Golden Globes nominations: Jeremy Renner and 'The Town'

Jeremy Renner knows what it's like to be in a small movie ("The Hurt Locker") and also what it's like to be up for big awards (lead actor Oscar nomination). He also knows what it's like to be in a hit movie ("The Town"). And now, with the Golden Globes nominations on Tuesday, what it's like to be up for an award that's just, well, more fun.

How does it all compare? “It’s a different feeling. For 'Hurt Locker,' we were going screen to screen just trying to get people to see it. But [this] does feel like getting struck by  lightning twice.”

But even though "The Town" did well both at the box office and with critics, Renner was the only participant to be nominated (for his role as Jem Coughlin, the high-strung partner in crime of director-actor Ben Affleck's character).  

“When it comes down to me and this whole production, I’m a representative. I’m leading the charge for a movie that I’m proud of. I know in my heart of hearts that it wouldn’t have been what it is without Ben at the helm," Renner said. "Me getting nominated reflects on him, and on everybody in the film.”

So, how does it feel to be getting recognition after so many years of toiling in the shadows?

“I’m at a wonderful plateau. I don’t futurize or look too far behind me," he said, coining his own conjugation of the word "future." "But this present time does feel amazing. To do what I’ve given my life to do and then get recognized, it’s like getting a pat on your back from your boss for a project you worked so hard on all year."

-- Steven Zeitchik

Photo: Jeremy Renner in "The Town." Credit: Warner Bros.

 

 

Golden Globe nominations: Chris Colfer celebrates by tackling neighbors and animals

No way, no how will Chris Colfer of "Glee" ever get tired of being nominated for awards. He received a Golden Globe nomination on Tuesday to go with his Emmy nomination from last year.

"It's just so damn exciting," Colfer said. "I was totally an award show junkie when I was growing up, so I don't think it will ever get old. And Golden Globes was my favorite because it combined movie stars with TV stars. I think they celebrate the art aspect of what we do. I love watching TV. I love watching movies. So it's perfect. I would print out the ballots and make my mother fill one out for me."

Colfer told his Twitter followers early Tuesday that he was going to deal with his recognition by tackling as many people as he could. How was that working out for him?

"I'd say about 40," he said of the tackled. "It's mostly my neighbors who didn't know I lived next door. And a couple of animals ... a few cast members."

In case you were worried about his health, Colfer told us he does not have tonsillitis and he's confused about the reported tonsillitis epidemic on set.

"I've been filming at other schools," he said. "I don't think it's as bad as people think it is. Suddenly, we all have the bird flu."

— Maria Elena Fernandez and Yvonne Villarreal

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Photo: Chris Colfer arrives at the Emmys in August. Credit: Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times.

Golden Globe nominations: Eric Stonestreet wonders who will stand next to him at the urinal

Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara were the only two actors nominated for Golden Globes from the terriffic ensemble comedy, "Modern Family."

That was not lost on Stonestreet, who won an Emmy for his hilarious turn as Cameron.

"This is bittersweet," he said. "We are all an ensemble and a nomination or award for one is a nomination and award for all. My part is not possible without [Jesse Tyler Ferguson] and none of us would be where we are without the writers."

Stonestreet said he is looking forward to attending the show on Jan. 16, especially to find out who will stand next to him at the urinal.

"Last year, I was standing at a urinal next to Robert DeNiro and I thought, 'I'm really at the Golden Globes.' Maybe this year someone will say, 'Hey, I'm peeing next to Eric Stonestreet."

--Maria Elena Fernandez and Greg Braxton

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Photo: Eric Stonestreet in Los Angeles in August. Credit: Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times

Golden Globe nominations: Mila Kunis on 'Black Swan'

 
A still drowsy Mila Kunis, celebrated her Golden Globes 2011 nomination for supporting actress in "Black Swan" — and those of director Darren Aronofsky and costar Natalie Portman — with phone calls to her family and fellow nominees. 

"I was half asleep. I was just excited the film was being recognized and Darren. I think I haven’t had time to fully process it," she said, noting that she was drawing the most pleasure from her family's excitement and how proud they are.

Until now, Kunis has been known primarily for her roles in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and TV's "That '70s Show," much lighter fare than the dark thriller "Black Swan." Perhaps audiences will see her now as a more dramatic actress.

"Oh, I don’t know. I have no idea what side people are seeing me on," Kunis said as she pondered the thought. "And I probably won’t know. As long as they don’t hate me and they like the work. It doesn’t matter if they see me as comedy or drama, as long as they like the movie."

