The 73rd Golden Globes award ceremony airs tonight at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. For the fourth time, the awards will be hosted by Ricky Gervais, which is always a treat.
The Golden Globes — the Academy Awards’ hipper, younger sibling — are coming to NBC this Sunday. To help prepare for the event, our friends over at Pretty Famous took a deeper look into historical trends in nominations, as well as what’s in store for the 2016 show.
Unlike the Oscars, which are voted upon by over 6,000 members from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the Golden Globes are chosen by members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The HFPA represents publications from over 55 countries, and they have organized the Golden Globes for over 70 years.
The 2016 Race
The release of the film “Carol” was slightly overshadowed by “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2,” which came out four days before. The film only made $253,510 in its opening weekend and is one of the lesser-known films of 2015. The Hollywood Foreign Press, however, did not overlook this dramatic, heart-wrenching movie. “Carol” is nominated for the most awards, including Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Todd Haynes for Best Director.
“The Big Short” also stands out among its competitors. It’s the only film in the “Musical or Comedy” genre that was nominated for four Golden Globes. The stars of “The Big Short,” Christian Bale and Steve Carell, face each other head-on for the Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) award. Cate Blanchett will also compete against her co-star, Rooney Mara (with whom she shared a passionate onscreen affair in “Carol”), for the coveted Best Actress (Drama) prize. Cate may have the edge as she has been nominated for nine Golden Globes and won three during her acting career.
Golden Globe History
Looking back at the films with the most Golden Globe wins, the overwhelming majority are dramas surrounding a male protagonist. The leads in “Doctor Zhivago,” “The Godfather” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” all won the award for Best Actor (Drama), and all of the winningest films were directed by males. Unfortunately for women in Hollywood, only one female is represented in the Best Screenplay and Best Director categories this year — Emma Donoghue, who is nominated for her “Room” screenplay.
However, over half of the films nominated for Best Picture (Drama and Comedy/Musical) are centered around strong female characters — “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Carol,” “Room,” “Joy,” “Spy” and “Trainwreck.” Whether it was outsmarting a fascist leader in the desert, escaping a kidnapper or (hilariously) dealing with a midlife crisis, female characters took Hollywood by storm in 2015.
Nomination Bias?
Golden Globe history also shows that the overwhelming majority of winners and nominees have been white males. And it’s not just a Golden Globes problem. In August, Fortune magazine condemned the still-prevalent diversity problem in Hollywood, stating that over 75 percent of characters in Hollywood films are white. Additionally, the study said men are two to three times more likely to have a speaking role in a film.
Although it appears to be a man’s world in Hollywood, those who have won the most Golden Globes are actually women. Barbara Streisand and Meryl Streep have been nominated for a combined total of 41 Golden Globes (taking home a total of 17).
Networking with a New Crowd
Television witnessed a new trend in 2015. Historically, most winning TV shows have been hosted on the four major cable networks (NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox), but networks that require a unique subscription, such as HBO, Netflix, Starz and Amazon Video, all beat out those competitors in Golden Globe nominations this year.
It appears as though nontraditional networks can offer something the NBCs and FOXs of the world cannot. Perhaps it’s because these networks allow shows like “American Horror Story: Hotel,” “Fargo” and “Narcos” to display thematic — sometimes disturbing — elements while tackling complex themes. It’s hard to imagine the sexual or violent scenes depicted in “Orange is the New Black” on a network like ABC or FOX.
Regardless of who comes out victorious, strong female characters and popular streaming services appear poised to keep gaining momentum through 2016 and beyond.
Here’s the full list of 2016 Golden Globe nominations to get you set for tonight’s action:
BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Rooney Mara, Carol
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Will Smith, Concussion
BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
The Big Short
Joy
The Martian
Spy
Trainwreck
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Melissa McCarthy, Spy
Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van
Lily Tomlin, Grandma
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Steve Carell, The Big Short
Matt Damon, The Martian
Al Pacino, Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo, Infinity Polar Bear
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
Peanuts
Shaun the Sheep
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Brand New Testament
The Club
The Fencer
Mustang
Son of Saul
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Jane Fonda, Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Helen Mirren, Trumbo
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
BEST DIRECTOR, MOTION PICTURE
Todd Haynes, Carol
Alejandro G. Innaritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott, The Martian
BEST SCREENPLAY, MOTION PICTURE
Emma Donoghue, Room
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, MOTION PICTURE
Carter Burwell, Carol
Alexander Desplat, The Danish Girl
Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Daniel Pemberton, Steve Jobs
Ryuchi Sakamoto and Alva Noto, The Revenant
BEST ORIGINAL SONG, MOTION PICTURE
“Love Me Like You Do,” Fifty Shades of Grey
“One Kind of Love,” Love & Mercy
“See You Again,” Furious 7
“Simple Song #3,” Youth
“Writing’s on the Wall,” Spectre
BEST TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA
Empire
Game of Thrones
Mr. Robot
Narcos
Outlander
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA
Catriona Balfe, Outlander
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Robin Wright, House of Cards
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Wagner Moura, Narcos
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
BEST TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Casual
Mozart in the Jungle
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Gael Garcia Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle
Rob Lowe, The Grinder
Patrick Stewart, Blunt Talk
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
American Crime
American Horror Story: Hotel
Fargo
Flesh & Bone
Wolf Hall
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Lady Gaga, American Horror Story: Hotel
Sarah Hay, Flesh & Bone
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Queen Latifah, Bessie
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Idris Elba, Luther
Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero
David Oyelowo, Nightingale
Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall
Patrick Wilson, Fargo
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES, OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Regina King, American Crime
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Judith Light, Transparent
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES, OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Tobias Menzies, Outlander
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot