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Outtakes Online: 5 Golden Globe noms for ‘Descendants’

BY MIKE GORDON / mgordon@staradvertiser.com

Five Golden Globe film award nominations were given today to “The Descendants,” the moving story of a Hawaii family in crisis that has been earning high praise from critics for months.

The film, which was shot in Hawaii in early 2010, was nominated for best picture; best director (Alexander Payne); best actor, drama (George Clooney); best supporting actress (Shailene Woodley); and best screenplay.

“It was a great thing to wake up to,” said producer Jim Burke, who got up early to watch it on TV, found a movie instead (“Evan Almighty”) and went back to sleep. An hour later, his girlfriend was shaking him awake with the news.

“You don’t expect it,” he said. “I don’t expect it. I hope for it because there are so many great films out there. To be compared to those films — you don’t want to think about it too much. It can confuse you.”

Burke has loved this story, written by Hawaii novelist Kaui Hart Hemmings, from the moment he first read the book. It touched a nerve with the veteran filmmaker, whose life as a single parent reminded him of the story’s main character, Matt King. King, who is played by Clooney, must cope with a wife in a coma and a pair of rebellious daughters.

Burke hasn’t spoken yet with Payne, Clooney or anyone else involved with the film but said he will see them all at a party tonight in L.A. No doubt there will be conversations about the film’s chance for an Academy Award but Burke said he prefers not to dwell on that. Those nominations will be announced on Jan. 24.

“The impulse is to imagine what might happen but I personally fight that and try to live in the moment and to just appreciate what is happening right now,” he said. “What is happening months from now is way, way beyond my control. I just want to savor this.”
The 2012 Golden Globe awards will be announced Jan. 15.

But regardless of who wins, Burke already has someone at the top of those who need a thank you: Hemmings.

“I have to say we are all so grateful for Kaui for creating this world and these people and this story and allowing us to take her work and make it into a film,” Burke said. “And for trusting us.”

Here are the nominees for the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards, which were announced today in Beverly Hills, Calif.:

Motion Pictures

» Picture, Drama: “The Descendants,” ”The Help,” ”Hugo,” ”The Ides of March,” ”Moneyball,” ”War Horse.”

» Picture, Musical or Comedy: “50/50,” ”The Artist,” ”Bridesmaids,” ”Midnight in Paris,” ”My Week with Marilyn.”

» Actor, Drama: George Clooney, “The Descendants”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “J. Edgar”; Michael Fassbender, “Shame”; Ryan Gosling, “The Ides of March”; Brad Pitt, “Moneyball.”

» Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”; Viola Davis, “The Help”; Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”; Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”; Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”

» Director: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”; George Clooney, “The Ides of March”; Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”; Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”; Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

» Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”; Brendan Gleeson, “The Guard”; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “50/50″; Ryan Gosling, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”; Owen Wilson, “Midnight in Paris.”

» Actress, Musical or Comedy: Jodie Foster, “Carnage”; Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”; Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”; Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”; Kate Winslet, “Carnage.”

» Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”; Albert Brooks, “Drive”; Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”; Viggo Mortensen, “A Dangerous Method”; Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”

» Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”; Jessica Chastain, “The Help”; Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”; Octavia Spencer, “The Help”; Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants.”

» Foreign Language: “The Flowers of War,” ”In the Land of Blood and Honey,” ”The Kid with a Bike,” ”A Separation,” ”The Skin I Live In.”

» Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin,” ”Arthur Christmas,” ”Cars 2,” ”Puss in Boots,” ”Rango.”

» Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”; George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”; Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”; Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, “The Descendants”; Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, “Moneyball.”

» Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”; Abel Korzeniowski, “W.E.”; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”; Howard Shore, “Hugo”; John Williams, “War Horse.”

» Original Song: “Hello Hello” (music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin), “Gnomeo & Juliet”; “The Keeper” (music and lyrics by Chris Cornell), “Machine Gun Preacher”; “Lay Your Head Down” (music by Brian Byrne, lyrics by Glenn Close), “Albert Nobbs”; “The Living Proof” (music by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr., lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas), “The Help”; “Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E.”

Television

» Series, Drama: “American Horror Story,” FX; “Boardwalk Empire,” HBO; “Boss,” Starz; “Game of Thrones,” HBO; “Homeland,” Showtime.

» Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”; Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”; Kelsey Grammer, “Boss”; Jeremy Irons, “The Borgias”; Damian Lewis, “Homeland.”

» Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland”; Mireille Enos, “The Killing”; Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”; Madeleine Stowe, “Revenge”; Callie Thorne, “Necessary Roughness.”

» Series, Musical or Comedy: “Enlightened,” HBO; “Episodes,” Showtime; “Glee,” Fox; “Modern Family,” ABC; “New Girl,” Fox.

» Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, “Enlightened”; Zooey Deschanel, “New Girl”; Tina Fey, “30 Rock”; Laura Linney, “The Big C”; Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation.”

» Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”; David Duchovny, “Californication”; Johnny Galecki, “The Big Bang Theory”; Thomas Jane, “Hung”; Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes.”

» Miniseries or Movie: “Cinema Verite,” HBO; “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” PBS; “The Hour,” BBC America; “Mildred Pierce,” HBO; “Too Big to Fail,” HBO.

» Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Romola Garai, “The Hour”; Diane Lane, “Cinema Verite”; Elizabeth McGovern, “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” Emily Watson, “Appropriate Adult”; Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce.”

» Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Hugh Bonneville, “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)”; Idris Elba, “Luther”; William Hurt, “Too Big to Fail”; Bill Nighy, “Page Eight (Masterpiece)”; Dominic West, “The Hour.”

» Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”; Kelly Macdonald, “Boardwalk Empire”; Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)”; Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”; Evan Rachel Wood, “Mildred Pierce.”

» Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”; Paul Giamatti, “Too Big to Fail”; Guy Pierce, “Mildred Pierce”; Tim Robbins, “Cinema Verite”; Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family.”

Previously Announced

» Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Morgan Freeman.
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Mike Gordon covers film and television in Hawaii for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Email him at mgordon@staradvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his weekly “Outtakes” column Sundays in the Star-Advertiser.