Posts Tagged ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

The newly awarded Oscar statuettes have found homes on mantels and bookshelves, the gorgeous gowns and jewelry have been returned, and our favorite movie stars have all gone back to work. But don’t fret. There’ll be plenty more movies with “Slumdog Millionaire” stars, Mickey Rourke, and Anne Hathaway. Plus, even one more from Heath Ledger.

So what’s next for the winners and nominees? Here’s a Positively sneak peek: 

The once obscure stars from Best Picture winner “Slumdog Millionaire” are now household names and aren’t going anywhere. Dev Patel takes over Jesse McCartney’s role in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender” based on the popular Nickelodeon kids’ show.

His onscreen love, Freida Pinto, wins her version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” by co-starring in Woody Allen’s next untitled project alongside “Milk’s” Oscar nominee Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts.

Best Director of “Slumdog Millionaire” Danny Boyle has no upcoming projects, but he did tell Variety that he’s thinking of making a movie from a girl’s perspective after all the guys’ movies he’s done. He also may return to his “28 Days Later” horror movie series.

Best Actor Winner Sean Penn just finished “The Tree of Life” alongside fellow Best Actor nominee Brad Pitt. Penn is also in talks to play Valerie Plame’s husband in the biopic about the outed CIA agent.

Best Actress Kate Winslet has not announced any upcoming projects. When we do see her again, however, leave it to the proclaimed “Actress of our Generation” to come back strong.

Best Supporting Actor winner Heath Ledger still has one more movie credit despite his death in January of 2008. His role in “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” will be completed by Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell who will each play his character as he passes into different worlds.

Best Supporting Actress winner Penelope Cruz will star with past Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren in the musical “Nine” directed by Rob Marshall.

As for our other favorite nominees…  

Best Actor nominees: Richard Jenkins will star in the adaptation of Nicolas Spark’s “Dear John” novel… Frank Langella co-stars with James Marsden and Cameron Diaz in the horror film “The Box”… Brad Pitt goes from fable to war starring in Quentin Taratino’s WWII movie “Inglorious Bastards” … Mickey Rourke’s comeback wasn’t just a fluke. He’s here to stay starring in “The Informers” with Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton, which is scheduled to be released in April. He’s also currently filming “13,” and he is in talks to play a Russian bad guy in the “Iron Man” sequel.

Best Actress nominees: Anne Hathaway will play the White Queen in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” adaptation… Angelina Jolie is preparing for her upcoming role as Catherine the Great… Melissa Leo is co-staring with Hilary Duff in “Greta” and with Sarah Michelle Gellar in “Veronika Decides to Die”… Meryl Streep will once again reunite with her “Doubt” co-star and fellow nominee Amy Adams in “Julie and Julia,” a movie about chef Julia Child and the wannabe who recreates her recipes.

Best Supporting Actor nominees: Besides that Woody Allen movie with Pinto, Josh Brolin will also star in the comic-book movie “Jonah Hex”… Before the much anticipated “Iron Man” sequel, Robert Downey  Jr. stars with Jamie Foxx in this spring’s “The Soloist” and then as Sherlock Holmes this fall in Guy Ritchie’s movie about the classic detective… Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s voice stars in the animated “Mary and Max,” and you can see him – and his “crazy” hair, which is reportedly to blame for the ski cap he wore to the Oscars – in “Jack Goes Boating,” which he’s also directing…

Rourke’s not the only nominee in “13”; Michael Shannon will be appearing in it as well.

Best Supporting Actress nominees: Before Amy Adams pairs with Streep in “Julie and Julia,” she’ll play Amelia Earhart in “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” this May…

You can currently see Viola Davis in Tyler Perry’s “Madea Goes to Jail,” and she’ll also soon be seen in “State of Play” alongside Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, and Rachel McAdams… Taraji P. Henson will co-star with former Oscar winner Forest Whitaker in “Hurricane Season,” a movie about the ramifications of Hurricane Katrina on a basketball team… Marisa Tomei will trade the heaviness of “The Wrestler” with the silly as-yet-untitled comedy with Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly about a single mother whose son doesn’t like the new guy she’s dating.

Best surprise: With song/dance man Hugh Jackman as host, surprise presenters, and funny gag bits, the Oscar’s was one of the most entertaining it’s been in a long time. (Ratings were even up 6 percent from last year’s telecast.)

