Welcome to the 2008 Golden Globes Press Conference

They formally canceled the Golden Globes yesterday. As a huge awards show lover, the HFPA soireee is almost always the most fun. Mostly because there's an open bar, a dinner party atmosphere and you get the big and small screens together (which can create some interesting pairings). Also, though, the HFPA tends to be less stuffy with their choices. They're more likely to reward work that's a bit more "out there" and not mainstream.

I can't IMAGINE a stuffier thing, however, then announcing winners via an HOURLONG press conference. Yet, that's what the HFPA is being forced to do because of the WGA's threat to picket the show (creating a line that SAG members would refuse to cross). No writers, there could still be a show. No actors there to accept their awards? That's a bit of an insurmountable problem. More entertainment down the tubes. *Sigh*

I also feel bad for the winners (especially the first-timers, if there are any) who don't get the experience of dressing up and getting to stand up in front of your peers to receive an honor like this. Way to kill dreams, writers' strike!

So, not that this matters anymore, but below are my thoughts on and picks for the film categories.

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1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

a. AMERICAN GANGSTER Imagine Entertainment/Scott Free Productions; Universal Pictures
b. ATONEMENT Working Title Productions; Focus Features
c. EASTERN PROMISES Kudos Pictures – UK Serendipity Point Films – Canada A UK/Canada Co-Production; Focus Features
d. THE GREAT DEBATERS
Harpo Films; The Weinstein Company/MGM
e. MICHAEL CLAYTON Clayton Productions LLC; Warner Bros. Pictures
f. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production; Miramax/Paramount Vantage
g. THERE WILL BE BLOOD A Joanne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production; Paramount Vantage and Miramax Films

If this wins, *I* may picket.

I didn’t really like American Gangster. Movies like this are generally one of two things: a fast-moving, rough-and-tumble caper film or an in depth character study. American Gangster definitely wasn’t the former and fell far short of being a good example of the latter. Atonement was well done but depressing as hell. I’m going to pretend The Great Debaters isn’t on this list. I’m going to guess it will come down to No Country for Old Men or There Will Be Blood, with No Country getting the edge.

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

a. CATE BLANCHETT – ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE
b. JULIE CHRISTIE – AWAY FROM HER
c. JODIE FOSTER – THE BRAVE ONE
d. ANGELINA JOLIE – A MIGHTY HEART
e. KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – ATONEMENT

I’m thoroughly unmoved by anyone on this list. Foster is always great, but this is not the film for it. Jolie’s movie was too small (and tanked to boot). Knightley was fantastic and has an outside shot. I feel like this one may go to Blanchett because awards shows LOVE her…even though this was technically a sequel film and not as well-received as the first.

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

a. GEORGE CLOONEY – MICHAEL CLAYTON
b. DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – THERE WILL BE BLOOD
c. JAMES MCAVOY – ATONEMENT
d. VIGGO MORTENSEN – EASTERN PROMISES
e. DENZEL WASHINGTON – AMERICAN GANGSTER

The complete opposite of the Best Actress category for me. I think everyone on this list has a pretty good shot of taking the trophy home. McAvoy had a breakout year (and this is being touted as his breakout performance). I’m always a big fan of rewarding talented new blood. I hope Washington doesn’t get it, only because I SO didn’t like this movie. Then again, awards shows seem to like giving him trophies for playing bad guys (because he seems so NICE and FRIENDLY in real life, get it?). Critics are lauding Michael Clayton as one of Clooney’s strongest performances to date, and there isn’t a voter I’ve ever read who doesn’t worship the very selective hallowed ground that Day-Lewis walks on. This one is a crapshoot, but I hold out hope for McAvoy.

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE Revolution Studios International; Sony Pictures Releasing
b. CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR Universal Pictures/Relativity Media/Participant Productions/Playtone; Universal Pictures
c. HAIRSPRAY Zadan/Meron Productions / New Line Cinema in association with Ingenious Film Partners; New Line Cinema
d. JUNO Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production; Fox Searchlight Pictures
e. SWEENEY TODD Parkes/MacDonald and Zanuck Company; DreamWorks/Paramount Distribution / Warner Bros. Pictures

Juno. That’s all I have to say.

5.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. AMY ADAMS – ENCHANTED
b. NIKKI BLONSKY – HAIRSPRAY
c. HELENA BONHAM CARTER – SWEENEY TODD
d. MARION COTILLARD – LA VIE EN ROSE
e. ELLEN PAGE – JUNO

Can I have my fairytale Hollywood ending, please?

Oh, Amy Adams and Ellen Page. Choosing between you…may kill my soul a little. So I’m not going to. Instead, I will hope for the miraculous event called a “tie.”

