Golden Globes 2019: A Star is Born, Killing Eve, Marvelous Mrs Maisel are favourites to win top honours

Hollywood’s annual carnival of awards shows begins this Sunday night (Monday morning IST) with the Golden Globes — the starting gun in the race for the Oscars. After a record $41.7 billion global movie box-office in 2018, crowd-pleasers like A Star is Born , Black Panther , Bohemian Rhapsody and Mary Poppins Returns are competing for top honours. This year, the boozy, informal dinner in Beverly Hills, organised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), is expected to leave politics behind. Golden Globe hosts Andy Samberg and Killing Eve nominated actress Sandra Oh say they are aiming for a fun evening. “Everyone is depressed and maybe that’s as good a reason as any that everyone could use a little time to laugh and celebrate,” Samberg told The Hollywood Reporter. [caption id=“attachment_5842141” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] (From L-R) A Star is Born, Green Book, Killing Eve and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel are frontrunners for the top film and TV awards at Golden Globes 2019[/caption] Awards analysis website Gold Derby predicts that music romance reboot A Star Is Born will lead the Golden Globe winners for films, but it won’t be a clean sweep. Despite being musicals, both A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek as the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, will compete in the more prestigious best movie drama category. They will face off against three films focusing on racial issues - superhero movie Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman and If Beale Street Could Talk. A Star Is Born features Bradley Cooper, who also directed the film, and Lady Gaga, who is expected to win the Best Actress (drama) award. The film is also predicted to win Best Film (drama) and Best Song for ‘Shallow’. Scathing comedy Vice, about former US Vice President Dick Cheney, has a leading six nominations, including for actors Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell and Amy Adams. But the front-runner seems to be TIFF People’s Choice Award winner Green Book, an offbeat comedy about a black classical pianist in 1960s America who hires an Italian-American bouncer as his driver for a tour of the racially divided South. Another top prospect is The Favourite, an offbeat tale of royal deception and lust stars a powerhouse trio of actresses — Olivia Colman as Queen Anne, and Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone as the women vying for her attentions. Roma , Alfonso Cuaron’s critically acclaimed film chronicling his childhood in Mexico City, is not competing for best film honours at the Globes due to an eligibility issue, but will vie for best foreign film and best director awards. It is a clear favourite in the category, much like Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse for Best Animated Feature. Streaming outlets and cable channels have flooded viewers with premium programming in recent years, prompting critics to declare a Golden Age of Television and leaving audiences overwhelmed with choices. Hollywood’s Golden Globe voters snubbed previous winners The Handmaid’s Tale and Atlanta in the top television series nominations, favouring newcomers in a crowded field of critically adored programming. The television awards at the Golden Globes are sort of a wild card — they are preceded by the Emmys, but the eligibility periods are not the same, meaning you end up with a mix of award-winners and new programs. So, on Sunday, top Emmy winners like The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story will be pitted against new shows like Homecoming starring Julia Roberts and Netflix comedy The Kominsky Method. While Goldderby predicts The Marvelous Mrs Maisel to walk away with top comedy honours, it believes Killing Eve may spring a surprise in the drama category. Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) are predicted to take home the top acting honours. The 76th Golden Globes will take place on Sunday, 6 January, in Beverly Hills, California. (With inputs from agencies)