Worst surprise: Chances are you won your office pool because just about no surprise winners threw off our ballots. “Slumdog Millionaire” cleaned up winning 8 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay as predicted, and Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, and Penélope Cruz won as expected. The biggest upset was Sean Penn winning Best Actor over Mickey Rourke, but really we all knew it was between the two anyway.

Worst use of presenting the Best Pictures:  Up until the last ten minutes of the show, you wouldn’t even know which films were nominated for Best Picture, and isn’t this what the night was really all about? Instead of showcasing clips throughout the night like usual, the clips were only shown right before the award was handed out. Even worse, they were intermingled with previous films that have similar themes making the clips confusing and taking attention away from the nominees.

Best presentation of movies: The montages of film genres recapping the best of 2008 were done so in great pop culture fashion. Coldplay’s “Lovers in Japan” played to the great romance flicks, Wall-E the adorable robot found a tape of the best animation movies, and the hilarious James Franco and Seth Rogen reprised their “Pineapple Express” roles as they watched DVDs of the funniest comedies.

Worst use of presenting the Best Songs: The song nominees, which are usually played in their entirety throughout the night, also weren’t given their full due. The two “Slumdog Millionaire” songs and “Wall-E” song were shortened and played one after the other. We all knew “Jai Ho” was going to win, but “Wall-E” should have been given it’s own set piece rather than making John Legend sing with “Slumdog’s” Indian back-up dancers and drummers.

Best use of presenting awards: Rather than randomly presenting awards, the telecast walked the audience through the making of a movie starting with the screenwriting process to art direction to editing. Stars associated with the category was also a nice touch like action hero Will Smith presenting Best Visual Effects and Sound Mixing and “Religious” filmmaker Bill Maher presenting Best Documentary.

Best presenters: Steve Martin and Tina Fey presented the screenplay awards humorously (“Don’t fall in love with me” Martin stoically told a googly eyed Fey) and controversially (poking fun at Hollywood-favorite Scientology). And don’t forget about Ben Stiller who delivered a dead-on impression of Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman” while presenting with Natalie Portman. It would have been even funnier though if it wasn’t just parodied at the previous night’s Independent Spirit Awards.

Best use of presenters: Keeping most of the identities of the presenters top-secret beforehand made for a more exciting show because you never knew who was going to come out next. Hello Will Smith, hello Reese Witherspoon!

Worst use of presenters: While it was fun seeing past winners like Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, and Christopher Walken, presenting the nominees, it came off too self-congratulatory. Instead of comments like “You really nailed it” and Marion Cotillard clasping her hands together cooing “Thank you” to Winslet, let’s see some clips instead. Most viewers at home haven’t seen all the movies, so it’d be more interesting to see the performances for which they’re nominated. 

Best acceptance speech: Instead of the director or co-stars accepting on his behalf, the acceptance of Heath Ledger’s Oscar by his family was much more touching. “Tonight we are choosing to be happy and celebrate what he has achieved,” his mother, Sally Bell, said.

Funniest acceptance speeches: Where to begin? First there’s Phillipe Petit, the subject of the documentary, “Man on Wire,” who not only balanced the Oscar on his chin, he also made a coin disappear.  Then the Japanese director of the Best Animated Short, “Kunio Kato thanked Mr. Roboto.” Finally, Best Director, Danny Boyle, bounced up and down in homage of Tigger for his children.  

Worst camera shots: Awkward alert… Not only did Jennifer Aniston have to present an award mere feet away from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the camera cut away to Brangelina twice! At least Jolie and Pitt made nice and weren’t giving dirty looks.

Best use of teeny boppers: While baby faced stars like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Robert Pattinson, and Amanda Seyfried presented and performed on stage to most likely draw in the younger audience, their presence was downplayed and didn’t make the Oscars feel like the Teen Choice Awards.

Best secret talent: Anne Hathaway showed off her really good voice in her pretend-impromptu song and dance number with Jackman. Look out Beyoncé. Maybe you won’t be needed next year.

Here are the winners of the major categories:

Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Oscar night is fast approaching – this Sunday – to be exact. Will it be a victory for “Slumdog” or “Benjamin Button?” Which tough guy will win: Mickey or Sean? Which of our best actresses of today is it going to be: Kate or Meryl?

If you don’t have your scorecards filled out yet, here’s Positively Celebrity’s guide to help you out because we’re predicting who’s going to walk away a winner and who we think should really be one.

