LAST UPDATE | Jan 10th 2023, 10:05 PM

THE GOLDEN GLOBES will attempt to stage a celebrity-filled comeback today after being rocked by recent scandals, with the Banshees of Inisherin topping the nominations.

The Globes traditionally play a key role in kick-starting the movie awards season.

However, it was taken off air last year amid controversy over ethical lapses and a lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which organizes the Beverly Hills gala.

This year, following efforts to reform the HFPA – which previously had no Black members – American broadcaster NBC will host the 80th Golden Globe Awards on a one-off basis, and invitations have been dispatched to Hollywood’s brightest stars.

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael will host the ceremony, and Quentin Tarantino is among the night’s presenters.

The ceremony will be aired at 8 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday in the US, meaning viewers here can tune in at 1 am tonight. 

Scandal

In years past, success at the Globes was a potential bellwether for films hoping to win Oscars, and served as a valuable marketing tool.

Indeed, Academy voters will begin casting ballots for Oscar nominations on Thursday, just days after the Globes gala.

But recent controversies have muddied the waters.

The addition of more than 100 new, more racially diverse Globes voters, who are not full HFPA members, has made it even harder to predict who the enigmatic group of foreign journalists will reward.

While movie billboards and commercials boasting of Globes nominations have returned after last year’s notable absence, few nominees have publicly thanked the HFPA.

Golden Globe Categories

Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes movie awards are split between “drama” and “comedy or musical” categories.

On the drama side, The Fabelmans is up against last year’s two biggest box office hits — the blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise, and James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.

Tár, set in the cutthroat world of classical music, and rock-and-roll biopic Elvis could also spring surprises.

Their respective stars – Cate Blanchett, who plays a ruthless conductor, and Austin Butler, stepping into Presley’s blue suede shoes – are frontrunners for drama acting prizes.

But The Whale nominee Brendan Fraser, who alleges he was once sexually assaulted by a former HFPA president, has ruled out attending the gala.

Cruise, a producer on Top Gun: Maverick, is also unlikely to attend, after he returned his three Globes to the HFPA in 2021 in protest at its behaviour.

Irish nominations

The Banshees of Inisherin leads the way eight nods, the most for any film in almost two decades.

The movie is about the abrupt end of a friendship on a tiny island off the coast of Ireland during the Civil War era.

There are nominations for Colin Farrell, director Martin McDonagh, and for best comedy or musical.

Indeed, the entire leading cast, including Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, and Kerry Condon are nominated for their performance in the critically-acclaimed film.

It could be a big night in the Gleeson household, as Domhnall Gleeson has also been nominated for his role as a serial killer in The Patient.

The series features Steve Carell as a therapist who is held captive by Gleeson’s character, in a bid to help to curb his homicidal urges.

The full list of Irish nominations can be found below:

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Director — Motion Picture

Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin

Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Domhnall Gleeson, The Patient

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin

- With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper