((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
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Golden Globes can boost films and actors’ Oscar chances
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Timothee Chalamet and Selena Gomez in the running for the Golden Globes
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Globes winners are chosen by 334 journalists from 85 countries
(Quotes from the host and presenters have been added to paragraphs 3-7) by Lisa Richwine and Jane Ross
Hollywood will kick off its 2025 festivities on Sunday at the annual Golden Globes, where films including “Wicked,” “The Brutalist” and “Emilia Perez” will vie for trophies and attention before the Oscar ceremony.
Timothee Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Angelina Jolie are among the stars vying for acting awards at the red carpet ceremony which will be hosted for the first time by comedian Nikki Glaser. The show will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ PARA.O.
Previous Globes have been more relaxed than the Oscars, the ceremony that hands out the film industry’s highest awards in March. Film and TV nominees sipped cocktails and champagne during the Globes, while hosts such as Ricky Gervais made scathing jokes about the A-list crowd and Globes voters.
Ms. Glaser, a comedian known for criticizing football legend Tom Brady on a Netflix show NFLX.O , said she set limits for herself this year.
“There are definitely jokes that I wanted to make that I had to cut because they are too critical or too cynical,” Ms. Glaser said in an interview with Reuters.
“It’s not a roast,” she added. “It’s a night to celebrate things, so I want to set a good tone and I want the people who have been nominated to feel proud of themselves. I don’t want them to feel attacked.”
The list of presenters includes big celebrities such as Dwayne Johnson, Elton John, Andrew Garfield and Awkwafina.
For the awards, the Spanish-language musical “Emilia Perez” and the post-war epic “The Brutalist” lead the evening’s nominated films.
“The Brutalist” stars Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor who flees to the United States to pursue the American dream. The three-and-a-half-hour story is considered one of the favorites for the evening’s biggest prize, best dramatic film.
Contenders include “Conclave,” about the selection of a pope, and two films starring Chalamet: the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” and the sci-fi epic “Dune – Part II.”
Unlike the Oscars, musical films and comedies have a separate category at the Globes. Nominees in this category include “Wicked,” which was a box office smash, and “Anora,” a dark romantic comedy
Winning a Globe can help films in the race for the Oscars in March. If a film or actor wins a Globe, “that increases the likelihood that someone in the film academy will watch that project,” said Scott Feinberg, senior awards editor at The Hollywood Reporter.
Mr. Feinberg predicted that “The Brutalist” or “Conclave” would win the drama prize at the Globes. The comedy or musical category is more difficult to evaluate because the candidates are very different from each other.
“Emilia Perez,” a musical thriller, tells the story of a Mexican drug lord who transitions from a man to a woman. “Wicked,” a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” was adapted from a popular Broadway show.
“Anora, about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, is more of a traditional comedy, while The Substance, starring Demi Moore as a fading celebrity looking for From A Fountain of Youth, is essentially a horror film, Mr. Feinberg said.
“The category () is very heterogeneous,” Mr. Feinberg said.
Globe winners are chosen by 334 entertainment journalists from 85 countries, compared to about 9,000 Oscar voters. The Globes’ voting body has expanded in recent years and organizers have implemented reforms after coming under fire for ethical lapses and a lack of diversity.
In TV categories, restaurant tale “The Bear” leads Globes nominations, followed by crime comedy “Only Murders in the Building” and historical epic “Shogun”