Best Picture

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Milk”

“The Reader”

“Slumdog Millionaire”

Should and will win: With its nearly unstoppable wins at the Golden Globes, SAG, BAFTA and guild awards, look for “Slumdog Millionaire” to take home the biggest prize come Oscar night and deservedly so. This vibrant, inspirational, romantic, and energetic film will leave you feeling like a millionaire long after you leave the theater.

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Should Win:  Langella has already won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Richard Nixon, and he deserves an Oscar too. He pulls off the enormous task of encapsulating the former president’s mannerisms and voice without coming off as a caricature. Just as challenging, he also makes the audience feel empathy for a man who went down in history cast off as a crook.

Will Win: This is close. It very well could be Penn, but I’ll give the edge to Rourke. Academy members love a comeback story and both Rourke and his character are the comeback kids of the year. He also showed us he’s got what it takes physically and emotionally by playing an emotionally complex wrestler with a heart.

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”

Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Should and will win: Winslet for her intricate, dark turn as a tram conductor-turned-Nazi prison guard. She gave heart and emotion to a remorseless woman who was involved in Nazi war crimes and seduced a teenager. It doesn’t hurt either that she’s been racking up awards left and right this season, has five previous Oscar nominations, and stars in a film with the Academy-favorite topic of the Holocaust.

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, “Milk”

Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”

Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”

Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”

Should and will win: Ledger for his dynamic, groundbreaking, and humorously creepy performance as the Joker. He stole the show from Batman by keeping our eyes glued to him whenever his chaos-loving sociopath came on screen. Unlike Jack Nicholson’s previous mediocre Joker, Ledger, with his smeared clown make-up, truly made for one darkly twisted clown.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, “Doubt”

Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Viola Davis, “Doubt”

Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”

Should win: Even though she was only in two scenes, Davis managed to bring a whole movie’s worth of character backstory, emotions, and desires into those few precious moments on screen. Plus, she more than held her own against heavyweight Meryl Streep, which is alone no easy task.

Will win: Now with Winslet out of the running (the Academy chose to nominate her in the leading category instead), Cruz will most likely win for her domineering, vivacious turn as an emotionally unstable, eccentric ex-wife. She also won a BAFTA Award last week, which is a good sign she might win at the Oscars.

Best Director

Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”

David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”

Gus Van Sant, “Milk”

Should and will win: Boyle for delivering the beautifully crafted “Slumdog Millionaire.” He delivered intricate chase scenes, oversaw soaring camera shots over Mumbai, and brought out emotional performances from his young – and even younger, untrained – actors.

Sunday night’s 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Award ceremony was almost a carbon copy of the Golden Globes two weeks ago with “Slumdog Millionaire,” “30 Rock,” Kate Winslet and “John Adams” winning big.

Since the SAG Awards only honors actors it doesn’t award a Best Picture, but “Slumdog Millionaire” took home the biggest award of the night: Cast in a Motion Picture. The cast of unknown Indian actors was shocked and grateful. Anil Kapoor accepted the award saying it was enough to be nominated and the win was “unbelievable,”and Freida Pinto took a moment to personally acknowledge all the children who played the actors’ younger counterparts.

“30 Rock” swept the show once again with the cast winning Ensemble in a Comedy series and stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin winning Female and Male Actor in a Comedy Series.

Fey threw in a jab at the ongoing contract negotiations between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers when she thanked her young daughter, Alice. “Someday, she’ll be old enough to watch 30 Rock reruns on the Internet and understand where mommy was going at 6 a.m. every day for all that time. And she’ll look up at me and say, ‘What do you mean, you don’t get residuals for this?’ I love you, Alice. Take care of me when I’m old and broke!” 

“Mad Men” also scored big yet again winning Ensemble in a Drama Series, and star Jon Hamm thanked their “dozens of viewers.”

Surprise winners Hugh Laurie from “House” and Sally Field from “Brothers and Sisters” won Male and Female Actor in a Drama Series. They were even shocked themselves: “I had $100 on James Spader – this is just not my night,” Laurie deadpanned, and Field admitted, “Oh dear, I thought it would be a cable girl.”

“Doubt’s” Meryl Streep who won Female Actor in a Leading Role was so shocked she won she didn’t even buy a dress as she showed all of us when she stepped around the podium to show off her simple black pants. Yet, after Winslet’s astonishing double-win at the Globes, we were all kind of surprised too.