— Amy Kaufman

Photo: Mila Kunis. Photo credit: Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

 

Golden Globe nominations: 'Zombies are just cool'

AMC's new big hit, "The Walking Dead," received a Golden Globe nomination for best drama on Tuesday. Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, the show about a zombie apocalypse was only six episodes long but broke basic cable viewing records.

Kirkman said he had no idea it was nomination morning when he received congratulation calls from AMC and an e-mail from his publicist. The show, shot in Atlanta in June, was rushed to air in October, which Kirkman called a "ridiculous, completely unreal process for me."

"It's always good drama to see real human characters responding to absolutely horrible situations," he said, trying to explain the show's phenomenal success. "There is no more horrible situation than the end of the world. And zombies are just cool ... I never in a million years thought this comic book would get made into television. Zombies eat people. You don't see that on television every day."

Kirkman said he's pleased with the way the writers of the series have adapted his story and changed it along the way because "it keeps it interesting for me."

The writers use the richness of the comic book as its source but depart from it because of the difference in the two mediums, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd said.

"I think there's a global zeitgeist about pending catastrophe, whether it's global financial collapse, natural disasters, H1N1 flu," Hurd said. "People are consumed by a sense of when is the other shoe going to drop. The zombie apocalypse is about finding hope and overcoming despair. ... Plus, zombies are a lot of fun. That's why this show has connected in a way that people didn't expect."

The show's second season begins shooting in the spring. AMC has ordered 13 episodes.

 

— Maria Elena Fernandez and Scott Collins

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Photo: Zombie invasion on "The Walking Dead." Credit: Scott Garflied/AMC.

 

Golden Globes nominations: David O. Russell

 
David O. Russell, director of the boxing drama "The Fighter," said Tuesday morning he was quite pleased with the six Golden Globe nominations the film, about real-life brothers and boxers Dicky Eklund and Micky Ward, received. Four of those nods went to the actors, more than any other film. Russell was nominated for best director.

Russell said he was "really happy for the people of Lowell," Mass.

“For a long time, the city has been tainted as a place of crime and drugs," he said, in reference to an HBO movie in the 1980s that portrayed Lowell as the crack capital of the U.S. "I think this gives them something to be proud of. This film takes them to a new place."

And as for his cast, “These actors put everything they had into their roles. When you play these real people, it demands a ferocity and a passion, and I think that’s what our movie has in spades. They made this community feel real.”

The film made a surprisingly good showing after many awards watchers were wondering whether it would be much of a contender. Russell takes that in stride. “I feel like we were kind of an underdog for a while. But Micky [Ward] is a late starter too. He would go six or seven rounds before he would really get going.”

 -- Steve Zeitchik

Photo: David O. Russell. Credit: Jennifer S. Altman / For the Los Angeles Times

 

 

Golden Globes nominations: Emma Stone

 

Emma Stone received her first Golden Globe nomination Tuesday morning, for her lead performance in the comedy "Easy A," a kind of modern-day "Scarlet Letter" for the teen set. The actress, now filming "Spider-Man" with Andrew Garfield, couldn't go too crazy upon learning of her nomination; she has to work today.

"I guess I’m gonna go to work today and then I will have a glass of champagne tonight. I know, wild," she said. But she truly is excited, she added. "It’s kind of a shocking thing when you think that -- for comedy, especially -- some of these other movies have buzz around them and you’re not expecting a phone call. It was pretty thrilling. I mean, yeah, it’s 'Easy A,' it’s not like it’s been an awards process and I’ve been to all these shows.

"The best part was when my mom called because she moved out here with me when I wanted to become an actress. The Golden Globes are the same week seven years ago that I moved here, so that’s kind of a celebratory anniversary."

Young actresses, it should be noted, made a strong showing in this year's nominations -- Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence....

"It’s really kind of crazy. I think that they’re both amazing," Stone said. "This one time, I get to be in that world. It’s really exciting.

"Hands down, 2010 has been the best year of my life so far. And this is like the giant, giant cherry on top of it. Since I have a big disaster mentality, it makes me a little nervous. But to have this top off the year is the most amazing gift."

So that's it, back to work? "It should be a good day on set, since [Garfield] was also nominated."

-- Amy Kaufman

 Photo: Emma Stone. Credit: Genaro Molino / Los Angeles Times

Golden Globe nominations: Jennifer Lawrence on 'Winter's Bone'

"Winter's Bone" star Jennifer Lawrence has been busy filming the new X-Men movie in London and wasn't even aware that Golden Globe nominations were happening Tuesday, so when she got the news it was a big surprise.

