Random Thoughts On the Golden Globe Nominations

If you haven't seen them yet, they are here.

These are the first major award nominations, even though The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has always been a tad suspect; it's made up of like three drunken Australians and a Japanese guy who is too shy to overrule them on anything.

They once gave Pia Zadora best newcomer, an award they wisely phased out a few years later.

And now, random thoughts --

-- Despite the naysayers, Brokeback Mountain (which leads with 7 nominations) is going to make a lot of money.

-- I understand that they break down the categories into Dramas and Comedies/Musicals, but that still doesn't make "I Walk The Line" a musical. Just because they perform a few songs here and there - because that's their character's job - it's not a musical. The fact that Joaquin Phoenix is nominated for best performance by an actor in a motion picture musical or comedy is just rather silly.

-- It's great to see two of my favorite actors, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman, getting recognition.

-- Who would have thought decades ago, when George Clooney was making unexciting appearances on the likes of "The Facts of Life", that he'd ever get a Golden Globe nomination, much less three in one year? Including one each for acting, writing and directing? Go George.

-- Of the five screenplay nominees, four have two credited writers. The only script written by only one writer was written by Woody Allen. Maybe he is back (and maybe I should start going to see his movies again. I've skipped the last 6 or 7).

-- This also makes me appreciate the fact that the Oscars has 5 Best Picture nominees and 10 Best Screenplay nominees (in two categories), while the Golden Globes essentially reverses this.

-- Even though Katie Holmes is pregnant by an alien and was cute in "Pieces of April", Michelle Williams was always the better Dawson's Creek actress. And now she has a movie acting nomination.

-- Given the mediocre reviews that "Mrs. Henderson Presents" is getting, and looking at the list of the 9 female Best Actress nominees other than Judi Dench, it seems like Reese Witherspoon might be getting an Oscar in about three months.

-- Matt Dillon and Will Ferrell each get a best supporting actor nomination. Wow.

-- If you're wondering how the four actresses from "Desperate Housewives" could all get nominated for Best Actress in a TV Comedy, all you need to look at is the lack of competition. There aren't that many successful comedy shows any more, and the female-driven ones aren't very funny.

-- Six nominees for Best TV movie/miniseries, and none of them were made by network TV. No surprise.

-- What, no nomination for William Shatner? Didn't he just win an Emmy?