AWARD FEVER!!

The Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild announced their nominees this week. Here’s what I thought of them. Do let me know what you think

So Award Season 2010-11 has begun! The 68^th annual Golden Globe Awards and 17^th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominees were announced on December 14 and 16, respectively. Even though there weren’t too many surprises, the Globes seem to have become a little adventurous, nominating people they hadn’t before, while the SAGs stuck with several former nominees, however, neglecting to recognise a few brilliant performances. One of the greatest challenges that the SAG faces is that they don’t have supporting cast categories in primetime television, therefore, they end up not doing justice in their nominees, trying to squeeze all the right performances in a list just five nominees in the limited categories. And now, let’s break down the categories...

Series/Ensemble Cast—Drama and Comedy

With three Globe wins, two SAG wins and victory at the Emmys earlier this year, Mad Men is probably going to take away the awards in the Drama categories this year as well. As mentioned here before, the show is highly overrated. While it is very well made, does the jury not consider the content before deciding on Best Series? And even though the performances of the Ensemble are quite intense, none of them make any real powerful impact. I can only hope that the show doesn’t win yet again; for whatever they are worth, they’ve had their share of victory. While I’d give the awards to Dexter, I feel that in case Mad Men doesn’t win, this year, we might see Boardwalk Empire or The Good Wife taking it away.

30 Rock, another overrated show has won too many awards in these categories. Thankfully, Glee broke that pattern last year at the Globes and SAGs, and I even thought they would walk away with the Emmy. Unfortunately for them, before they could see an Emmy win, Modern Family outshone them, and rightfully so. While Glee is rather entertaining, and well made, owing to the fabulous, well-compiled music, Modern Family is the smarter and more superior show. Besides, the second season has proven to be disappointing; in comparison to the first season and the magic it created. So I’d say that Modern Family deserves to win at least the Globe. But Glee does have some fantastic performances (thanks to the singing and dancing), from the cast as a whole, so I’d probably give them the SAG ensemble.

Actress—Drama/Comedy

Here’s an area where the Globes have disappointed me, by not nominating Glenn Close for Damages. She may have won before, but she still deserves to be nominated every year, till the show ends! The SAGs have recognised her though, and I hope they give it to her. I think they might just, because they’re sometimes better at awarding the right people, having honoured the very deserving Sally Field for Brothers & Sisters two years ago. However, with Julianna Margulies’ Globe-and-SAG victory last year for The Good Wife, she stands a greater chance, or maybe they’ll recognise the latest Emmy winner, Kyra Sedgwick’s work in The Closer. Of course, I’d want the SAGs to at least consider Mariska Hargitay for her work in Law & Order – Special Victims Unit, but sadly, as always, she’ll probably just remain a nominee.

Where it comes to actresses in the SAGs, they face a real challenge having no categories for supporting cast. Fine actresses like Jane Lynch (Glee) and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) might not stand a chance against the award hog Tina Fey (30 Rock), and the latest Emmy winner Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie). Betty White’s nomination for Hot in Cleveland really seems like a forced courtesy extended to the senior actress (they already gave her the special achievement award last year!), depriving some more deserving women of a chance to win! The Globes, might honour the fabulous Toni Collette (United States of Tara) again, but Fey and Falco will provide stiff competition!

Actor—Drama/Comedy

In Drama, I’d definitely want to give it to Hugh Laurie, for the way he’s brilliantly portrayed his character development in House MD, this year, but since he’s already won several times at the Globes and SAGs, I don’t think they’ll give it to him. Last year’s Globe-and-SAG winner Michael C Hall (Dexter) does stand a chance, but given Bryan Cranston’s heavily acclaimed and Emmy-winning performance in Breaking Bad, I think he’ll sweep both this year. Whatever the result, I’m quite sure that John Hamm (Mad Men) doesn’t stand a chance this year!

This is where the SAGs have really missed out on getting it right! While I agree that Chris Colfer (Glee) and Ty Burrell (Modern Family) deserve the nods, and while Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) and Steve Carell (The Office) being nominated is no surprise, Ed O’Neil (Modern Family) certainly doesn’t deserve to be among these performers, especially since Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) have been completely ignored! So I wouldn’t be surprised if SAG gives it to Alec Baldwin again (sadly, a fifth consecutive time)! On the other hand, it would be disappointing if the Globes make the same blunder, after giving Parsons his deserved nomination. I hope he wins, like he did the Emmy this year.

Supporting Cast (Globes only)

The Globes generally love giving the supporting awards to performances in mini-series and TV-movies, but this year, there are definitely two very strong contenders from mainstream TV—Jane Lynch and Eric Stonestreet.

Of course, the Emmy went to Lynch, hands down, but that was probably because they can afford to, given that they have separate supporting cast categories for drama and comedy. The Globes, on the other hand, are slightly partial to drama (maybe because they try so hard to be like the Oscars), so I think Hope Davis (The Special Relationship) and Kelly MacDonald (Boardwalk Empire) might be strongly considered as well. I wouldn’t be surprised, and I certainly wouldn’t mind, if they gave it to the brilliant Julia Stiles for Dexter, as they did honour John Lithgow last year for his work on the show. A surprise win would be Sofia Vergara, but it’d still be a deserving win.

There hasn’t been any real pattern in the supporting actor category at the Globes these last few years, so the chances of any of the performers is quite strong. Since I haven’t seen any of the drama performances, I can only comment on the comedy. Chris Colfer being nominated is fine, but I seriously think his performances are a little overdone, hence, I think Eric Stonestreet deserves it, hands down! 

So that’s what I thought of the Globe and SAG’s TV nominees. For me, this is the most exciting time of the year. Besides winter being my favourite season, I get to enjoy all the awards fever that goes around... So pass on the fever, and share your views here, ’cause I’d love to know what you think of the nominees.

To see the complete lists of nominees, click the links below:

The 68^th annual Golden Globe Awards NOMINEES

The 17^th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards NOMINEES

(Coming Soon: The TV TALK Best of 2010 List)