Alas, Winslet didn’t go home empty-handed. She won Female Actor in a Supporting Role for “The Reader” and gave a much more subdued speech this time around.

Sean Penn beat out Mickey Rourke for Male Actor in a Leading Role for “Milk” and gave a much more dynamic speech talking about the statue’s “rather healthy package,” saying he “wept” at his fellow nominee’s performances, dissing the voters for not acknowledging actors like Benicio Del Toro, and reprimanding the media for making the award competition a “dog fight.”

Not all competitions have been a dog fight, however. Heath Ledger once again won a posthumous award for Male Actor in a Supporting Role for “The Dark Knight” with costar Gary Oldman accepting on his behalf and “John Adams” stars Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney won acting awards in the Television Movie or Miniseries category again.

Besides honoring the year’s best actors, the Guild also honored James Earl Jones by giving him the Lifetime Achievement Award. While these awards can often be the boring part of ceremonies, we learned some interesting things about Jones such as that he had a stutter as a child and subsequently barely spoke for twelve years.

Who would have guessed that about the man who breathed “Luke, I am your father” ?

The nominees for this year’s 81st annual Academy Awards were announced Thursday with not too many surprises. The top two films slugging it out are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which leads the pack with 13 nominations, and “Slumdog Millionaire,” which won Best Picture at the Golden Globes and has 10 nominations.

What about the snubs? “The Dark Knight” didn’t get a Best Picture nomination, Clint Eastwood and his film, “Gran Torino,” got shut out, “Revolutionary Road” got no noms including its stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Springsteen’s song from “The Wrestler” didn’t get nominated even after it won the Golden Globe, and Sally Hawkins didn’t get a Best Actress nom fresh off her Best Actress Golden Globe win.

But the biggest surprise? Who would have ever thought Robert Downey, Jr. would get a nomination for his role as “a dude playing a dude, disguised as another dude”? 

Find out who wins on Feb. 22 at 8 pm EST on ABC, and in the meantime the nominees are:

Best Picture

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director

David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon

Gus Van Sant, Milk

Stephen Daldry, The Reader

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionare

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn, Milk

Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie, Changeling

Melissa Leo, Frozen River

Kate Winslet, The Reader

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, Milk

Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Doubt

Penélope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona

Viola Davis, Doubt

Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin

Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Best Animated Feature

Bolt

Kung Fu Panda

Wall-E

Best Original Screenplay

Dustin Lance Black, Milk

Courtney Hunt, Frozen River

Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky

Martin McDonagh, In Bruges

Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, Wall-E

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin

John Patrick Shanley, Doubt

Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon

David Hare, The Reader

Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

It was a big year for the Brits at Sunday’s Golden Globes with “Slumdog Millionaire,” Kate Winslet and Sally Hawkins taking home major awards.

“Slumdog,” a low-budget film about an Indian teenager looking for love and competing on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” took home the prizes for Best Motion Picture- Drama, Best Director for Danny Boyle, Best Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy and Best Original Score for A.R. Rahman.

With all the film’s honors and Winslet’s double-win, one might also say it’s the year of the underdog. Winslet, widely proclaimed to be the best actress of our generation, was 0-10 at the Golden Globes and the Oscars until last night.

The extremely shocked and humble star won Best Supporting Actress for “The Reader” and Best Actress for “Revolutionary Road.” She relished the moment saying, “Wrap up? You have no idea how much I’m not wrapping up” but sweetly stumbled through her speech by repeatedly telling herself to “gather” and even forgetting Angelina Jolie when acknowledging her fellow nominees.

“Happy-Go-Lucky’s” Hawkins was another speechless Brit. Fellow Best Supporting Actress nominee, Emma Thompson, who was still seated in the audience had to gently sooth and coach Hawkins to compose herself and go on.

Best Actor Mickey Rourke from “The Wrestler” had no trouble with his speech and, on the contrary, gave the audience quite an entertaining one thanking his dogs and saying “balls” twice. Plus, he got flipped off (lovingly, of course) from his director after calling him “a tough son of a bitch.”

Other noteworthy speeches from winners included the “30 Rock” cast who won Best TV Series – Comedy, Best Actor for Alec Baldwin and Best Actress for Tina Fey. Fey proceeded to tell all the web-dissers out there to “suck it,” and Tracy Morgan informed us that “Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for the show from now on. Welcome to post-racial America!”

