Golden Globe Predictions (+ Shirley Maclaine's Third Jack)

The Golden Globes are tomorrow night, so I'll surely be here tweeting or live-blogging. One wonders if any of the HFPA's oft wined and dined members were treated to Christmas carols from one Jack Black over the holiday break? If not he missed quite an opportunity. If you've seen Bernie you know the man can sang. Though I doubt anyone can work around what's shaping up to be a Silver Linings Celebration tomorrow night (The Globes do love their Weinstein Co. product) the Comedy/Musical categories are typically home to the biggest Globe surprises throughout the years so Jack Black as a surprise winner has crossed my mind a time or two during the season. Remember when Sally Hawkins and Colin Farrell won in 2008? No one was expecting that! If Silver Linings were a little less beloved I'd assume that the Comedy or Musical prize would be going to "24601" himself Hugh Jackman but I'm guessing that now it's Bradley Cooper's to lose.

But back to Black. The comic's awards campaign for Bernie started fairly early-- there's something to be said for early launches -- and when I met him very briefly da few months ago he was so completely casual he almost seemed like a member of the press himself, just there for the free food which he kept recommending. I immediately broached the topic of working with Shirley Maclaine because, well, I am me. They bonded over the musical genre and Jack implied that Shirley kinda takes credit for Bob Fosse's film career basically under the from her movie clout at the time 'I'll do Sweet Charity but I want Bob Fosse to direct it!' I was told that Shirley referred to Jack Black as "My Third Jack"  

Me: Fine company to be in. LEMMON. NICHOLSON. Nerve-wracking! Or maybe you're confidently okay with it?
Jack Black: Not too shabby. I'm okay with it! It's hard to choose between the two. Lemmon kicks so much ass in "The Apartment"... but Nicholson in "Cuckoo's Nest"!

It didn't occur to me until his Globe nomination arrived that both of the performances he name checked were Golden Globe Winners in their days. Coincidence or subliminal sign of his nomination to come?!

Is it annoying that I always bury the lede? Golden Globe predictions are after the jump. 

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Random Thoughts on The Grammy Nominations

The Grammy Awards are not, as a general rule, anything that merits the attention of The Film Experience but it doesn't mean we can't discuss them briefly as an intermission between Oscariffic posting. Obviously I'm rooting for "Call Me Maybe" THE song of the year and indefatigably fun. And you already know that I wish Record of the Year Nominee "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was the title of a movie. 

But given this blog's metier, we have to focus on movie-related categories first and foremost. 

BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
The Descendants (Various Artists)
Marley (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
Midnight in Paris (Various Artists)
The Muppets (Various Artists)
Rock of Ages (Various Artists)

I've never understood quite what people saw in The Descendants soundtrack (ooh, Hawaiian music. How obvious!) but I love the nomination for its fellow 2011 Best Picture nominee Midnight in Paris.

QUESTION: Will this be the only award outside of the Razzies that the Rock of Ages film adaptation receives?

SNUBBED: Excuse me but where the hell is the Smash CD?

MORE MUSIC after the jump...

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Charlie Kaufman Catch Up

JA from MNPP here, with a look at the latest Charlie Kaufman news. If you’re like me – and generally that’s something I encourage, since I just really think my opinions are top drawer – then you think that Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche New York was one of the finest films of the last decade. Endlessly rewarding and deeply moving... I’ve seen it five or six times at this point and it’s like looking through a prism, new colors and shapes forming in front of me with every new glance. So I’m primed to follow news of what he’ll be handling next. We first heard about Frank or Francis back in March but details were few and far between.

Now, notsomuch. You can read all about it over here but the general idea is this is a musical (of sorts) about a war (of sorts) between a director and a blogger that aims to eviscerate every aspect of Hollywood (of sorts). Nothing is that simple where Charlie’s words are concerned, but that condenses it into a sentence, I guess. Steve Carell is set to play the director, and Jack Black is set to play the blogger (of course he is since all bloggers look like Jack Black). Kevin Kline will be playing two roles a la Nicholas Cage in Adaptation. Speaking of Cage he’s also in this movie, playing “The Emcee,” which, name-alon,e immediately brings to mind Joel Grey’s role in Cabaret, right? And if this thing's as musical as they say it is, that can't be an associative mistake.

The first thing that strikes me here is how man-centric the cast is. Synecdoche was so heavily populated with fantastic actresses – Catherine Keener and Michelle Williams and Samantha Morton (dear god, she’s so good in it) and Hope Davis and Jennifer Jason Leigh and Emily Watson and Dianne Weist all bouncing off of Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the middle. CK’s always given women such plum goods to play with – Meryl in Adaptation! Diaz in Being John Malkovich! – that I find myself longing to hear some lady names soon. But I’m certainly ready for whatever Kaufman sends my way. And on top of this he’s also written Spike Jonze’s next movie, too! Oh, yes.