HFPA has a funny idea of what constituted a funny movie for 68th annual Golden Globes nominations

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association just announced its nominations for the 68th annual Golden Globes, and perhaps even more so than usual in 2010, these journalists from abroad managed to pervert their sense of good taste to get their favorite big-name celebrities into the ceremonies, to be broadcast Jan. 16, 2011, on NBC.

Ricky Gervais is hosting, but alas, he's going to be one of only a few actual comedic actors taking center stage at the Globes next month.

That's because the HFPA somehow overlooked many great funny films and TV shows, not only because the Globes lump comedies in with musicals, but also because they nominated movies in the comedy/musical category that were neither comedy nor musical.

To wit: Here are the nominees for BEST MOTION PICTURE — COMEDY OR MUSICAL

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

BURLESQUE

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

RED

THE TOURIST

The Tourist is supposed to be an action thriller and opened to bad reviews. But it stars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, so of course, the HFPA also gave both of them comedy/musical acting nods! Of course.

And if they're going to recognize The Kids Are All Right, I'm surprised the Globes didn't find room for another film that made a splash at Sundance, the "controversial" silly comedy I Love You, Phillip Morris. You'd think the rest of the world would say, hey, we're OK with a movie about gay lovers in prison. But nope.

Which brings us to…

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

ANNETTE BENING        THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

ANNE HATHAWAY        LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS

ANGELINA JOLIE            THE TOURIST

JULIANNE MOORE    THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

EMMA STONE            EASY A

I'd heard people talking about Bening's performance as Oscar-worthy (I haven't seen it yet), but otherwise, this is a fairly lackluster statement about the year's comedies on film. Sorry, ladies. I still love you, though, Anne Hathaway! Call me!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

JOHNNY DEPP            ALICE IN WONDERLAND

JOHNNY DEPP            THE TOURIST

PAUL GIAMATTI            BARNEY‚ÄôS VERSION

JAKE GYLLENHAAL    LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS

KEVIN SPACEY            CASINO JACK

OK. Two nods for Depp in two movies people didn't much care for, two nods for actors in films that haven't been released yet (Giamatti and Spacey) so it's tough to argue for or against just yet, and then there's Jake Gyllenhaal. Really? That movie was hardly funny. And any of the comedy didn't really come from Jakey Jake, unless the HFPA was too busy giggling from seeing his bare ass to confuse that for actual comedy.

And I thought for sure that Jim Carrey, who seemed to tap into his youthful wildness and marry it to his middle-aged maturity for a deliciously silly performance as the con-man at the heart of I Love You, Phillip Morris, would have gotten another nod from the Globes here. Snubbed.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

DESPICABLE ME

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

THE ILLUSIONIST

TANGLED

TOY STORY 3

Aha. Maybe the HFPA got confused by all of this year's animated films, many of which were comedies with famous actors and actresses providing the voices, that they couldn't remember any other comedy movies? That must have been it. Right?

Supporting actors in both the film and TV categories don't get divided by drama and comedy/musical, so tough luck for Zach Galifianakis in It's Kind of A Funny Story.

In TV, the nominations were slightly more predictable for sitcoms.

Although if you think the HFPA likes Tina Fey and Steve Carell so much in TV, then they also would have enjoyed them together as the funniest boring married couple in the film Date Night. But. Alas. Not to be. A lot of repeat winners and nominees returned in the main TV comedy categories, joined this year by The Big Bang Theory (solid) and The Big C (charming). There's no Entourage in the mix, which is more than OK, but there's also no sign of Parks and Recreation, Community or Louie.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

30 ROCK (NBC)

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)

THE BIG C (SHOWTIME)

GLEE (FOX)

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

NURSE JACKIE (SHOWTIME)


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL

TONI COLLETTE            UNITED STATES OF TARA

EDIE FALCO            NURSE JACKIE

TINA FEY                30 ROCK

LAURA LINNEY            THE BIG C

LEA MICHELE            GLEE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

ALEC BALDWIN            30 ROCK

STEVE CARELL            THE OFFICE

THOMAS JANE            HUNG

MATTHEW MORRISON        GLEE

JIM PARSONS            THE BIG BANG THEORY

In the supporting categories, Emmy winners Jane Lynch and Eric Stonestreet received nods, as did Sofia Vergara.

You know, I realize even from the start of this post that it's the Golden Globes, and they always show their fame-loving political hand each winter by picking glitz and glamour over quality. So this year isn't so much different than past years. We still place so much emphasis on the Globes, not just by focusing on the televised ceremony, but also by allowing these picks to permeate the discussion on what Hollywood should and shouldn't be producing in the coming year. So to say oh, it's the Globes, and pooh-pooh their importance, is to forget how much we are complicit in this process.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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