You didn’t have to be a winner to score laughs either. Presenter Ricky Gervais swaggered out on the stage with a beer in his hand complaining about how the Hollywood Foreign Press didn’t nominate his comedy, “Ghost Town.”

“That is the last time I have sex with 200 middle-aged journalists,” he said.

Not everyone laughed, however, at presenter Sacha Baron Cohen when he said Hollywood is also suffering from the financial crisis and Madonna had to “get rid of one of her personal assistants. Our thoughts go out to you, Guy Ritchie.” In fact, he was met with dirty looks from Sandra Bullock and Salma Hayek.

Perhaps Hollywood’s not a big fan of Borat…

Speaking of offensive, Colin Farrell who usually goes hand-in-hand with the network censors was surprisingly well-mannered not even cursing once. Although some would say his Best Actor win for “In Bruges” was surprise enough beating out Javier Bardem and Dustin Hoffman.

Gabriel Byrne’s Best Actor in a TV-Drama win and Anna Paquin’s Best Actress-Drama win also threw off Globe handicappers who were expecting more likely wins from “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm and January Jones.

“Mad Men’s” win for Best TV Series- Drama, however, was easily predicted along with “John Adam’s” sweep and Heath Ledger’s win for Best Supporting Actor for “The Dark Knight.”

Director Christopher Nolan toasted Ledger’s legacy he built for himself in cinema’s history and also acknowledged “the hole ripped in the future of cinema” as a result of his premature death.

Despite the huge, surprising shut-out of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” at least the Globes gave “Slumdog Millionaire” its rightful place in the history of cinema.

“Slumdog Millionaire” vs. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?” Brad Pitt vs. Mickey Rourke? “Mad Men” vs. “True Blood?”

Who will win?

We’ll find out when the 66th annual Golden Globes air Sunday on NBC at 8/7 c, but in the meantime here’s Positively Celebrity’s picks for who will be seeing gold.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

The Reader

Revolutionary Road

Slumdog Millionaire

While “Slumdog Millionaire” is equally if not more deserving, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is the most popular and beloved movie right now.

Best Actor in a Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn, Milk

* Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Rourke will most likely win at the Oscars, but Pitt will win at the Globes because he is more popular and mainstream.  

Best Actress in a Drama

* Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie, Changeling

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Kristin Scott-Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long

Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Fresh off her Critics Choice Award Thursday night, Hathaway will go on to win the Golden Globe as well.

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Burn After Reading

Happy-Go-Lucky

In Bruges

Mamma Mia!

* Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This one goes to the beloved Woody Allen’s film. The Coens (fresh off last year’s “No Country for Old Men” accolades) won’t win again for “Burn After Reading,” not enough people saw “Happy-Go-Lucky” or “In Bruges,” and many didn’t take “Mamma Mia!” too seriously.

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy

Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Colin Farrell, In Bruges

James Franco, Pineapple Express

Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges

* Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey

If Bardem didn’t just win last year for “No Country for Old Men,” I’d say he’d win, so this year it could be a toss-up between Farrell and Hoffman. Given Hoffman’s popularity and long, great career, I’ll predict him.

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy

Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

* Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading

Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia!

Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey

Hawkins is the critical favorite who has the best chance of all these ladies to be nominated for an Oscar. Yet, look out for Streep, whose popularity and work in “Doubt” could help score her a win.

Best TV Series- Drama

Dexter

House

In Treatment

* Mad Men

True Blood

“Mad Men” did win last year, but its second season was even better than its first. Plus, the show didn’t have much of a chance to celebrate last year because a boring press conference took the place of an actual show due to the writer’s strike.

Best TV Series- Comedy

* 30 Rock

Californication

Entourage

The Office

Weeds

“30 Rock” is the best comedy on TV right now, and it is yet to win a Golden Globe for best comedy.

Best Actor in a TV Drama

Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

* Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Hugh Laurie, House

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors

This could be a toss-up between Hamm and Hall, but I’ll give the edge to Hamm due to “Mad Men’s” enormous popularity.

Best Actress in a TV Drama

Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters

Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU

* January Jones, Mad Men

Anna Paquin, True Blood

Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Field, Hargitay, and Sedgwick are starting to become clichés in this category, and Paquin’s “True Blood” isn’t well-known. Plus, Jones really had a chance to flex her acting muscles on this season of “Mad Men.”

