2009 December, 15th

Lorri Berry

This morning, at 5:00 a.m. EST, while most of us in the U.S. were still fast asleep on our pillows, stars and networks were relieved of their anticipation when the nominations for the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced.

While many of the networks brought in a good representation of nominations, HBO was on top with 17 total nominations, and will plan on bringing in the New Year with the hopes of results in their favor. The nominations announced this morning, always considered an honor in themselves, resulted in HBO being represented as the golden network in award nominations for their films and popular shows.

Many would agree that this puts HBO ahead by a landslide, with Fox and Showtime coming in second, each with a modest six nominations.  Fox did top the nomination tally for a single show with their new series Glee, which brought in a total of four nominations. Several shows and movies were close behind at three nominations each, including 30 Rock, Big Love, Damages, Dexter, Georgia O’Keeffe, Grey Gardens, Into the Storm, and Mad Men.

Nominations this year resulted in a wide variety of genres and a well-represented variety of topics and selections across the board.

Here’s a little glimpse of what HBO, as a single network, has brought their viewers this year. Just to give you an idea of what the other networks are up against. It will also give you a peek into what society prefers when shows and movies take the lead as a result of popular vote. I think you will agree that HBO is truly a golden network when it comes to providing their viewers with the diverse range of genres that are in demand.

1. BIG LOVE – Modern-day polygamist Bill Henrickson juggles three wives and families, while supporting three households in this exciting drama of love, deceit, and corruption. It constantly revisits the ever-changing institute of marriage with a not-so-typical view of Mormon life.

Nominations: 1. Best Television Series – Drama; 2. Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama: Bill Paxton; 3. Best Performance by an Actress in A Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Chloe Sevigny

2. TRUE BLOOD – Based on Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse Series, the young and innocent telepath takes viewers on her journey through love, tragedy and the world of the supernatural, while living in Bontemps, Louisiana. In this modern-day vampire series, where the bloodsuckers are “out of the coffin” and working for vampire rights across the globe, Sookie uses her talents to solve mysteries while facing a constant life-changing struggles.

Nominations: 4. Best Television Series – Drama; 5. Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama: Anna Paquin

3. ENTOURAGE – The comedy series where the popular young actor Vincent (Vince) Chase lives his day-to-day life in modern Hollywood with 2 of his boys from home and the rest of his “Entourage”. Viewers will be intimately exposed to the inside look of the excessive lifestyles of celebrities, as well as their difficulty in finding love and maintaining success in the world of the rich and famous.

Nominations: 6. Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical; 7. Best Performance by an Actor in A Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Jeremy Piven

4.  HUNG – This comedy focuses on the desperate and divorced Ray Drecker—a once famous high school sports legend—trying to rebuild a burnt down house, support his two teenage children and face the possibility of losing his teaching and coaching jobs. In order to deal with the lack of finances in a time of economical hardship, Ray decides to join partner Tanya Skagle in establishing a high-end male escorting service, where he’s their main—and only—guy.

Nominations: 8. Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical: Thomas Jane; 9. Best Performance by an Actress in A Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Jane Adams

5. GREY GARDENS – This is a story of Jackie O’s relatives, “Big Edie” Beale and her daughter “Little Edie”, that tells the tale of a unique and unbreakable bond between mother and daughter, formed out of love, guilt and comfort, in a rundown East Hampton mansion, neglected by the disillusioned duo for several years. Based on the women who inspired the Maysles Brothers’ famous documentary.

Nominations: 10. Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television; 11 & 12. Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lang

6. INTO THE STORM – This story of Winston Churchill continues the story told in HBO’s award-winning film, “The Gathering Storm,” with an inside look at his success as a wartime leader and how his political career affected his relationship with Clemmie, his wife and life-long friend and supporter.

Nominations: 13. Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television; 14. Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Brendan Gleeson; 15. Best Performance by an Actress in A Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Janet McTeer

7. TAKING CHANCE – A tribute based on a true story that takes place in 2004, when Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, USMC, requested to escort the remains of former 19-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, who lost his life in the War in Iraq, back home to his Wyoming hometown. It is a story of inspiration and an account of a Desert Storm veteran’s experience in the service, as well as a private look into a very common occurrence of escorting the fallen back home.

Nominations: 16. Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television; 17. Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Kevin Bacon

For more information or for a schedule of these original HBO series and movies re-airing on HBO, visit HBO.com. For a full list of the nominations for the  Golden Globe Awards to air on January 17, 2010, from the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, USA, live on NBC at 8:00 p.m. EST, visit the Golden Globe Awards official site’s Nominations and Winners page.

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About the Author

Lorri Berry is a freelance writer. She has BSJ in Advertising from Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism at WVU in the US. Lorri's experience includes advertising account management, campaign concept development, copywriting and news editorial. She is the mother of three boys and a work at home mom. You can contact Lorri at lberry [at] pamil-visions [dot] net or follow her on Twitter.

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