Golden Globe 2012 Nominees: Stars Who Deserved It

As soon as the 2012 Golden Globe award nominees were announced on Thursday morning, film and TV fans began the annual griping over the candidates they believe were snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. There are, indeed, plenty of curious choices -- "Boss" over "Breaking Bad" for Best TV Drama head scratcher, as is the absence of "Parks and Recreation" and "Community" from TV Comedy categories -- but there is a lot of good news in the nominations, too.

Thanks to the Golden Globes' recognition of comedy in a category separate from drama, a lot of great performances were given due recognition. Here are some of the less-than-obvious nominees that the HFPA did get right:

- "50/50," the cancer dramedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, picked up a nomination for Best Picture, Comedy/Musical and Best Actor, Comedy/Musical. It was a powerful portrayal -- based loosely on the true story of its co-writer, Will Reiser -- of a young man facing life-threatening cancer, and how he deals with the new challenges that threaten such a young and promising life. Seth Rogen, who co-wrote the script and plays Gordon-Levitt's best friend (he's Reiser's best friend in real life), got overlooked for Best Supporting Actor, but with comedy and drama combined in those categories, it always seemed less likely he'd get a nod.

- Jessica Chastain getting a nomination. She's broken out like no other actress this year, with five major films. She got the nod for "The Help," earning a Best Supporting Actress nomination alongside co-star Octavia Spencer (who plays her maid in the film). She could have just as easily earned it for "The Tree of Life" and "Take Shelter," as well.

- Ryan Gosling getting two nominations for Best Actor. He was thrilling in "The Ides of March," playing a morally perplexed campaign aide to George Clooney's candidate for President, and while I liked him better in "Drive," "Ides" was much more mainstream. He's had a huge year, and even if he doesn't win Best Actor, he deserved recognition for it.

- Similarly, Michael Fassbender has also had a gigantic 2011, starring in a multitude of different films including "Jane Eyre," "X-Men: First Class" and "Shame." He got the nod for Best Actor for "Shame," which is especially great given that it was given an NC-17 rating and right now is only being seen by limited audiences. If this nomination can help more people see the film, it is a win already.

- Claire Danes and Damian Lewis getting love for "Homeland," one of the best new drama series of the year. Both play complicated characters and bring a real tension to each scene.

- "The Artist" winning best screenplay. You can count the words spoken in the film on a few fingers, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a well-written, engaging story. It required a lot of visual cues, and it brought back to life the old silent films without seeming too staid or cliche.

Comments

[SKINNY321]

06:51 PM on 12/16/2011

DID YOU SEE THE SERIES FINALE THIS YEAR? THAT WAS SOME OF THE BEST ACTING I HAVE EVER SEEN. KELSEY GRAMMAR BLEW AWAY HIS FRASIER STEREOTYPE WHILE EVERY ONE INVOLVED WAS SUPERB.

[Task3G]

08:41 AM on 12/16/2011

I can't believe Treme has been totally overlooked!

[SKINNY321]

06:54 PM on 12/16/2011

FUCK TREME..................

[Bettye Cart]

06:31 PM on 12/15/2011

Claire Danes in Homeland is compelling. She has so many layers to her character and plays each one without acception, brilliantly. I find myself watching her eyes, which tells every emotion and story and her lines of dialogue a must hear, must see. Mandy Patinkin needed to be in the mix, a seasoned actor of television and stage, he makes Claire better, just being in her space. This series has us on the edge of our seats, even though some sections are predictable, nonetheless, it is well scripted and anxiety driven. Claire you are better with age!

[Roger Bartee]

02:49 PM on 12/15/2011

Michael Pitt in Boardwalk Empire should ve got a nod,he stole every scene he was in.

[sourpatch575]

01:49 PM on 12/15/2011

Joesph is cute and all but his "acting" in 50/50 shouldn't be considered acting. I've seen reality stars act better than he did in that movie. It was awkward and boring.

[Ivar Anderson]

12:52 PM on 12/15/2011

Breaking Bad not being up for Best Drama immediately discredits any semblance of validity to any of these nominations.

[teeleecee]

02:37 PM on 12/15/2011

Totally agree. Amazing in every conceivable way. Maybe Cranston will win, though.

[The Mighty Pathos]

12:32 PM on 12/15/2011

I'm so out of touch. I just happened to see a preview of "The Artist" last night and thought, that looks great. Now 12 hours later it's leading the Globes nominations.

Shame it isn't playing in a theater anywhere close.