Best Actor in a TV Musical or Comedy

* Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Steve Carell, The Office

Kevin Connolly, Entourage

David Duchovny, Californication

Tony Shaloub, Monk

Baldwin won two years ago in this category, but, again, no comedy is better than “30 Rock” right now. Plus, Baldwin’s great lines and even greater delivery of them really makes the show.

Best Actress in a TV Musical or Comedy

* Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?

America Ferrera, Ugly Betty

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Debra Messing, The Starter Wife

Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Fey has been on a complete winning streak this last year with all her accolades and praise. Either she could continue her streak or there could be a backlash. I’ll go with the latter and give the edge to Applegate for her fresh, funny performance. Plus, she’s yet to win an Emmy or a Golden Globe for “Samantha Who?” and it’s about time.

Director Danny Boyle manages to simultaneously make “Slumdog Millionaire” uplifting and inspirational yet harrowing and heartbreaking. It’s no wonder this outstanding film is nominated for four Golden Globes and tops the critics’ lists for best picture.

It’s the story of 18-year-old Jamal (Dev Patel), a boy who spent his youth as an orphan in Mumbai, India. Now he’s one question away from a million dollars on the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”

No one understands how this young man from the slums could possibly know all the answers. The host of the show (Anil Kapoor) insults Jamal even calling him a “chaiwalla” meaning a boy who serves tea, and the police arrest him at the end of the second-to-last show to interrogate him on how he knows the answers.

We are then treated to the intriguing, sometimes harrowing flashbacks of Jamal’s life. He and his brother were orphaned after his parents were murdered in a riot and then they were tortured by a crook who took in a group of orphans to teach them how to become criminals. One hopeful glimmer of his life, however, is Latika, the fellow orphan Jamal fell in love with and always tried to save. While these are interesting and substantial stories on their own, these flashbacks are also there for a very good reason: each flashback reveals the reason for how Jamal knew every answer to the game show so far.

With the newfound understanding of Jamal’s life, love, and knowledge of the answers, the film then takes us back to the present where Jamal must answer that one last question.

Boyle, the masterful director who is known for making very different films like “Trainspotting” and “Millions,” brings an intriguing underdog story that makes us think about fate, the power of love, class warfare, and the good and bad in people. This is one not to miss.

The Hollywood Foreign Press recently announced the nominees for this year’s Golden Globes airing on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. on NBC. This year’s Golden Globes has special significance because last year the winners were announced during a lackluster press conference due to the writer’s strike. 

Usually, the Golden Globe nominations and winners are a good indicator of who and what will be nominated for the Academy Awards. So if you haven’t seen these movies or TV shows yet, now is your time to start checking them out.

MOTION PICTURES

Drama

Best picture

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Frost/Nixon”

“The Reader”

“Revolutionary Road”

“Slumdog Millionaire”

Positively fact: Kate Winslet has two chances to be in a Best Picture winner. She stars in “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road” where she is reunited with “Titanic” costar, Leonardo DiCaprio.

Best actress

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”

Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”

Positively fact: While all the other actresses are previous nominees, this is Hathaway’s first Golden Globe nomination.

Best actor

Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Positively fact: This is Rourke’s first Golden Globe nomination, and Langella’s first nomination since 1970’s “Diary of a Mad Housewife.”

Comedy or musical

Best picture

“Burn After Reading”

“Happy-Go-Lucky”

“In Bruges”

“Mamma Mia!”

“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Positively fact: You may not have heard of some of these comedies. “Happy-Go-Lucky” came out in April and is about a woman who’s optimism has a less than cheerful effect on others. “In Bruges” was released in February and stars Colin Farrell as a hitman in Belgium.

Best actress

Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”

Meryl Streep, “Mamma Mia!”

Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey”

Positively fact (s): This is the first Golden Globe nomination for Hall and Hawkins. Also, McDormand is married to Joel Coen, one of the directors of “Burn After Reading.”

Best actor

Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”

James Franco, “Pineapple Express”

Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”

Dustin Hoffman, “Last Chance Harvey”

Positively fact: Bardem won at last year’s Golden Globes for best actor in a drama for his performance in “No Country for Old Men.”

TELEVISION

Drama

Best television series

“Dexter” (Showtime)

“House” (Fox)

“In Treatment” (HBO)

“Mad Men” (AMC)

“True Blood” (HBO)

Positively fact: If “Mad Men” wins, it will the show’s second, consecutive win.

