GALECA Nominations: Pride, Birdman, Transparent, and Mommy
Monday, January 12, 2015 at 6:16PM 
Pride - CBS Films
A very similar list to what we'll get at Oscar, minus Pride (sniffle). More categories with commentary after the jump.
Film Performance of the Year - Actor
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher - Sony Pictures Classics
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game - The Weinstein Company
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler - Open Road
Michael Keaton, Birdman - Fox Searchlight
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything - Universal
No love for Ralph Fiennes, dahling? Nathaniel wept.
Film Performance of the Year - Actress
Essie Davis, The Babadook - Sundance Selects/IFC
Anne Dorval, Mommy - Roadside Attractions
Julianne Moore, Still Alice - Sony Pictures Classics
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl - 20th Century Fox
Reese Witherspoon, Wild - Fox Searchlight
Happy for Essie & Anne, neither of whom have a prayer in hell of Oscar love (and Essie isn't even eligible due to the film's DirectTV airing before its theatrical release.
Film Director of the Year
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Fox Searchlight
Ava DuVernay, Selma - Paramount
David Fincher, Gone Girl - 20th Century Fox
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman - Fox Searchight
Richard Linklater, Boyhood - Sundance Selects/IFC
Interesting that Ava DuVernay made the list though her film didn't. If this were the Oscars in the old days of 5 nominees there are two lone wolves... so a wolfpack: Duvernay and Fincher.
LGBTQ Film of the Year
The Imitation Game - The Weinstein Company
Love is Strange - Sony Pictures Classics
Pride - CBS Films
Stranger by the Lake - Strand Releasing
The Way He Looks - Strand Releasing
I was certain this is exactly what the list would look like. If GALECA were higher profile this would be a really nice get for The Way He Looks, the Brazilian Oscar submission, which people didn't really notice in theatrical release but it's so sweet and engaging. I'm surprised there isn't more resistance to The Imitation Game, given the way it so gingerly deals with Turing's sexuality. Nostalgia for 'the love that dare not speak its name!'?
All I can say is that Pride better win.
Foreign Language Film of the Year
Force Majeure - Magnolia Pictures
Ida - Music Box Films
Mommy - Roadside Attractions
Stranger by the Lake - Strand Releasing
Two Days, One Night - Sundance Selects/IFC
Strong list. Hearty approval.
Unsung Film of the Year
Obvious Child - A24
Love is Strange - Sony Pictures Classics
Pride - CBS Films
The Skeleton Twins - Roadside Attractions
Snowpiercer - Radius/TWC
Nebulous category. How to even define "undersung" you know? I wouldn't call Obvious Child that, actually, since it got about as much attention as it was ever going to get given the nature of the film. Love is Strange and Pride were definite underperformers in release. Too delicate and too meagerly advertised respectively.
Documentary of the Year
(theatrical release, TV airing or DVD release)
The Case Against 8 - HBO
CitizenFour - Radius/TWC
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me - Sundance Selects
Life Itself - Magnolia Pictures
Regarding Susan Sontag - HBO
Yes, I voted for Elaine Stritch. (My Review)
Another nebulous category that we shall just call eye candy in which case Birdman is the pop rocks, Interstellar is the Milky Way (haha *slaps knee*), and Grand Budapest is an elaborate confection. I don't know what kind of candy Snowpiercer and Under the Skin are but they have terribly upsetting after tastes.
Tammy
I don't like this category: define "camp". It's not so easy to do, right? Though I do think that Gone Girl qualifies with all its winky visuals "Protect Your Nuts", the orange tabby, and Amazing Amy herself who is all kinds of performative. That's what I'll be voting for.
I only wish Tammy were campy. It could have used some.
TV Drama of the Year
Fargo - FX
The Good Wife - CBS
How To Get Away with Murder - ABC
Mad Men - AMC
The Normal Heart - HBO
Surprised to see Mad Men nominated it having lost so much media heat but I'm voting for it given my options.
TV Comedy of the Year
The Comeback - HBO
Modern Family - ABC
Orange is the New Black - Netflix
Transparent - Amazon
Veep - HBO
UGH. Modern Family follows us everywhere. Think how beautifully fresh this category would be if you just slip in something else in its place. But what?
TV Director of the Year
Lisa Cholodenko, Olive Kitteridge - HBO
Jodie Foster, Orange is the New Black -Netflix
Andrew Haigh, Looking - HBO
Ryan Murphy, The Normal Heart - HBO
Jill Soloway, Transparent - Amazon
This is a new category and I voiced my opinion that I don't understand it. TV is considered a writer's medium and we have no screenplay category on the film side, you know, which would be the correlative in a way.
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent - Amazon
I'm voting Tambor all the way. Such incredible work.
