30 | JANUARY 2 • 2020

GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
T

he 2020 Golden Globe awards
will air on NBC on Jan. 5 at 8
p.m. This is a very good year
for Jewish nominees. The very funny
and very acerbic Ricky Gervais hosts.

ACTING: Lead actor, drama film:
Joaquin Phoenix, 45, Joker; lead
actress, drama film: Scarlett Johansson,
35, Marriage Story; lead actress, comedy
film: Beanie Feldstein, 26, Booksmart;
lead actor, TV comedy series: Michael
Douglas, 75, The Kominsky Method,
and Ben Platt, 26, The Politician, and
Paul Rudd, 50, Living with Yourself;
lead actress, comedy series: Natasha
Lyonne, 40, Russian Doll; lead actress:
mini-series/TV movie: Joey King, 20,
The Act; lead actor, TV mini-series/movie:
Sacha Baron Cohen, 48, The Spy (he
played Israeli Mossad agent Eli Cohen);
supporting actor, TV series/mini-series/
TV film: Alan Arkin, 85, The Kominsky
Method, and Henry Winkler, 74, Barry;
supporting actress, TV series/mini-series/
TV film: Patricia Arquette, 51, The Act..
FYI: Phoenix and Johansson are both
children of Jewish mothers. Both identify
as Jewish although they are virtually sec-
ular. Arquette’
s mother, too, was Jewish.
The actress is secular and doesn’
t identi-
fy with any faith.

DIRECTING/WRITING/MUSIC:

Director, film (any genre): Sam Mendes,
54, 1917, and Todd Phillips, 49, Joker;
screenplay, film: Noah Baumbach,

50, Marriage Story; original film score:
Randy Newman, 76, Marriage Story
(note: Randy’
s first cousin, Thomas
Newman, who was raised in his mother’
s
Christian faith, is also nominated for best
score.)

BEST FILM awards: The best film and
best TV awards are given to the principal
producers. My practice is to note if a
“best” nominee has a Jewish director
or writer. They are usually nominated
producers, too. Best drama film: 1917,
Sam Mendes (directed/wrote/produced)
and Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach
(directed/wrote/produced) and Todd
Phillips (directed/co-wrote/pro-
duced). Joker co-writer is Steve Silver,
60ish; best animated film, The Lion King,
Jon Favreau, 54, (director/producer) with
Jeff Nathanson, 54, (Lion King screen-
play). Best comedy/musical film: Jojo
Rabbit, Taika Waititi, 44 (directed/wrote).
Special notes: Baumbach’
s father
is Jewish and he identifies as Jewish.
My inclusion of Waititi is unusual. All the
other nominees listed here have at least
one Jewish parent and all were raised
Jewish or secular. In common terms,
Waititi is one-eighth Jewish (his maternal
great-grandfather). However, both he
and his mother (whose maiden name
is Cohen) identify as Jewish and Jojo
Rabbit is an anti-Nazi film. What really
moved me was a Tweet he sent just
before Jojo opened. Waititi plays Hitler in
his film. He tweeted: “What better way to
insult Hitler than having him portrayed by

a Polynesian Jew?”
In light of rising anti-Semitism, if
someone of influence strongly allies
himself with the Jewish people and has
some claim to being Jewish — maybe
he should be “included” and, at the very
least, mentioned in an article like this.

BEST TV AWARDS (except mini-
series): Best TV drama series: The
Crown, Peter Morgan, 56, (created
series/produced/wrote); best comedy/
musical TV series: The Kominsky Method,
Chuck Lorre, 67, (writer/producer,series
creator) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,
Amy Sherman-Palladino, 54, (series cre-
ator/writer/producer) and The Politician,
Brad Falchuk, 54, (series co-creator/
producer). Note: Morgan’
s German
Jewish father fled to England. His mother
wasn’
t Jewish. Morgan is secular.

BEST TV MINI-SERIES: All five
nominated series have a Jewish con-
nection. Chernobyl, Craig Mazin, 48,
(series creator/writer/producer); Fosse/
Verdon, Steven Levenson, 35, (co-cre-
ated/co-wrote); Unbelievable, Ayelet
Waldman, 54, and Michael Chabon, 56,
(this wife-husband team co-produced
and co-wrote); Catch-22, Grant Heslov,
56, (co-producer/co-director); Loudest
Voice in the Room, Gabriel Sherman, 40,
(produced series, wrote some episodes).
Note: Sherman wrote the book his series
was based upon and Catch 22 is based
on a novel by the late Joseph Heller.

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FROM LEFT:
1. Marvelous Maisel
Rachel Brosnahan in The
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
2. Jojo Rabbit
A scene from Jojo Rabbit
3. Kominsky
Alan Arkin and Michael
Douglas in The Kominsky
Method
4. Joaquin Phoenix in
Joker
5. The Crown
Olivia Colman in
The Crown