If an awards show announces its nominations, but no one is around to watch the ceremony, does it really even matter?
That’s the question facing the 2022 Golden Globes. The nominees for the 79th annual ceremony were unveiled early Monday amid a scandal-ridden period for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group that hands out the annual coveted trophies celebrating the best in film and television.
Despite NBC pulling the plug on this season’s broadcast amid public outcry over the organisation’s lack of diversity and shady business dealings, the show will indeed go on, though it remains to be seen exactly what kind of event will take place when the winners are announced on 9 January.
The association’s recently-elected president Helen Hoehne announced the nominations via livestream from the Beverly Hills Hilton in Los Angeles with the help of special guest Snoop Dogg. Multiple stars, including Gabrielle Union, reportedly turned down the gig.
Leading the pack of this year’s film nominees, with seven nods apiece, are Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white retelling of his childhood Belfast and The Power of The Dog, Jane Campion’s rapturous Western starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, who are both up for acting trophies.
On the television side, Succession made a strong showing across the drama categories, with a total of five nominations, while Apple TV+’s The Morning Show trails with four.
The embattled group of foreign journalists has been under fire over its longstanding questionable financial practices, and its meagre record on diversity and representation (the group previously counted zero Black members). The problematic inner workings of the association, including ethical conflicts and instances of self-dealing within its 87-member voting body, came to light in multiple damning reports published by The Los Angeles Times just days before last year’s ceremony.
The controversy resulted in a full-blown implosion for the awards show. A number of advisers jumped ship, more than 100 publicity firms representing major Hollywood talent demanded “profound and lasting change,” and multiple studios, including Netflix, Amazon and Warner Bros., threatened to boycott. A variety of A-list celebrities also spoke out against the organisation, with Tom Cruise going so far as to send back his three Golden Globe statuettes to the press association’s headquarters.
Over the past few months, the association has implemented reforms and overhauled bylaws to create what it claims to be a more equitable and inclusive organisation. Representing the largest increase to its membership in history, 21 first-time Globes voters (among whom 29% identify as Black) have been added in an effort to expand and diversify the ranks. Members have been banned from receiving gifts that could curry favour with studios (a now-infamous press trip to the set of Emily In Paris partly sparked the initial backlash). Just last month, a new diversity officer was also appointed to lead a five-year partnership with the NAACP to address the group’s diversity issues.
But whether the changes will be swift or meaningful enough to attract Hollywood talent remains to be seen. Many studios and publicity firms refused to even enter film and television projects for Globes consideration this year, leading the organisation to do away with its longheld submission requirement.
“I can say with confidence that it’s not going to be the regular award show,” the association’s Hoehne told Vanity Fair about next month’s ceremony. “We realise that this is not the tone this year, so we are taking a humble approach for 2022 — we’re just honouring the people we think showed most excellence in 2021.”
The 79th annual Golden Globe Awards Jan. 9 ceremony is set for the same day as the broadcast for Critics Choice Awards, which some have suggested should replace the Golden Globes ceremony permanently.
Check out the 2022 Golden Globes nominations below...
Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Belfast”
“CODA”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“The Power of the Dog”
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Cyrano”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Tick, Tick... Boom!”
“West Side Story”
Best Director, Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Lost Daughter”
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”
Denis Villeneuve, “Dune”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Lady Gaga, “House of Gucci”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Mahershala Ali, “Swan Song”
Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
Will Smith, “King Richard”
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Marion Cotillard, “Annette”
Alana Haim, “Licorice Pizza”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Don’t Look Up”
Emma Stone, “Cruella”
Rachel Zegler, “West Side Story”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Don’t Look Up”
Peter Dinklage, “Cyrano”
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick… Boom!”
Cooper Hoffman, “Licorice Pizza”
Anthony Ramos, “In the Heights”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Caitriona Balfe, “Belfast”
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”
Ruth Negga, “Passing”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast”
Jamie Dornan, “Belfast”
Ben Affleck, “The Tender Bar”
Troy Kotsur, “Coda”
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Picture, Foreign Language
“Compartment No. 6”
“Drive My Car”
“The Hand of God”
“A Hero”
“Parallel Mothers”
Best Motion Picture – Animated
“Encanto”
“Flee”
“Luca”
“My Sunny Maad”
“Raya and the Last Dragon”
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
“Licorice Pizza”
“Belfast”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Being the Ricardos”
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
“The French Dispatch” — Alexandre Desplat
“Encanto” — Germaine Franco
“The Power of the Dog” — Jonny Greenwood
“Parallel Mothers” — Alberto Iglesias
“Dune” — Hans Zimmer
Best Original Song
“King Richard,” “Be Alive” — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Dixson
”Encanto,” “Dos Oruguitas”— Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Belfast,” “Down to Joy” — Van Morrison
”Respect,” “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” — Jamie Alexander Hartman, Jennifer Hudson, Carole King
”No Time to Die”, “No Time to Die” — Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell
Best Television Series – Drama
“Lupin”
“The Morning Show”
“Post”
“Squid Game”
“Succession”
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“The Great”
“Hacks”
“Only Murders In The Building”
“Reservation Dogs”
“Ted Lasso”
Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“Dopesick”
“Impeachment: American Crime Story”
“Maid”
“Mare of Easttown”
“The Underground Railroad”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Uzo Aduba, “In Treatment”
Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
Christine Baranski, “The Good Fight”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Mj Rodriguez, “Pose”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Brian Cox, “Succession”
Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”
Billy Porter, “Pose”
Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Omar Sy, “Lupin”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Issa Rae, “Insecure”
Tracee Ellis Ross, “Blackish”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Best Performance by an Actress, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
Jessica Chastain, “Scenes From a Marriage”
Cynthia Erivo, “Genius: Aretha”
Elizabeth Olsen, “WandaVision“
Margaret Qualley, “Maid”
Kate Winslet, “Mare of Easttown”
Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television
Paul Bettany, “WandaVision”
Oscar Isaac, “Scenes From a Marriage”
Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”
Ewan McGregor, “Halston”
Tahar Rahim, “The Serpent”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jennifer Coolidge, “White Lotus”
Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”
Andie MacDowell, “Maid”
Sarah Snook, “Succession”
Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Kieran Culkin, “Succession”
Mark Duplass, “The Morning Show”
Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”
Oh Yeong-su, “Squid Game”