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. JOHNNY DEPP – SWEENEY TODD
b. RYAN GOSLING – LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
c. TOM HANKS – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
d. PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – THE SAVAGES
e. JOHN C. REILLY – WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY

I love you, John C. Reilly, but you do not belong on this list for that movie. Depp, always fabulous, is in a musical about a demon barber. So….yeah. Gosling is great in Lars and the Real Girl, but it’s far from his best work (and the movie as a whole, though entertaining, is dubious). I LOVE Hanks in Charlie Wilson’s War. I think he’s pitch-perfect in playing “against type” and I don’t think he got enough credit for his performance. Still, it’ll be tough to topple the award-gobbling behemoth that is Hoffman (though I’d rather see him win for his supporting turn in Charlie Wilson’s War).

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
a. BEE MOVIE DreamWorks Animation; DreamWorks Animation
b. RATATOUILLE Pixar; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Distribution
c. THE SIMPSONS MOVIE Gracie Films; Twentieth Century Fox

I was under whelmed by all three of these films, but I give the edge to the mighty Pixar.

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

a. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS (ROMANIA) Mobra Films; IFC First Take
b. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (FRANCE AND USA) A Kennedy/Marshall Company and Jon Kilik Production; Miramax Films
c. THE KITE RUNNER (USA) DreamWorks Pictures Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Paramount Classics Participant Productions Present a Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Parkes/Macdonald Production Distributed by Paramount Classics
d. LUST, CAUTION (TAIWAN) Haishang Films; Focus Features
e. PERSEPOLIS (FRANCE) 247 Films; Sony Pictures Classics

Uhm…I am embarrassingly without opinion in the foreign film category (not that this is unusual, unfortunately). Still, from what I know, I’m pulling for Persepolis.

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

a. CATE BLANCHETT – I’M NOT THERE
b. JULIA ROBERTS – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
c. SAOIRSE RONAN –ATONEMENT
d. AMY RYAN – GONE BABY GONE
e. TILDA SWINTON – MICHAEL CLAYTON

Good grief, Blanchett. Is being awesome ONCE a year not enough for you? This is an impressive list of impressive performances…but I’m pulling for Amy Ryan. She was an absolute revelation.

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

a. CASEY AFFLECK – THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
b. JAVIER BARDEM –NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
c. PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
d. JOHN TRAVOLTA – HAIRSPRAY
e. TOM WILKINSON – MICHAEL CLAYTON

Cuter Affleck? No. More talented Affleck? Probably.

AUGH! The anguish of this category is killing my soul slowly. I dismiss Travolta and Wilkinson outright. Sorry guys. I feel like Bardem may win, due to the way critics are slobbering all over his performance in the film. However, I fell over backward with how good Hoffman (also guilty of the "do you have to be ridiculously awesome in EVERYTHING?" affliction) and Affleck were in their respective roles. I will be pulling for Affleck, because his Robert Ford made me squirm in my seat and fascinated me at the same time.

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

a. TIM BURTON – SWEENEY TODD
b. ETHAN COEN & JOEL COEN – NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
c. JULIAN SCHNABEL – THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
d. RIDLEY SCOTT – AMERICAN GANGSTER
e. JOE WRIGHT – ATONEMENT

I think this one is going to go to the Coens. There’s really not much else to say, except I really, really liked what Wright did with Atonement.

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

a. DIABLO CODY – JUNO
b. ETHAN COEN & JOEL COEN – NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
c. CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON – ATONEMENT
d. RONALD HARWOOD – THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
e. AARON SORKIN – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR

I think it’s going to be a three-way battle between Cody, the Coens and Sorkin. Not quite sure who will come out on top (especially since the Globes don’t necessarily count out quirk like the Oscars) but I’m hoping for Cody or Sorkin…I had minor gripes with each screenplay, but they were the strongest and most enjoyable of the year for me.

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

a. MICHAEL BROOK, KAKI KING, EDDIE VEDDER – INTO THE WILD
b. CLINT EASTWOOD – GRACE IS GONE
c. ALBERTO IGLESIAS – THE KITE RUNNER
d. DARIO MARIANELLI – ATONEMENT
e. HOWARD SHORE – EASTERN PROMISES

I'm starting a campaign for Hal Holbrook...

Oh, Into the Wild. How I love thee. Go and win.

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE

a. "DESPEDIDA" – LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA
Music by: Shakira, Antonio Pinto
Lyrics by: Shakira
b. "GRACE IS GONE" – GRACE IS GONE
Music by: Clint Eastwood
Lyrics by: Carole Bayer Sager
c. "GUARANTEED" – INTO THE WILD
Music & Lyrics by: Eddie Vedder
d. "THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW" – ENCHANTED
Music By: Alan Menken
Lyrics By: Stephen Schwartz
e. "WALK HARD" – WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY
Music & Lyrics by: Marshall Crenshaw, John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, Kasdan

I would giggle a LOT (and the 5-year-old inside of me would be full of glee) if Menken and Schwartz won for “That’s How You Know.” Do it, HFPA. Make me happy.