Scandalous 2011 Golden Globe Nominees Announced

Here we go, my friends. Awards season is officially headed our way. Yesterday, the AFI announced its list of choices, and now, on the heels of a major scandal, those semi-professional schmoozers at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association have announced their list of nominees for the 2011 Golden Globe Awards. On a related note, what do I write about first: the nominees or the scandal? Oh, let's get the boring stuff out of the way.

As usual, the HFPA have chosen a little something for everyone. They award a whopping 25 separate Golden Globes and break their "best picture" and "best actor/actress" choices down into two separate categories (Drama, and Comedy or Musical), giving the HFPA either (depending on your point of view) more chances to spread the love or more chances to kiss ass. Because there are so many, I'll hit three highlights in each major category. Find a complete list HERE. (Don't worry, I'll get to the scandal in a minute.)

Among the nominees for "Best Picture, Drama" are Black Swan, Inception and The Fighter. "Best Picture, Comedy or Musical" finds Alice in Wonderland, Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right and, just so there'd actually be a musical choice, Burlesque.

In the dramatic acting categories are Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), James Franco (127 Hours), Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter) and Colin Firth (The King's Speech).

Distaff comedic (or musical) acting nods went to Emma Stone (Easy A) with Annette Bening and Julianne Moore splitting the vote for their turns in The Kids Are All Right. Among the men were Paul Giamatti, nominated for Barney's Version, and Johnny Depp, who got nods for both Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist.

Among the chosen supporting actors, the most interesting performers are Melissa Leo, an amazing actress who’s finally getting some much deserved attention; Mila Kunis, who’s proving herself to be much more deserving that originally thought; Christian Bale, who is always interesting (and occasionally testy); and Michael Douglas in the Wall Street sequel, his least interesting performance this year.

Oddly, the HFPA doesn’t break down the Best Director award into comedy and drama categories, which is crazy…but hey, it’s the HFPA, right? (I think I’ll start using that as my default excuse for any exasperating situation.) Directors chosen include Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), Christopher Nolan (Inception) and David O. "Do it my way or I'll kick your ass, George Clooney" Russell (appropriately, The Fighter). The big surprise this year? The Coen brothers' True Grit was completely shut out, though I doubt they are as bothered by this as I am. For the rest of the nominees, I suggest you go to the link embedded above.

Now, let's dish. It's recently been revealed that several months ago, the PR chief for the Golden Globes, Michael Russell, either quit or was fired after sending HFPA president Philip Berk a letter accusing the organization of "unsavory business practices" that could jeopardize the "legitimacy and integrity" of the HFPA. Seeing as how it's Hollywood common knowledge that the HFPA operates as an exclusive club whose members brazenly feed off the entertainment industry, this is not all that shocking. But it is significant because the HFPA's cracks are starting to show to a public increasingly interested in what happens behind the scenes of the movie industry. There's also the matter of how all this will affect the Golden Globes telecast on NBC, which is extremely lucrative to the HFPA, with a large amount of the proceeds going to finance the globetrotting hobnobbing ways of its members.

How will it all play out? Will Philip Berk be kicked out for imperiling the juicy perks of the group’s members? Will the 2011 Golden Globe telecast lose its NBC license, worth several millions of dollars? Only time will tell. But, hey, it’s the HFPA, right?