The Shape of Water, Big Little Lies lead Golden Globes nominations

Guillermo del Toro's Cold War-era, Canadian-shot fairy tale The Shape of Water swam away with a leading seven nominations for Golden Globes, while the Canadian-directed HBO drama Big Little Lies led the television nominees with six nods.

The Shape of Water was shot in Toronto and Hamilton. Big Little Lies was directed by Montreal's Jean-Marc Vallée.

The nominations were announced in Beverly Hills, Calif., by actors Alfre Woodard, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Bell and Sharon Stone. 

In what is seen as a wide-open Oscar race so far, several films followed closely behind The Shape of Water, including Steven Spielberg's Pentagon Papers drama The Post, with six nominations, including best actress for Meryl Streep and best actor for Tom Hanks. Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri also received a major boost with six nominations, including best actress for Frances McDormand.

But as the most prominent platform yet in Hollywood's awards season to confront  the post-Harvey Weinstein landscape, the Globes also enthusiastically supported Ridley Scott's J. Paul Getty drama All the Money in the World. Canadian veteran Christopher Plummer, who has replaced Kevin Spacey in the film, was nominated for best supporting actor. Scott was also nominated for best director and Michelle Williams for best supporting actress.

"It must have been a herculean effort, because Christopher Plummer is all the way through the movie," said HFPA president Meher Tatna.

"He really pulled off the impossible."

The nominees for best picture drama are:

• Call Me By Your Name.
• Christopher Nolan's Second World War epic Dunkirk.
• The Post.
• The Shape of Water.
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

The nominees for best picture comedy or musical are:

• James Franco's The Disaster Artist.
• Jordan Peele's horror sensation Get Out.
• Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age tale Lady Bird.
• Upcoming musical The Greatest Showman.
• Tonya Harding comic-drama I, Tonya.

Despite considerable backlash, Get Out ended up on the comedy side of the Globes. It was submitted that way by Universal Pictures. Peele himself slyly commented on the controversy, calling his social critique of latent racism "a documentary."

Though the Globes passed over Peele's script, newcomer Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for best actor in a comedy.

Though some predicted and feared an acting field lacking diversity, the nominees were fairly inclusive. Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.), Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Hong Chau (Downsizing) and Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water) were among the 30 film acting nominees.

But the best director category remained all-male, as it has for most of Globes and Academy Awards history. Many had thought this year might be different due to directors like Gerwig, Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) and Dee Rees (Mudbound). But the nominees were Spielberg, del Toro, Nolan, McDonagh and Scott.

The morning's biggest surprise, aside from the success of All the Money in the World, might have been the omission of the romantic comedy The Big Sick, penned by real-life couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Another Oscar underdog, The Florida Project, emerged with only one nomination, for Willem Dafoe's supporting performance as the manager of a low-rent motel.

Big Little Lies tops TV nominees

In the television categories, Vallée's Emmy-winning Big Little Lies earned a number of acting nods (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgard) as well as best limited series. (HBO recently announced a second season for Big Little Lies, which will change its category in other awards shows.)

Other nominees with Canadian connections include Toronto-born Will and Grace star Eric McCormack for best actor in a musical or comedy series, the Canadian co-production The Breadwinner for best animated film, and the Alberta-shot series Fargo for TV's best limited series or motion picture. The Handmaid's Tale, based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood's acclaimed novel, also received several nominations, including best television drama.

FX's Bette Davis and Joan Crawford chronicle Feud: Bette and Joan landed four nominations, including nods for Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. Amazon's just-debuted The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel scored several nods, including best comedy series. Also with numerous nominations were Netflix's Stranger Things, Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale and NBC's This Is Us.

• q | The biggest surprises and snubs from this year's nominations

Left out were frequent Globes-nominees House of Cards and Transparent, two of the TV affected by the cascading fallout of sexual harassment allegations in the wake of Harvey Weinstein's ouster. It's been an omnipresent component of this year's awards season, including Monday. As usual, the nominations were partly announced on NBC's Today show, where Matt Lauer was recent fired following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Gary Oldman, nominated for best actor for his Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, said it's cast an unusual pall over the season.

"How should we celebrate? Well, I don't think any of it's funny, so I guess that people will stay away from it in the ceremony," said Oldman by phone Monday.

I can't see too much of this coming up [on the show], up there on the platform, as it were, on the podium. It's not something to joke about.- Gary Oldman

"It's evolution, and it's good that we sort of start to check ourselves about what we do and what we say and how we do it and how we say it to people, so I think it's ultimately a good thing. But I can't see too much of this coming up in [the show], up there on the platform, as it were, on the podium. It's not something to joke about, I don't think."

The nominees were announced from Beverly Hills after a week of still-burning fires have ravaged Southern California. The Thomas Fire has destroyed some 790 structures and forced thousands to evacuate their homes, with the blazes even entering the nearby neighbourhood of Bel-Air.

The awards haven't traditionally predicted the Oscars, but they did last January.

The Globes best-picture winners — Moonlight and La La Land — both ultimately ended up on the stage for the final award of the Oscars, with Moonlight emerging victorious only after the infamous envelope flub. The press association, which has worked in recent years to curtail its reputation for oddball choices, is composed of approximately 90 freelance international journalists.

