Revolutionary Road” co-star DiCaprio. “I’m so sorry, Meryl (Streep), Anne (Hathaway), Kristin (Scott-Thomas), the other one… Angelina (Jolie)!,” Winslet gasped. “Thank you so much… thank you soooo much!,” before adding to longtime friend and fellow “Titanic” star DiCaprio: “I love you with all my heart, I really do!” It was only the third time in Golden Globes history that an actor or actress had been honored with two awards on the same night. In the men’s acting categories there was an emotional victory for Mickey Rourke, who won best actor in a drama for his heart-wrenching portrayal of a washed-up prizefighter in “The Wrestler.” “This has been a very long road back for me,” said Rourke, whose career nose-dived through much of the 1990s after an ill-advised spell as a professional boxer. Rourke — who famously has a pet chihuahua — also paid tribute to canine friends who had comforted him over the years. “I’d like to thank all of my dogs, the ones that are here and the ones that aren’t here anymore because sometimes when a man is alone, that’s all you’ve got is your dog, and they meant the world to me,” Rourke said. Rock star Bruce Springsteen won for best original song for his theme song for “The Wrestler.” But it was a disappointing evening though for Brad Pitt and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” which had started the night with five nods alongside “Frost/Nixon” and “Doubt”. All three films came away empty-handed.

Poor Brangelina … they walked away from the Golden Globes with nothing but a free meal and prolly a very nice giftbag — that’s it! And, to add insult to injury, Angelina got called “the other one” by Kate Winslet (which sounded an awful lot like when John McCain referred to Barack Obama as “that one” during one of the Presidential Debates). Tsk tsk. Neither The Curious Case of Benjamin Button nor Changeling have done very well at winning awards thus far, have they? HMMM. I am SO thrilled that Slumdog Millionaire cleaned up last night … truly an underdog film that is worthy of the praise and accolades it continues to win. If you’ve not see the movie yet, I urge you to do so before the Academy Awards are held next month … you don’t want to miss out. I was happy, too, that Heath Ledger won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Dark Knight. I really hope he is on track for an Oscar, he really deserves the win. Props to Kate Winslet for being the first person to ever win both Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress awards in the same year (I understand that has never happened before). I’ve only heard amazing things about The Reader and Vicki Christina Barcelona … so I am now on a mission to see those films (as well as The Wrestler, which I’ve been dying to see anyways) as soon as I can. I really enjoyed this year’s Golden Globe Awards mostly because so many small, relatively unknown films did so well. It gets kinda boring when the usual suspects (ie. big, blockbuster A-list celeb movies) win all the awards … it’s nice to see the talented little guys get their time in the sun. Next up, Oscar noms which come out next week. How many of last night’s winners do you think will get tapped for Academy Award nominations? Also, what did you think of last night’s show … good, bad, you’re over it already?

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Brad Pitt and Batman are expected to be among the front-runners here Thursday as the race for Oscars glory swings into top gear with the announcement of nominees for the 66th Golden Globes. Hollywood heart-throb Pitt is vying for honors for his performance in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 short story about a man who ages in reverse. Director David Fincher’s movie, which sees Pitt star opposite Australian icon Cate Blanchett, does not open in the United States until December 25 but has already wowed critics and audiences at sneak previews. “I think the presumption among pundits right now is that ‘Benjamin Button’ is the front-runner,” Tom O’Neil, an awards-season expert with the Los Angeles Times’ theenvelope.com, told AFP. Long-regarded as an indicator of films likely to challenge for top honors at the Oscars, which take place on February 22 next year, the Globes have thrown up a series of red herrings in recent years. The last movie to achieve the Golden Globes best drama and Oscars best picture double was 2003’s fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” However the Globes, which are chosen by around 80 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and handed out on January 11, can help to shape the overall field and give valuable momentum to front-runners. While “Benjamin Button” has emerged as the early favorite — receiving another boost on Tuesday with eight nominations for the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s annual awards — it faces stiff competition from a glut of other films including blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” As well as raking in nearly 1 billion dollars worldwide since its July release, director Christopher Nolan’s sequel was widely hailed as a masterpiece of movie-making that transcended its superhero genre. The film was also notable for an extraordinary performance from late Australian actor Heath Ledger, who is being strongly tipped to win a posthumous Oscar at next year’s Academy Awards for his cackling portrayal of the Joker. “Whether ‘The Dark Knight’ was the best movie of the year is a subject of debate, but it was certainly the movie of the year,” O’Neil said. “It was the most talked about, the one that mattered most, the one that made the most. “And the Globes have an obvious appreciation for blockbusters, the big crowed pleasers.” O’Neil cautioned however that studio films such as Paramount’s “Benjamin Button” and Warner Bros’ “The Dark Knight” could yet be upset by a crop of smaller budget movies. These include “Milk,” Gus Van Sant’s biopic starring Sean Penn as trailblazing gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, and “Slumdog Millionaire,” British film-maker Danny Boyle’s soaring love story about a boy seeking to escape poverty in Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of television gameshow “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” “These uplifting movies like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘Milk’ are likely to play a big role,” O’Neil said. I think both of those films are pretty sure bets for best picture nominations at the Oscars and the Globes.” A slew of other acclaimed films are also tipped to be in contention, including Sam Mendes drama “Revolutionary Road,” which sees “Titanic” co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet playing frustrated 1950s suburbanites; “Frost/Nixon,” Ron Howard’s adaptation of the successful stage play about disgraced former US President Richard Nixon’s series of interviews with British journalist Sir David Frost; and “Doubt,” starring Oscar-winner Meryl Streep as a Catholic nun locked in a duel with a priest played by Philip Seymour-Hoffman. Lew Harris, a consulting editor with the Hollywood.com website, said awards season could be “pretty chopped up” with prizes being evenly spread across several films. “You’ve got ‘Benjamin Button,’ ‘Doubt’. I just don’t see one big movie emerging,” Harris told AFP. “‘The Dark Knight’ has the most possibility of doing well across the board. But it’s hard to ignore some of the performances in films like ‘Frost/Nixon’ and ‘Milk.’ I think it’s going to be pretty chopped up.”

I think that just like in year’s past, we’ll see some of these same films nominated for Golden Globes garnering Oscar noms as well … but I’m still not convinced that the Academy is going to nominate The Dark Knight in the Best Picture category. I’d bet money that Heath Ledger will get an acting nomination (whether he wins or not is another matter) but I’m having a hard time believing TDK will get superhero treatment by the voting Academy. That being said, Beauty and the Beast (the 1992 animated Disney film) surprised everyone when it got nominated for Best Picture that year (becoming the first animated film to be nominated in that category — incidentally, it’ll prolly remain the only animated film to be nominated for Best Picture since animated films now have their own category, no other animated films would be eligible for Best Picture nomination) so it’s possible that The Dark Knight could get the nod as well. Personally, I do not feel it was the Best Picture of the year but I think it would be really cool if it did get the nom. I am really happy that Dexter and Michael C. Hall in particular received nominations … as well as Kiefer Sutherland for 24: Redemption, Danny Boyle for directing Slumdog Millionaire, WALL•E and In Treatment. I’m chagrined that Miley Cyrus got a nomination for Best Song but … well … there you have it. And so, with the announcement of the Golden Globe noms comes the start of the award season for the new year. And away we go! Click HERE to see a full list of nominees for the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Did any of your faves get nominated … anything that y’all are particularly thrilled/angered by?

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