Golden Globes 2010 Nominations Announced

Each year, when the nominations for the Golden Globes Awards come out, the public and critics pay attention because they’re seen as a sign of greater things to come, meaning, as indicators of the Oscar nominations that come after a few weeks. This year was no exception, with the entire movie industry keeping an eye on Justin Timberlake as he announced the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s nominations for the 67th edition of the Golden Globes Awards.

The ceremony itself will take place on January 17 and will be broadcast live by NBC; judging by the nominations alone, it will be a night to remember, with tension so thick it will probably be cut only by the proverbial knife – or the naming of the winner. The actors, television shows and motion pictures that will win a much-coveted statuette will have increased chances to also get nods for the Academy Awards since, as noted above, the Globes are seen as acknowledgements of industry achievements and progress.

The big contenders in movie this year as “Nine,” “The Hangover” and “(500) Days of Summer” in the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category, and “Inglourious Basterds,” “Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire” and James Cameron’s “Avatar” (to the surprise of many) in the Best Motion Picture – Drama category. “Glee,” vampire story “True Blood” and killer series “Dexter” are the television shows with the most nods, which also happen to be the public’s favorite for this year. On the same note, HBO is the network with the most nominations, a total of 17.

According to People magazine, presenter Timberlake did an excellent job of announcing the nominations, never sticking just to what he had written on the paper in front of him and improvising all the way. Because of this, the presentation was less of a snoozefest than in previous years, the US publication hints – and it was all thanks to Justin, who was more than a presenter; he was an entertainer in the true sense of the word.

Below is the list of nominations for the major categories. See here for the complete list. For more on the awards ceremony, keep an eye on this space and we’ll update you in due time.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious”
“Up in the Air”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Emily Blunt, “The Young Victoria”
Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Gabourey Sadibe, “Precious”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
Tobey Maguire, “Brothers”

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

“(500) Days of Summer”
“The Hangover”
“It’s Complicated”
“Julie & Julia”
“Nine”

Best Animated Feature Film

“Coraline”
“The Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
“The Princess and the Frog”
“Up”

Best Director - Motion Picture

Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
James Cameron, “Avatar”
Clint Eastwood, “Invictus”
Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”
Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”

Best Television Series – Drama

“Big Love” (HBO)
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“House” (Fox)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“True Blood” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

Simon Baker, “The Mentalist”
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Hugh Laurie, “House”
Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

Glenn Close, “Damages”
January Jones, “Mad Men”
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical

“30 Rock” (NBC)
“Entourage” (HBO)
“Glee” (FOX)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“The Office” (NBC)