The last Globes broadcast, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, averaged 20 million viewers, an upswing of eight per cent, according to Nielsen. In 2018, Fallon's NBC late-night partner, Seth Meyers, will host the Jan. 7 ceremony.

No Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement recipient has yet been chosen. Last year's honoree, Streep, spoke forcefully against Donald Trump, shortly before his inauguration as U.S. president, leading him to criticize the actress as "overrated."

This year, she — along with Spielberg and Hanks — return with a pointed and timely drama, The Post, about the power of the press to counter lies emanating from the White House.

"I'm thrilled for the movie, for Steven and Tom, and for the incredible ensemble of actors who made this movie need its moment in history," Streep said in a statement.

Nominees for the 75th Golden Globe Awards

Best motion picture – drama

• Call Me By Your Name.
• Dunkirk.
• The Post.
• The Shape of Water.
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Best motion picture – musical or comedy

• The Disaster Artist.
• Get Out.
• The Greatest Showman.
• I, Tonya.
• Lady Bird.

Best motion picture – animated

• The Boss Baby.
• The Breadwinner
• Coco.
• Ferdinand.
• Loving Vincent.

Best motion picture – foreign language

• A Fantastic Woman.
• First They Killed My Father.
• In the Fade.
• Loveless.
• In the Square.

Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – drama

• Jessica Chastain, Molly's Game.
• Sally Hawkins, Shape of Water.
• Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
• Meryl Streep, The Post.
• Michelle Williams, All the Money in the World.

Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – drama

• Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name.
• Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread.
• Tom Hanks, The Post.
• Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour.
• Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – musical or comedy

• Judi Dench, Victoria and Abdul.
• Helen Mirren, The Leisure Seeker.
• Margot Robbie,  I, Tonya.
• Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird.
• Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes.

Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy

• Steve Carrell, Battle of the Sexes.
• Ansel Elgort, Baby Driver.
• James Franco, The Disaster Artist.
• Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman.
• Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out.

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in any motion picture

• Mary J. Blige, Mudbound.
• Hong Chau, Downsizing.
• Allison Janney, I, Tonya.
• Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird.
• Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water.

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in any motion picture

• Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project.
• Armie Hammer, Call Me By My Name.
• Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water.
• Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World.
• Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Best director – motion picture

• Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water.
• Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
• Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk.
• Ridley Scott, All the Money in the World.
• Steven Spielberg, The Post.

Best screenplay – motion picture

• The Shape of Water.
• Lady Bird.
• The Post.
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
• Molly's Game.

Best original score – motion picture

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
• The Shape of Water.
• Phantom Thread.
• The Post.
• Dunkirk.

Best original song – motion picture

• Home from Ferdinand.
• Mighty River from Mudbound.
• Remember Me from Coco.
• The Star from The Star.
• This is Me from The Greatest Showman.

Best television series – drama

• The Crown.
• Game of Thrones.
• The Handmaid's Tale.
• Stranger Things.
• This is Us.

Best television series – musical or comedy

• black-ish.
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
• Master of None.
• SMILF.
• Will and Grace.

Best television limited series or motion picture made for television

• Big Little Lies.
• Fargo.
• Feud: Betty and Joan.
• The Sinner.
• Top of the Lake: China Girl.

Best performance by an actress in a limited series or motion picture made for television

• Jessica Biel, The Sinner.
• Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies.
• Jessica Lange, Feud: Bette and Joan.
• Susan Sarandon, Feud: Bette and Joan.
• Reece Witherspoon, Big Little Lies.

Best performance by an actor, limited series or motion picture made for television

• Robert De Niro, The Wizard of Lies.
• Jude Law, The Young Pope.
• Kyle McLachlan, Twin Peaks.
• Ewan McGregor, Fargo.
• Geoffrey Rush, Genius.

Best performance by an actress, television series – drama

• Caitriona Balfe, Outlander.
• Claire Foy, The Crown.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Deuce.
• Katherine Langford, 13 Reasons Why.
• Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale.

Best performance by an actor in a television series – drama

• Jason Bateman, Ozark.
• Sterling K. Brown, This is Us.
• Freddie Highmore, The Good Doctor.
• Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul.
• Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan.

Best performance by an actress in a television series – musical or comedy

• Pamela Adlon, Better Things.
• Alison Brie, Glow.
• Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
• Issa Rae, Insecure.
• Frankie Shaw, SMILF.

Best performance by an actor in a television series – musical or comedy

• Anthony Anderson, black-ish.
• Aziz Ansari, Master of None.
• Kevin Bacon, I Love Dick.
• William H. Macy, Shameless.
• Eric McCormack, Will and Grace.

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television

• Laura Dern, Big Little Lies.
• Ann Dowd, The Handmaid's Tale.
• Chrissy Metz, This is Us.
• Michelle Pfeiffer, The Wizard of Lies.
• Shailene Woodley, Big Little Lies.

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television

• David Harbour, Stranger Things.
• Alfred Molina, Feud: Bette and Joan.
• Christian Slater, Mr. Robot.
• Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies.
• David Thewlis, Fargo.