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. 

Arts&Life
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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