Predicting the Globes

I rarely know where to stand with the Golden Globes -- one of the major precursors to the Oscars. What makes the Globes unique is that it is the Hollywood Foreign Press Association who vote on these awards, in short it is an organization made up of men and women from other countries voting for their favorites from this year in American film. Another thing that makes the Globes unique is how it divides films into two categories, Comedy and Drama, so that it is harder to get a grasp as to what movie or performance is trending come Oscar time. As well, the Globes don't meander into tech categories like the Oscars, nor do they separate Original Screenplay from Adapted. So basically, anything can happen with the Globes, which is why I tend to have a worse track record at predicting them, but I love this type of game, so I'm gonna do it anyway.

Same as the past two years, Ricky Gervais is hosting again. Will he offend nearly everyone in Hollywood? Yep. His schtick is getting sort of old now, and I don't seem to get why the HFPA are so keen on him. The Globes had been without a host for nearly two decades and was highly entertaining, why Gervais was brought on two years ago, is beside me. Regardless, you watch these shows for who wins and to see your favorite film folk, plus, as an added bonus the Globes dish awards for television. Now, I don't watch enough TV to really be informed enough to do good predicting, so I steer clear of those categories. As such, the Globes have a tendency to go with big names rather than smaller ones, so I'm taking that into account in my predictions. So without further ado, here they are:

Best Original Song - "The Living Proof," The Help
Best Original Score - Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Best Screenplay - Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Best Director - Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Supporting Actor - Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Foreign Language Film - A Separation
Best Animated Feature Film - The Adventures of Tintin
Best Actor-Comedy or Musical - Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Actress-Comedy or Musical - Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical - The Artist
Best Actor-Drama - George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actress-Drama - Viola Davis, The Help
Best Motion Picture-Drama - The Help

So I'm predicting a big night for The Artist and The Help. Even though The Help did not get a screenplay or directing nod, I think there might just be enough of a love for the movie itself to get it the big win (as well, the Globes love populist fare, just look at two years ago when Avatar swept the show). As for Tintin for Animated, just another wild hunch, with the character being so popular overseas, perhaps enough childhood memories of the voters gets him a win. Plus, The Artist just seems unstoppable at this point, and with it being a French production, I foresee the HFPA being very kind, allowing it to usurp John Williams in the score category.

Find out what really happens tonight at 6 p.m., central time. NBC gets the honors of seeing if I can improve on my 7 out of 14 tally from last year.