Are the Golden Globe Awards the Stupidest Movie Prizes Ever?

Don’t get me wrong I love the Golden Globes TV show. You can see it this Sunday on NBC. What other awards telecast sits dressed-to-thrill stars at tables and serves up booze in large quantities prompting loose lips and the delicious possibility of embarrassing acceptance speeches? But, my God, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that distributes these globe-shaped dildos has for sixty six years now been perpetrating a scam that would make Bernie Madoff blush. The 82 voting members of this organization (the Academy has 6000) have had their credentials challenged year after year. Very few members are full-time journalists. The skinny is that they’re in it for the parties and the movie stars and, of course, the annual network TV show which nets them a tasty $6 million. The Globes are notorious for boneheaded decisions. Here are my nominees for their worst calls this year:

–No nomination for Milk, The Dark Knight and The Wrestler as Best Drama, but they find room for The Reader—what’s that all about?

–Clint Eastwood gets ignored for a career-capping performance in Gran Torino, but Brad Pitt makes the cut in Ben Button for having his face digitally painted on small people. Huh? To add insult to injury, the Globes have a comedy category yet pass on Pitt for his real best acting this year in Burn After Reading.

–Tropic Thunder gets ignored for Best Movie Comedy in favor of—get ready—the egregiously unfunny Mamma Mia!

–Here’s my biggest beef with the Globes (I’d enjoy hearing yours): To stock the audiences with stars who draw TV ratings—Brangelina, Kate & Leo—they ignore non-glam actors who deliver truthful performances. Nowhere among the Globe nominees this year are:

Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) and Benicio Del Toro (Che) as Best Actor

Melissa Leo (Frozen River) and Michelle Williams (Wendy and Lucy) as Best Actress

Josh Brolin (Milk), Eddie Marsan (Happy Go Lucky) and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) as Best Supporting Actor

Rosemary DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married) and Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long) as Best Supporting Actress

Get yourself in the tabloids, people, that’s the true path to a Golden Globe.