[Bev OkinLarkin]

05:07 PM on 12/15/2011

No it is because Hollywood doesn't think some freethinkers will spend their money on a real movie and would rather have drivel like "Twilight" to see. I also live in a city that has not seen a release for the "The Artist" either.... Hollywood doesn't let us see the better works only the money makers.

[sheppard1]

06:54 PM on 12/15/2011

Get real - it isn't 'Hollywood' - it's your theatres .Or rather the conglomerates who own them and those aren't the movie makers. Let your displeasure be felt where it belongs.

[empress trudy]

12:12 PM on 12/15/2011

I am tired of reading how critics think Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the greatest thing since forever who's never given enough praise, attention and awards. He's pretty one-note and you have to like that note. Otherwise he's dull and depressing.

[mamacat]

12:23 PM on 12/15/2011

I agree completely. Maybe someday we will see him do something noteworthy, but so far I have found his acting to be hu-hum, and completely forgettable.

I say this as a movie fan only, and in the full recognition that I myself have absolutely no acting ability.

[hot crispy]

12:42 PM on 12/15/2011

i totally agree

[Moosington]

12:09 PM on 12/15/2011

Anyone that watches/enjoys film and television is not surprised by any of these nominations.

[mamacat]

12:07 PM on 12/15/2011

I confess to not having seen most of these productions. However, I have been watching Homeland, and find it riveting.

The acting by every single actor on the series is excellent, but especially that of Ms. Danes and Mr. Lewis. In my opinion they give the best acting of their careers, so far. I did not know that Ms. Danes had that kind of range. She is marvelous. As for Mr. Lewis, since first seeing him on film I have felt that he had tremendous, but always unrealized, potential, and in this series he is finally approaching what he is capable of.

I was just commenting on another thread about how much I dislike the new Sherlock Holmes movie, and it occurs to me that television is eclipsing the big screen in bringing out first-rate, quality entertainment. Hollywood seems to be constantly aiming to bring out the next Lord of the Rings, or Avatar, but overwhelmingly what they produce are embarrassing dregs like Sherlock Holmes.

[Bev OkinLarkin]

05:11 PM on 12/15/2011

Agreed! And if you have UVerse - the WHOLE Series is available FREE right now. I've been home convalescing post surgery.... and I spent my time with Homeland - OMG is this series riveting. I am so scared/excited about the season finale this weekend. They have done an excellent job all around in crafting a VERY plausible tale with real characters - bravo to all involved! Check to see if you can get a chance to see the whole series.... 9 hours in all before the finale this weekend - white knuckle tension and excitement.

PS: Family and I feel same about Sherlock Holmes, my dazzling 17-yr old daughter comment was "why does it have to be so action-y? That's not Holmes...." from the mouth of babes. :)

[MarieNat]

11:43 AM on 12/15/2011

Where's the nomination for Kelsey Grammer in 'Boss'? He is AMAZING in that role! I call bs on the Brad Pitt nom.

[sheppard1]

06:56 PM on 12/15/2011

Uh - Grammer WAS nominated - and Pitt was excellent as he almost always is, no matter what role he plays...

As I said before - I think 'Tom Kane' is closer to the real Grammer than Frasier ever was....

[flyers]

11:29 AM on 12/15/2011

Homeland is the best new show on TV this year!

[sc00by]

11:18 AM on 12/15/2011

Claie Danes is scary good!

[johnnybic]

11:23 AM on 12/15/2011

Totally agree. You cannot take your eyes off her when she's in any scene in this show. Incredibly nuanced performance.

[mamacat]

12:15 PM on 12/15/2011

100% agree.

I do think that she needs to get over her apparent fear of nudity. She is young and beautiful, and more importantly, the role calls out for it. The beautiful Brazilian actress has almost nonchalently acted her role in the nude, and by not doing so, Ms. Danes is failing the series, and her character. In my opinion, if Ms. Danes was not going to do her love scenes believably, then the other actresses should also have kept their clothes on while making love. Who performs coitus with a bra on? In other words, who does not expose their body to their lover when making love?

[rickthaluddite]

01:29 PM on 12/15/2011

I want to see Claire Danes naked, too.

[Bev OkinLarkin]

05:12 PM on 12/15/2011

There are other ways they can be amorous without blatant nudity folks.

[eskeeemo]

11:12 AM on 12/15/2011

You forgot Albert Brooks for Drive and Viola Davis for The Help. Two people who have been around the Hollywood block for awhile and are finally getting recognized for REALLY great performances.

[Hickspy]

10:45 AM on 12/15/2011

I refuse to take any awards show seriously after they snub Community entirely.

[slinggren]

12:10 PM on 12/15/2011

Snub it, they should cancel that show.I just dont get anything from it I tried.