"I’m on the 'X-Men' set. I was getting painted blue and texting my brother, and he told me," Lawrence said. "I had no idea that they were even doing nominations today. I was more shocked than anything and started jumping up and down and screaming. When you work so hard on something, just to know that somebody shares that passion — hundreds of people worked hard to get that movie made and to receive this recognition."

 In "Winter's Bone," she portrays Ree Dolly, an almost preternaturally strong, self-possessed teenager charged with resolving a dark and deadly family secret. In "X-Men: First Class,"  Lawrence is cast as Raven Darkholme/Mystique, a lethal shape-shifting mutant.

Lawrence said being outside of the United States has shielded her from most of the award-season craziness so far.

"Fortunately, I’ve been in London for most of it, so I’ve been kind of out of it. I did some phone interviews, but I don’t think I’ve been in the heat of it. I’m pretty glad that I was working and wasn’t there. It’s much better."

Nevertheless, she said she's not nervous about getting into the thick of things come January. "I don’t know how to begin to think about it. It’s going to be both nervous and exciting. I think things are going to be really fun."

— Amy Kaufman

Photo: Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone." Credit: Lionsgate.
 

Golden Globes nominations: Helena Bonham Carter

 

Word of Helena Bonham Carter's Golden Globes nomination for her turn as the Queen Mum opposite Colin Firth's King George VI in "The King's Speech" on Tuesday morning came as a welcome bit of good news for the actress. She's home in England battling the same flu as her two young children with boyfriend director Tim Burton, who, in turn, is suffering from kidney stones.

"We have a really happy ungrumpy household, you can imagine," Bonham Carter said, teasing despite feeling under the weather. "It kind of made us feel better."

The actress believes that viewers and Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. members are responding to the humanity and humor in Tom Hooper's film about King George VI's struggle to overcome a debilitating stammer. "It’s a very compassionate film about human friendship, really, and how one individual can fundamentally help another out of big trouble," she said. "What attracted me to the script was its humor and its tone and the fact that it was incredibly compassionate and had a big heart."

"Ultimately my part was to support Colin," she added. "If there was ever the most supporting part, she was the ultimate supporting wife. In a way it was really good pleasure because I just had to watch and feel for him, which is pretty easy because he was very good at being vulnerable."

She did have certain challenges during filming, though. Bonham Carter was working on "The King's Speech" on the weekends at the same time she was playing the sinister Bellatrix Lestrange in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" during the week, a grueling schedule to be sure. But she said she was able to find a balance between the two acting extremes.

"I screamed a lot during the week as the witch, she’s very externalized and so in a way it was good for me to play a more internal and shall we say slightly subtler performance," Bonham Carter said. "It was a good exercise. I was absolutely nattered though. And Colin always took it personally. A lot of the time when he looked at me for support on camera, I’d be yawning. It was nothing really to do with him -- it was exhausting because I was working 24/7."

As for Burton's reaction to his lavish fantasy "Alice in Wonderland" being nominated for best picture in the Globes' musical/comedy category, Bonham Carter conceded that "nothing eclipses the pain of kidney stones," adding, " I always find it slightly odd when a film gets recognized as best film and the director doesn't get a nod because it really is down to him. That's a bit of a shame."

-- Gina McIntyre

Photo: Helena Bonham Carter. Credit: Dave J. Hogan / Getty Images

Golden Globes jaw-dropper: Johnny vs. Johnny instead of Leo vs. Leo

Hey, what happened to poor Leonardo DiCaprio? He had such a strong year on screen that many award gurus believed he had a good shot at scoring two Golden Globe nominations for best drama actor -- for "Inception" and "Shutter Island," just as he did in 2006 for "Blood Diamond" and "The Departed."

DiCaprio ended up getting knocked out of the ring by underdogs Mark Wahlberg ("The Fighter") and Ryan Gosling ("Blue Valentine"). It's not a case of voters not liking Leo's movies. "Inception" got nominated for best drama picture and director. Are they picking on him?

Maybe so. One other actor – surprise – did receive two nominations in one lead category. Johnny Depp reaped bids for both "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Tourist" in the race for best comedy/musical actor. His bid for "Alice" was expected. Indeed, he's considered to be the front-runner to win. But where is all of this Globes love for "The Tourist" coming from? It's also nominated for best comedy/musical plicture, and Angelina Jolie is up for best actress. The movie has a lousy score of 37 at Metacritic.

— Tom O'Neil

Photos: "Alice in Wonderland" (Disney), "The Tourist" (Columbia Pictures), "Shutter Island" (Paramount), "Inception" (Warner Bros.)