Five things the Golden Globes nominations tell us about the Oscars and awards season

The Hollywood Foreign Press have announced nominations for the 2017 Golden Globes. Seen as a bellwether for the Oscars, what do the Globe nominees tell us about award season? These things, that's what.

1. ‘La La Land’ is the film to beat at the Oscars

It's the best Hollywood musical in years, and now, with seven Golden Globe nominations, ‘La La Land’ is surely the film to beat at the Oscars in February. It's gorgeously old-fashioned but set in Los Angeles now, where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone meet, fall in love and struggle to stay together while chasing their artistic dreams. 'La La Land' took nominations in all the major categories – including Best Comedy or Musical, Best Actor, Best Actress and a nod for director Damien Chazelle. If you want to put money on a film to win big at the Oscars, this is it. ‘La La Land’ is in cinemas here on January 13.

2. Hollywood seems to be listening to the call for more diversity

After two years in which no person of colour was nominated in an acting category for an Oscar, sparking the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag, the industry seems to have got the message. Close on the heels of ‘La La Land’, the film with the second highest haul of Golden Globe nominations is ‘Moonlight’, Barry Jenkins’s indie coming-of-age drama about an African American boy growing up in Miami (out here in February). The film took six nominations, including Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali and Best Drama. Elsewhere, Viola Davis and Denzel Washington both picked up acting nominations for ‘Fences’. Irish-Ethiopian actress Ruth Negga is up for Best Actress with ‘Loving’, the true story of a mixed-race marriage in the 1950s Deep South. Octavia Spencer is nominated for ‘Hidden Figures’, a drama about real-life black female Nasa scientists. 

3. Could 'Deadpool' be in with the chance of an Oscar?

Probably not. But Ryan Reynolds’s anti-superhero movie is nominated alongside ‘La La Land’ for the Best Musical or Comedy. Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes separate Best Picture into two categories: one for Drama, one for Comedy and Musicals. Reynolds, who is also nominated for best actor, celebrated news of his success with a tickle fight – or at least that's what he said on Twitter.

 4. It looks like Hollywood has forgiven Mel Gibson

The Mel Gibson comeback continues. Ten years after the actor-director made anti-Semitic remarks while being arrested for drink-driving, it looks like Gibson is getting another chance. His labour of love Second World War drama ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ picked up three nominations (Best Director, Best Actor for Andrew Garfield and Best Drama). But in a surprise snub, the Globes left some of Hollywood’s biggest stars out in the cold – with nothing for Martin Scorsese’s seventeenth-century religious epic ‘Silence’ or Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood for ‘Sully’. 

5. The Brits are coming. Sort of

Hollywood loves a British actor, and while there's no Eddie Redmayne or Benedict Cumberbatch to lead the charge of Brits this year, Andrew Garfield is up for Best Actor with his performance as a pacifist on the frontline of WW2 in 'Hacksaw Ridge'. Dev Patel (‘Lion’), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (‘Nocturnal Animals’), Naomie Harris ('Moonlight') and Hugh Grant (‘Florence Foster Jenkins’) are all recognised for their supporting roles. Directors David Mackenzie (‘Hell or High Water’) and Stephen Frears (‘Florence Foster Jenkins’) each picked up a nod. The takeaway? That this is another strong year – if not a standout – for homegrown talent.   

The Oscar nominations will be made on January 24.  

The 74th Golden Globe Awards take place on January 8 in Los Angeles. 

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