The Golden Globes nominations aren't even public yet, and the controversy over them has already begun.
The nominations, which will be announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday morning, are at the center of the drama surrounding the categorization of this year's movies and actors. Delineating drama and comedy (or musical) is a task unique to the Golden Globes, which honor films and lead performances for both. But this year, what roles qualify as lead or supporting parts is also stirring debate.
The disagreements are making for some peculiarities in a season considered unusually wide open. A day after receiving supporting actress nominations from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, for example, Rooney Mara ("Carol") and Alicia Vikander ("The Danish Girl") will be considered for a best actress Globes nod. The HFPA ruled that both are co-leads, vetoing the submissions of each film's campaign strategists.
Just as questionable was the HFPA's decision to consider David O. Russell's "Joy" and Ridley Scott's "The Martian" comedies.
The category kerfuffle will be one thing to look for Thursday morning. So will be whether the Globes can shed any light on an awards season thus far all over the map. George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" was named best film by the National Board of Review. The New York Film Critics Circle selected "Todd Haynes' '50s romance "Carol" And the Los Angeles Film Critics Association went for Tom McCarthy's acclaimed Boston Globe drama "Spotlight."