Netflix dominates 2021 Golden Globe nominations
From "The Crown" to "The Trial of the Chicago 7," the streaming giant received 42 nominations, while Sacha Baron Cohen and Frances McDormand got expected best performance nods.
And the winner is … Netflix
With a whopping 22 nominations for movies and 20 for its TV series, streamer Netflix is set to dominate the 2021 Golden Globes. With COVID-19 shuttering cinemas worldwide, home viewing has skyrocketed and Netflix's offerings from "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," to "Mank" and "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (pictured), have been hugely successful — both critically and commercially.
A sing-off between Ma Rainey and Billie Holiday
Actress Viola Davis and singer Andra Day have both been nominated for their portrayals of singing powerhouses. Davis (pictured) plays the titular role in Netflix's biographical drama "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," about the influential blues singer, while Day has created a buzz in "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," which documents the great jazz singer's struggle with addiction.
Female directors finally rule
Only five women have been nominated for best director at the Golden Globes to date, the last being Ava DuVernay in 2014. This year, three out of the five nominees are women. They include Chloe Zhao (pictured) for critically acclaimed "Nomadland," actress-turned-director Regina King for "One Night In Miami," and Emerald Fennel for "Promising Young Woman."
Best Actress nod for Frances McDormand
In "Nomadland," two-time Oscar winner McDormand stars as an unemployed woman who opts for a nomadic life, traveling through the American west in a van. Based on the 2017 non-fiction book by Jessica Bruder, it also features real-life nomads as fictionalized versions of themselves. "Nomadland" is an early Oscar favorite, having won top prizes at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals.
Royal acting
In Season 4 of Netflix's "The Crown," two more iconic female characters were added to the riveting royal drama: Princess Diana, played by Emma Corrin, and Margaret Thatcher played by Gillian Anderson. Corin and Olivia Colman, who plays Queen Elizabeth, have been nominated in the best actress category, while Anderson and Helena Bonham-Carter have been nominated for their supporting roles.
Borat provides comic relief — and moral compass
Both Sacha Baron Cohen and his "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" received nominations for best actor and best comedy respectively. As outrageous as it is, Borat has been described as a "brave comedy" — if anything for that infamous hotel-room encounter with lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Cohen was also nominated for best supporting actor for his more serious turn as a defendant in "The Trial of the Chicago 7."
Posthumous nomination for Chadwick Boseman
The late actor, who died in August 2020 at the age of 43 after a three-year battle with colon cancer, was nominated for his explosive final role as ambitious trumpeter, Levee, in Netflix’s "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." It is the first Golden Globe nomination for the star of the hit film "Black Panther."