As the world's film capital, Hollywood naturally attracts entertainment journalists from across the globe. Professional film magazines outside North America would set up offices in Los Angeles, stationing reporters to cover the American film industry. Over time, these foreign journalists formed an informal network to support one another, which eventually evolved into the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).
In 1944, the HFPA established the Golden Globe Awards. Originally focused solely on film, the awards expanded in 1956 to include television, becoming a comprehensive ceremony covering both film and TV. The Golden Globes are traditionally held in mid-January and are widely regarded as a bellwether for the Oscars. They are also among the best-managed entertainment awards in the U.S., with influence that extends worldwide.
The HFPA has always maintained a membership of roughly ninety journalists. While not a large organization, this limited number of members makes personal biases more likely to affect the outcomes of the Golden Globes—practices such as bribery or lobbying are easier to execute.
This vulnerability led to growing criticism in the latter half of the first decade of the 21st century. The Golden Globes' authority declined in comparison to the Oscars for film and the Emmys for television. Yet, despite these controversies, the Golden Globes remain one of the most influential film and TV award ceremonies globally, second only to the Oscars.
In the early 1990s, many award shows were still in their infancy. The Sundance Film Festival, which would later become a landmark for independent films, had only held eight editions. Awards like the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association didn't hold formal ceremonies. The influential Critics' Choice Awards in North America had yet to be founded. In this context, the Golden Globes' influence was substantial.
Before the turn of the century, the Golden Globes were the most prestigious film awards in North America after the Oscars. Winning a Golden Globe was widely recognized as a significant achievement for film and television professionals.
This year marked the 50th Golden Globe Awards, sparking widespread discussion. The announcement of the nominations signaled that the excitement for the ceremony was building.
Until now, Hugo had barely paid attention to the awards. The ceremony had always felt distant, even though both of his films had already received acclaim. He remembered their success at earlier awards, but until this moment, it all seemed like "other people's business." That changed today.
"The Golden Globe nominations are out? And…?" Hugo asked, holding the newspaper. The front-page headline read: "50th Golden Globe Nominations Announced," with the subheadline: "'A Few Good Men' Leads with Five Nominations."
"You got nominated?" Joseph asked, a bit puzzled by Hugo's question, as if saying, "You've already been nominated—what more do you want?"
Hugo froze for a moment. First, he realized that A Few Good Men had received five nominations. Then it dawned on him—he had been nominated too. His smile immediately blossomed. Although critics had previously recognized Hugo's performances, confirming that he hadn't tarnished these memorable films, the nominations themselves brought an overwhelming surge of joy.
Hugo eagerly opened the Los Angeles Times, his fingers trembling slightly as he found the nomination list and read it carefully.
The Golden Globes divide film awards into Drama and Musical/Comedy categories. Both A Few Good Men and Scent of a Woman fell under Drama, which meant the two films overlapped in several categories and were in direct competition.
A Few Good Men received nominations for Best Drama, Best Director, Best Actor in a Drama, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Screenplay. Scent of a Woman earned four nominations; aside from missing Best Director, the other four overlapped with A Few Good Men, though the nominated individuals differed slightly. The Best Director slot went to Robert Redford for A River Runs through it, which, despite failing in other categories, still marked a significant success.
In the Musical/Comedy categories, the animated film Aladdin dominated with five nominations: Best Original Song (three nominations), Best Musical/Comedy Film, and Best Original Score. While on par with A Few Good Men numerically, its prestige was slightly lower. Robert Altman's The Player was the standout live-action musical/comedy, securing nominations for Best Musical/Comedy Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.
Other notable films receiving nominations included Sister Act, Unforgiven, Chaplin, and Howards End, each holding a prominent place in this year's ceremony.
Hugo's two films, Scent of a Woman and A Few Good Men, led the nomination counts with four and five nods, respectively, extending the positive reception and box office success they had already enjoyed, and maintaining Hugo's strong momentum at the end of the year.
In the individual actor categories, Hugo joined Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, and Miranda Richardson as the most watched nominees.
Al earned nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in Drama thanks to Scent of a Woman and Glengarry Glen Ross. Jack, with standout performances in Hoffa and A Few Good Men, also secured nods for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in Drama. Miranda's two films, Enchanted April and Damage, earned her nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in the Musical/Comedy category. And finally, there was Hugo.
At just twenty-five years old, this young actor had endured three Golden Raspberry Award nominations in two years, even winning Worst Actor once. Yet in less than a year, he achieved a stunning reversal. With his acclaimed performances in A Few Good Men and Scent of a Woman, Hugo earned nominations in both Best Actor in a Drama and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama.
This meant Hugo, Al, Jack, and Miranda all became double nominees at this year's Golden Globes! What made it even more fascinating was that the three male actors would be competing against each other in the same categories. To add another twist, Hugo had co-starred with both Al and Jack, creating a tangled web of competition that drew even more attention.
Naturally, the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama categories became the most anticipated results of the night. Joining the Best Actor race were Robert Downey Jr. for Chaplin and Denzel Washington for Malcolm X. Meanwhile, in the combined Supporting Actor category (for both Drama and Musical/Comedy), the other nominees were Gene Hackman for Unforgiven and David Paymer for Mr. Saturday Night.
Of course, double nominations, though dazzling, often carry the risk of splitting the vote. Some voters may choose one performance, others the second; some may support an actor in the lead category but vote differently for supporting, while others might switch the two. The result can be that an actor nominated twice ends up winning neither award. In other words, paradoxically, double nominations sometimes reduce the chances of victory.
Still, there is no denying that earning double nominations is itself a tremendous recognition of an actor's talent. Winning is another matter altogether. And in Hugo's case, the achievement felt almost surreal.
Commenting on the nominations, Nicholas singled out Hugo:
"It's hard to believe that just eleven months ago, we were laughing at Lancaster for becoming the first actor in history to accept a Razzie Award in person, even being reduced to tears onstage in such a pitiful way that it amused us all. And now, eleven months later, we are applauding Lancaster for scoring double Golden Globe nominations. Look at the names beside him—Pacino, Nicholson, Richardson. Just sharing the stage with such company is enough to earn him a standing ovation.
Looking back now at Lancaster's Razzie appearance, we can't help but admire his generosity, composure, and humor. Perhaps only a truly great actor has the courage to admit his mistakes so openly and even mock himself. That kind of bravery isn't common. And Lancaster's turnaround began right there—after the Razzies, he reflected deeply, and then came Scent of a Woman and A Few Good Men. Simply incredible."
After reading all this, Hugo still felt it hadn't quite sunk in. Not only had he broken through and completed a stunning comeback, but he had also won double nominations with two different films—his very first year as a leading man. Even if this recognition came only from the Golden Globes, it was enough to move him to tears.
"I really did it?" Hugo asked, his mouth slightly open, stunned.
Joseph had been about to tease him but, seeing the look on Hugo's face, simply nodded firmly instead. "I think so."
A smile spread slowly across Hugo's face, wider and wider, until it finally burst forth, radiant as sunlight.
....
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