Golden Globe Nominations To Be Announced December 15

The first folks to see Avatar will be, naturally, the Hollywood Foreign Press. They see the much-anticipated James Cameron 3-D epic on December 8th. (I see it on the 10th.) The HFPA are also ubiquitous on the Oscar party circuit. To say they are being wined and dined is an understatement.

While the Golden Globes nominations do not function as predictions of things to come on Oscar nominations morning February 2, they are influential on the nominations process as a significant momentum builder. The show itself (hosted by Rick Gervais), which airs live from the Beverly Hilton on NBC on January 17 will also have an impact. Of course the Comedy/Musical category will lend a boost to such movies as Nine and It’s Complicated, which may or may not factor in the Best Picture Top Ten this year.

Nominations for The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be announced at 5:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday, December 15.

According to a press release, the HFPA considered:

73 live-action feature films (105 dramas and 68 comedies or musicals), 15 animated feature films, 133 television series (79 drama and 54 comedies), 33 mini-series or telefilms and a record 69 foreign language films have been qualified for “The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards” consideration honoring 2009 achievements. In addition, a record 103 songs are eligible for the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture.

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And 15 films are deemed eligible for consideration for the five animated feature slots:

“9”
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”
“Battle for Terra”
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
“Coraline”
“Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”
“Mary and Max”
“The Missing Lynx”
“Monsters vs. Aliens”
“Planet 51”
“Ponyo”
“The Princess and the Frog”
“Up”

The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards will air in more than 160 countries.