Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool”
LOS ANGELES—Which one of the two Ryans will prevail in the best actor-musical or comedy race in the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards this Sunday, Jan. 8 (Monday morning, Manila time)—Ryan Reynolds (for “Deadpool”) or Ryan Gosling (“La La Land”)?
Will former “Spider-Man” costars Andrew Garfield (“Hacksaw Ridge”) and Emma Stone (“La La Land”) both win—Andrew for best actor-drama, and his ex-girlfriend, Emma, for best actress-musical or comedy?
But will Emma’s potential win in the best actress-musical or comedy be hampered by Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins”) who already has the record for the most Golden Globe wins (eight) and the most nominations (29)?
Hailee Steinfeld in “The Edge of Seventeen”
Or will Hailee Steinfeld (“The Edge of Seventeen”) score and stage an upset over Emma, Meryl, Annette Bening (“20th Century Women”) and Lily Collins (“Rules Don’t Apply”)? Hailee is coming with her Filipino-American mom, Cheryl Domasin Steinfeld.
Regardless, Meryl is assured of the night’s plum prize—as previously announced, she will receive this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, joining such legendary recipients as DeMille himself, Walt Disney, Judy Garland, Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, Sydney Poitier and Laurence Olivier.
Will Mel Gibson (“Hacksaw Ridge”) win best director and make a big Hollywood comeback after a decade of being dogged by controversy?
Or will Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”) stand in Mel’s way and bag his first Golden Globe best director trophy?
The best actress-drama is a tight race among Ruth Negga (“Loving), Jessica Chastain (“Miss Sloane”), Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”), Natalie Portman (“Jackie”) and Amy Adams (“Arrival”).
The best picture-drama is also a close contest among “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Manchester by the Sea,” “Moonlight,” “Hell or High Water” and “Lion.”
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in “La La Land”
But in the best picture-musical or comedy contest, “La La Land” is regarded by awards prognosticators as the frontrunner over “Deadpool,” “Florence Foster Jenkins,” “Sing Street” and “20th Century Women.”
In a rare year when a Pixar film did not make it to the best animation film derby (“Finding Dory” failed to make the cut), which nominee will triumph—“Kubo and the Two Strings,” “Moana,” “My Life as a Zucchini,” “Sing” or “Zootopia”?
In the TV categories, will “Game of Thrones” win its first Golden Globe best series-drama after four tries? The popular series is competing against acclaimed newcomers—“The Crown,” “Stranger Things,” “This Is Us” and “Westworld.”
Caitriona Balfe (“Outlander”) has another shot at the best actress in a TV series-drama trophy, but she faces competition from Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld”), Winona Ryder (“Stranger Things”), Keri Russell (“The Americans”) and Claire Foy (“The Crown”).
And who are coming to Hollywood’s party of the year at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, to be hosted for the first time by Jimmy Fallon? The Golden Globe airs live on RTL CBS Entertainment in the Philippines on Monday, Jan. 9 (Manila time), starting with red-carpet coverage at 8 a.m., and show at 9 a.m., with a prime time encore at 9 p.m.
Among the expected hot couples are Ryan and Blake Lively, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel (who hooked up at the Globes in 2007, one of several couples who started their romance at the star-studded bash), Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin, proud parents of Miss Golden Globe trio: Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet Stallone.
The Affleck brothers—Ben and Casey—will be among the A-lister presenters. Believe it or not, it will be the first time that Casey (“Manchester by the Sea”), who is another frontrunner in the best actor-drama race, is attending the Globes.
Casey got a best supporting actor nod (“The Assassination of Jesse James”) in the 2008 Globes, but the ceremony was canceled due to the Writers Guild of America strike.
The other presenters include Viola Davis (a best supporting actress nominee for “Fences”), Leonardo DiCaprio, Eddie Redmayne, Drew Barrymore, Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Priyanka Chopra, Gal Gadot, John Hamm, Goldie Hawn, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, John Legend, Diego Luna, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Pierce Brosnan, Sofia Vergara, Carl Weathers, Amy Schumer, Chris Pine, Carrie Underwood and Reese Witherspoon.
The music world will be represented by such talents as Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Pharrell Williams, who are among the composers behind the best song nominees.
Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant in “Florence Foster Jenkins”
From TV land, the cast of “This Is Us,” “Transparent,” “Mozart in the Jungle” and “Black-ish” will show up in full force. Also gracing the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”); Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale and Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”); Sarah Jessica Parker (“Divorce”); Felicity Huffman (“American Crime”); Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton (“Westworld”); and Riley Keough (“The Girlfriend Experience).
Most of the cast of “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” will be there, too—Cuba Gooding Jr., John Travolta, Sarah Paulson, Courtney B. Vance, Sterling K. Brown and Connie Britton.