Sunday, January 25, 2004

Globe Trotters

The Golden Globes are tonight, and I just can't muster up much interest to watch them. I'm far more interested in the end results of the Central Ohio Film Critics Association's awards, the nominees for which I was tabulating yesterday. The shortened awards season has taken the wind out of the Globes' sails and made them seem less relevant, if they ever really were, since the winners cannot affect Oscar nominations. (Academy Awards noms will be announced Tuesday morning.)

Maybe the larger issue is that I don't have the proverbial horses in these races. My top films are mostly non-factors, as are some of my favorite performances (Nick Nolte in THE GOOD THIEF, Zooey Deschanel in ALL THE REAL GIRLS, Alison Lohman in MATCHSTICK MEN). I'll still watch the Academy Awards whether or not I have a vested interest in who wins. The Globes' credibility is suspect anyway, and their overstated importance is more irrelevant than usual this year. I might sample them during commercial breaks for the new episode of MYTHBUSTERS. Then again, ALIAS is a rerun, so I may tape a couple shows and watch a DVD instead.

I don't even remember what films and performances are nominated, but if Charlize Theron doesn't win Best Actress for MONSTER, I'll eat my hat. Although deserving, she wouldn't be tops on my ballot. The Golden Globes voters are savvy to the conventional wisdom. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association must know that Theron is very likely to get an Oscar nomination and be a favorite to win. I wouldn't put it past them to be like the so-called strategic voters--frontrunners casting ballots for who they think others will favor--in this year's Democratic primaries. From everything I've read, the HFPA is most interested in sustaining their image as predictors of Oscar success.

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