Golden Globe Nomination Predictions

Before we begin, I'd just like to stress again that I am NOT a prognosticator. It seems a bit silly to me, guessing what other people are going to pick as the best of 2007. I just wouldn't want to stake my professional reputation on something that is completely out of my control. That said, since this is My First Blog and all, I've decided to take the opportunity to try my hand at predicting the Golden Globe nominees, most of whom I will have the incredible chance to talk to tomorrow, as I take nomination reactions for V. The HFPA is a rascally group. They're unpredictable, yet they never reinvent the wheel. I suspect they'll play it pretty safe this year, but I've decided to spice things up a bit and predict some underdogs, especially in the Best Actress, Comedy/Musical category, where I have the sinking feeling that Juliette Binoche will be overlooked despite being impossible to resist in the surprisingly charming Dan in Real Life. Without further adieu, my latenight idiocy, posted for all the world to see and make fun of. Then again, don't be surprised if I told you so. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get up soon...

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA
Atonement
Into the Wild
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
(alt: The Great Debaters, American Gangster)

BEST PICTURE, COMEDY/MUSICAL
Charlie Wilson’s War
Hairspray
Juno
The Savages
Sweeney Todd
(alt: Across the Universe, Enchanted)

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(alt: Denzel Washington, The Great Debaters; Joe Wright, Atonement)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Diablo Cody, Juno
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
(alt: Christopher Hampton, Atonement; Aaron Sorkin, Charlie Wilson’s War)

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
Mathieu Amalric, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
(alt: Denzel Washington, American Gangster OR The Great Debaters; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead)

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley, Atonement
(alt: Halle Berry, Things We Lost in the Fire; Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days)

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY
Steve Carell, Dan in Real Life
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson’s War
Jack Nicholson, The Bucket List
(alt: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages; John C. Reilly, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY (yes 6 of ‘em, like 2005’s Best Actor, Comedy/Musical)
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Juliette Binoche, Dan in Real Life
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
(alt: Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James…
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Max von Sydow, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(alt: John Travolta, Hairspray; Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Beowulf
Persepolis
Ratatouille
(alt: The Simpsons Movie)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
Persepolis
(alt: The Counterfeiters)