Best actress in a drama series

Sally Field, “Brothers and Sisters”

Mariska Hargitay, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”

January Jones, “Mad Men”

Anna Paquin, “True Blood”

Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

Positively fact: Jones didn’t earn a nomination last year, but the Hollywood Foreign Press must have warmed up to her portrayal of cold, isolated housewife, Betty Draper.

Best actor in a drama series

Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”

Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”

Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Hugh Laurie, “House”

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors”

Positively fact: Hamm won in this same category at last year’s awards.

Comedy or musical

Best television series

“30 Rock” (NBC)

“Californication” (Showtime)

“Entourage” (HBO)

“The Office” (NBC)

“Weeds” (Showtime)

Positively fact: All of these shows have been nominated before, but none have ever won. Past winners include “Extras,” “Ugly Betty,” and “Desperate Housewives.”

Best actress

America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”

Tina Fey, “30 Rock”

Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife”

Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”

Positively fact: Fey won last year and could be on track to win two years in a row. Messing, who also was nominated last year for “The Starter Wife,” has never won in this category despite being nominated six times for “Will & Grace.”

Best actor

Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Steve Carell, “The Office”

Kevin Connolly, “Entourage”

David Duchovny, “Californication”

Tony Shalhoub, “Monk”

Positively fact: All of these actors have been nominated before, but Duchovny won last year.

The leaves have fallen, the snow’s on its way and so are the season’s Oscar-worthy movies and holiday fare to take you through that long, delicious Thanksgiving dinner and those countless Christmas songs on the radio.

Slumdog Millionaire (Nov. 12) The newest film from genre-shifting Danny Boyle is about a man (Dev Patel) participates on the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” Pieces of his life – including the story of his love with a childhood soulmate- are depicted throughout the film as the super smart contestant is questioned on how he knows all the answers. Critics are already calling it a possibility for Best Picture.

Quantum of Solace (Nov. 14) The latest in the 007 franchise picks up right after last year’s “Casino Royale” left off when Bond and Mr. White came face to face. On his mission to find out who blackmailed his deceased love, Vesper, into betraying him, Bond will travel to Austria, Italy and South America while, of course, meeting some new Bond girls.

Twilight (Nov. 21) Step aside, “Harry Potter,” the first installment in the almost-equally popular “Twilight” book series is on its way. Instead of “Harry’s” witches, warlocks and muggles, “Twilight” brings us the story of a typical teenage girls who happens to fall in love with a devastatingly handsome vampire.

Four Christmases (Nov. 26) Unless you have to attend four Christmases as well, you’ll have time to see this romantic comedy in which Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn have to split up Christmas between each of their divorced parents after their tropical getaway flight gets cancelled. An all-star cast includes Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Robert Duvall and Jon Voight.

Wendy and Lucy (Dec. 10) No, Wendy and Lucy aren’t two best girlfriends – at least in the human sense. Michelle Williams of “Brokeback Mountain” and “Dawson’s Creek” fame is Wendy and Lucy is her dog and traveling companion on her trip to a new job in Alaska. She already only has about $600 to her name but it gets worse when her car breaks down and she loses Lucy. Williams could possibly get an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Nothing Like the Holidays (Dec. 12) John Leguizamo, Freddy Rodriguez and Debra Messing star in this holiday-themed family drama movie. The Rodriguez family gathers in Chicago to celebrate Christmas and the return of their son from Iraq. Expect secrets to be revealed and family drama to ensue. If you liked Jodi Foster’s “Home for the Holidays,” this one may be for you.

Yes Man (Dec. 19) Jim Carrey used to say “no, no ,no,” but now he’s saying “yes, yes, yes.” Throughout the course of a year, Carrey pledges to say “yes” to everything as part of a self-help program he signs up for. Of course its Jim Carrey, so expect silly hilarity to ensue and look for costar Zooey Deschanel whose shone brightly in small roles in “Elf” and “Failure to Launch.”

Bedtime Stories (Dec. 25) Another not so little-known funnyman by the name of Adam Sandler stars in this family holiday comedy. Sandler is an uncle who tells crazy bedtime stories; but instead of reading a normal book with ordinary pictures, his stories come to life with crazy CGI effects to keep the little ones both in the movie and in the theater entertained this Christmas.