Golden Globes Nominations: Surprises and Snubs

Story posted February 9, 2021 in Arts & Entertainment by Jimmy (Chien-Hsing) Lu.

The nominations for this year’s Golden Globes have been released, and it is safe to say that this year has some of the weirdest nominations in a while. Here are some of the biggest snubs and sur-prises from the Golden Globes 2021.

Surprise:

“Emily in Paris” was nominated for Best Comedy series, and Lily Collins was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy series. This show is definitely one of the weakest contenders in the history of the Golden Globes.

It is very frustrating to see a mediocre show at best, being nominated over other much-deserving shows.

Snub:

“I May Destroy You” received no nomination this year despite being one of the most critically ac-claimed shows in 2020. Not only did the show’s creator and star, Michaela Coel, gave an outstand-ing performance; she also wrote a groundbreaking and touching show that explores the aftermath of sexual assault through her amazing wit and hilarity.

“I May Destroy You” is definitely one of, if not, the biggest snubs of this year.  Funny enough, one of the writers for “Emily in Paris”, Deborah Copaken, expresses disappointment towards the award for snubbing “I May Destroy You.”

Surprise:

James Corden was nominated for Best Actor in Comedy/Musical. Although Corden is a talented singer and actor, his stereotypical portrayal of a gay man in “The Prom” drew many criticisms from critics and the audience.
Similarly, Jared Leto and Glenn Close both got nominated for Best Actor and Actress in Drama despite the unmemorable, uninspired performances they gave in “The Little Things” and “Hillbilly Elegy,” both were critical failures as well. 

Snub:

“Insecure” got completely shut out again. The show is easily one of the funniest and beloved shows on TV right now, earning 8 Emmy nominations last year, and yet it lost to cliché sit-comms such as “Emily in Paris.” Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, and Natasha Rothwell all got snubbed for their hilarious performances.

Hopefully the next and last season of the show will change that.

Surprise:

Sia’s directorial debut, “Music,” has been poorly reviewed by many critics and the Autism com-munity for its wrongful and offensive depiction of Autistic people. The nominations for the film and star Kate Hudson certainly did not help with the controversies.

Sia has since apologized and deleted her Twitter account.

Snub:

Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed Netflix film “Da 5 Bloods” got zero nomination even with much Oscar buzz surrounding the film, and an incredible performance by the late Chadwick Boseman.

Surprise:

Golden Globe made history by nominating three female directors for Best Director in the same year. Regina King and Emerald Fennell both got nominated for their directorial debuts, “One Night in Miami” and “Promising Young Woman.” Chole Zhao became the first Asian woman to be nom-inated for the award with the universally acclaimed “Nomadland.”

Snub:

Many actors of color have been snubbed despite having their work nominated. “Minari” was nom-inated for Best International Film but Steven Yuen’s performance was overlooked.

Jurnee Smollet and Jonathan Majors were both snubbed, yet “Lovecraft Country was nominated for Best Drama Series.

Sandra Oh got snubbed once again over her co-star Jodie Comer even though the two co-leads had an electrifying chemistry in “Killing Eve.”
Uzo Abuda won an Emmy for Mrs. America. However, she is not nominated alongside her co-star Cate Blanchett. Among the 40 acting categories in TV and film, only 5 actors of color were nomi-nated.

Jimmy (Chien-Hsing) Lu is a senior majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email jfl5603@psu.edu