TV Performance of the Year - Actress
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder - ABC
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback - HBO
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife - CBS
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black - BBC America
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge - HBO
Yay, Kudrow.
TV Musical Performance of the Year
Beyonce, MTV Video Music Awards - MTV
Neil Patrick Harris, “Sugar Daddy,” The Tony Awards - CBS
Jessica Lange, “Life on Mars,” American Horror Story: Freak Show - FX
Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Madonna, et al., “Same Love,” The Grammys - CBS
Prince, Saturday Night Live - NBC
This is the category that throws me off every year. I never understand the nominations. For instance, I am a Madonna superfan and even I wouldn't have voted for "Same Love." I love "Freakshow" but wasn't the point of Elsa's performance that she actually isn't an amazing performer and is delusional? I can name better musical performance from this very series this season they could have voted for. Like Sarah Paulson dueting with herself on "Criminal"
LGBTQ TV Show of the Year
Looking - HBO
Modern Family - ABC
Orange is the New Black - Netflix
Please Like Me - Pivot
Transparent - Amazon
Nice that there's so much to choose from on television these days.
Unsung TV Show of the Year
Getting On - HBO
Looking - HBO
Orphan Black - BBC America
Please Like Me - Pivot
Transparent - Amazon
I'm not sure I'd call Looking "Unsung" unless you mean "underrated". It certainly generated a lot of thinkpieces. I'm excited to see the premiere tonight since it aired during the Globes last night. Getting On is so brilliant and definitely undersung so that's what I'll be voting for. I think Transparent disqualified itself, figuratively, last night when it won two Golden Globes. That's a high profile endorsement if ever there were one.
TV Current Affairs Show of the Year
Anderson Cooper 360 - CNN
The Colbert Report - Comedy Central
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Comedy Central
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - HBO
The Rachel Maddow Show - MSNBC
Tough call here. Who would you vote for?
Music Video of the Year
Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”
Perfume Genius, “Queen”
Sia, “Chandelier”
Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”
Meghan Trainor, “All About That Bass”
No comment. But I do love "Chandelier"
The “We're Wilde About You!” Rising Star Award
Ansel Elgort
Jack Falahee
Ellar Coltrane
Jack O'Connell
Gina Rodriguez
Finn Wittrock
Not sure why there are six nominees in this field. Perhaps a tie. Best guess: Finn Wittrock takes it.
Wilde Wit of the Year
(honoring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)
Stephen Colbert
Rachel Maddow
Bill Maher
John Oliver
Jon Stewart
Wilde Artist of the Year
(honoring a truly groundbreaking force in the fields of film, theater and/or television)
Xavier Dolan
Neil Patrick Harris
Richard Linklater
Jill Solloway
Tilda Swinton
Xavier Dolan was also a nominee in this category last year. Will he keep being nominated until he wins?
Timeless Award
(to an actor or performer whose exemplary career is marked by character, wisdom and wit)
George Takei
Reader Comments (11)
GALECA snubbing Cotillard is too much for me. I'm off.
Loving the Orphan Black love! That TV Actress category is freaking amazing!
Please Like Me is an adorable, sweet-and-salty mix from down under. Highly recommended.
Woot for PLEASE LIKE ME, and not just because of national pride. This was my favourite show of last year, building on from a string first season to floor us with it's second season. So sensitive about gay issues, mental illness and sexual politics, whilst delivering zinger lines as well.
<I>Think how beautifully fresh this category would be if you just slip in something else in its place. But what?</I>
Jane the Virgin. In fact, I expected it to show up a lot more here.
Puzzling that Beyonce is nominated for her VMA show but not for any of her incredible music videos, namely the trailblazing feminist Flawless or Partition. Or was that eligible last year?
I finally realized who Essie Davis is. I was watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries the other night, and I thought what's the name of the actress who plays Phryne Fisher again, I really like her. So that's Essie Davis! No wonder The Babadook is so good, and of course the director/ writer would choose her. And of course she would have an Olivier award for something like Stella in Streetcar. Now I want to see The Babadook not just think I should.
I love love LOVE Getting On! It's such a funny and extremely underrated show. More people should be watching. I am hoping it gets a Season 3 pick up.
I don't get the existence of this awards group whatsoever.
Agreeing with Ryan T., "Jane the Virgin" instead of "Modern Family"!
Glad to see "The Comeback" is not forgotten, such a different but still amazing show from its first season. Lots more human warmth and pathos this season.
I just got my GALECA invitation; haven't paid up yet.
I'd be sad if Imitation Game won as an LGBTQ film, since the real Turing stated openly to the police that he was gay, whereas the movie has the police finding out by digging around. Changing "out" to "closeted" is offensive to me.