You probably didn’t see that coming.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in “Wicked: For Good”
Courtesy Photo
It was hardly a surprise that both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were nominated for Golden Globes on Monday (Dec. 8) for their performances in Wicked: For Good. Both stars were nominated for their performances in the first Wicked a year ago.
And anyone who has been near a radio in recent months must have expected “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters to land a nod for best original song. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks.
Stephen Schwartz’s nods in that same category for “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” and from Wicked: For Good were also expected. The only reason Schwartz wasn’t nominated for any songs from the first Wicked film is that there were no new songs in that movie. Schwartz won in this category in 1996 for cowriting “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas.
Ludwig Göransson’s double nominations for his work on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners — best original song and best original score — were also expected. Likewise, Kate Hudson’s nomination for lead actress in a comedy or musical for Song Sung Blue. Hudson is excellent in this film which is studded with Neil Diamond songs — but a traditional comedy or musical it isn’t. It’s Hudson’s second nomination in that category, following 2001’s Music.
But that doesn’t mean pundits correctly predicted everything in the Golden Globe nominations. Here are notable snubs and surprises. The 83rd annual Golden Globes will be presented on Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The Golden Globes are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
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Snub: Wicked: For Good
The sequel received a healthy five nominations, but was passed over for a nod for best motion picture – musical or comedy. The first Wicked film was nominated in that category at the 2025 ceremony but lost to Emilia Pérez. The nominees in that category this year are Blue Moon, Bugonia, Marty Supreme, No Other Choice, Nouvelle Vague and One Battle After Another.
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Surprise: Blue Moon
The movie about Lorenz Hart, the former partner of Richard Rodgers, set on the night of the opening of Oklahoma!, Rodgers’ landmark collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II, was nominated for best picture (comedy or musical), beating out both Wicked: For Good and the George Clooney-starring Jay Kelly. Ethan Hawke, who stars as Hart, is also nominated for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy.
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Snub: Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin
Sheeran, Mayer and Slatkin were expected to land a best original song nod for “Drive” from F1. The film received two nominations, including one for Hans Zimmer’s original score, but none for this song. Incidentally, if Zimmer wins best original score, it will be his fourth win in the category, putting him in a tie with Maurice Jarre, Dimitri Tiomkin and John Williams for the most wins in that category in the show’s history.
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Surprise: Jeremy Allen White
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere performed below expectations at the box office – though it was hardly a bomb – which made some people discount White’s chances of being nominated for his performance as the rock star. But White is nominated for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama, the film’s only nod.
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Snubs: Volker Bertelmann, Hildur Guðnadóttir
Bertelmann and Guðnadóttir were expected to land best original score nods for A House of Dynamite and Hedda, respectively, but fell short. Bertelmann was nominated at the 2025 ceremony for Conclave; Hildur won in 2020 for Joker.
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Snub: Hugh Jackman
Jackman was passed over for a nod for best actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for his role as a Neil Diamond impersonator (his character prefers the word “interpreter”) in Song Sung Blue, but his costar Kate Hudson was nominated for best actress for her role as a Patsy Cline impersonator and his love interest. (Without giving too much away, she has a meatier role.) Jackman has been nominated for four Globes. He won for Les Misérables and was nominated for Kate & Leopold, The Greatest Showman and the drama The Son.
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No Surprise: Sequels Rule
Fully half of the nominees for the cinematic and box office achievement award are sequels. They are Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2, both follow-ups to successful films, as well as Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third film in that series; and Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the eighth film in that series.
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No Surprise: Former Globes Hosts Are Nominees
Ricky Gervais, who has hosted the Globes five times, is nominated for best performance in stand-up comedy on television for Ricky Gervais: Mortality. Amy Poehler, who has cohosted the show four times with Tina Fey, is nominated for podcast of the year for Good Hang With Amy Poehler.
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