Golden Globe Musings: Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced in just a few weeks, so here’s a survey of the contenders and the most likely predictions at this time. Weigh in with your thoughts, and let me know if I’ve left off anything important. A reminder that the Globes are wildly unpredictable and that it is still a bit early to gauge the reception or awards potential of a number of the so-called “contenders” at this point.

Last year’s nominees:
Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland)
Johnny Depp (The Tourist)
Paul Giamatti (Barney’s Version)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Love and Other Drugs)
Kevin Spacey (Casino Jack)

Assuming that Jean Dujardin (The Artist) and George Clooney (The Descendants) have their films classified as comedies, they’ll be here for sure. Tom Hanks is likely to be rewarded by this group that loves here, and watch out for Johnny Depp in either “The Rum Diary” or “Pirates of the Caribbean 4,” since they’ll nominate him for almost anything. Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes 2) won for portraying the part in the original film and may well be back again. There a slew of other contenders whose films may either be too small – Paul Giamatti, Will Ferrell (Everything Must Go), Ed Helms (Cedar Rapids), Ewan McGregor (Beginners), and John C. Reilly (Carnage) – or less impressive than the mainstream movies in which they starred - Justin Timberlake (Friends with Benefits) and Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris). If there is room, both Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love) will be nominated, and I think that, either way, the final slot will go to past nominee Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50).

Current predictions:
George Clooney (The Descendants)
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50)
Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love)
Tom Hanks (Larry Crowne)