2016 Golden Globe Winner Predictions

For TV and film fans like myself, we are entering the most magical and entertaining time of the year — awards show season. And, with the Golden Globe Awards airing Sunday, Jan. 10 on NBC, fans are gearing up for an fun evening. The Golden Globes are always a particularly exciting event as the show represents the best in all entertainment, both television and film, and is often an indication of Oscar nominees and winners. So, who will win at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards?

At an event where the big screen and small screen collide and categories are broken up between comedy and drama, it’s always interesting to see who is nominated, who wins, and who loses. It’s heartbreaking to see shows and actors you’ve invested in walk away empty-handed. But, it's fascinating to see how both the drama and comedy film categories could foreshadow the upcoming Oscars.

Though Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are not hosting this year (*sob*), there should still be plenty of laughs with host Ricky Gervais and fun with Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence nominated in the same category. So, who is going to win big this year? Here are my predictions.

Best Motion Picture — Drama

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

While it’s interesting to see an action film, Mad Max: Fury Road, make the list — because everyone who saw the film can agree there's more to it than a car chase — it’s hard to think that it can top the big-hitters like Carol, The Revenant, and Spotlight. With strong performances, a costume setting, and pertinent subject matter, Carol is the frontrunner in this category.

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture — Drama

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Rooney Mara, Carol

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Carol’s leading ladies are both represented in this category, but Brie Larson’s performance in Room should not go unnoticed. In fact, 2015 was a big year for Larson’s career, launching her into “it girl” status.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture — Drama

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Will Smith, Concussion

Will Smith’s role in Concussion has been discussed following what many considered to be a SAG snub. While Leonardo DiCaprio has won Golden Globes in the past — it’s the Oscar he still covets — audiences always are curious to see his fate at award ceremonies. But Eddie Redmayne is basically an actual chameleon and should probably win.

Best Motion Picture — Musical Or Comedy

The Big Short

Joy

The Martian

Spy

Trainwreck

2015 was the year of Amy Schumer, so Trainwreck should obviously win.

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture — Musical Or Comedy

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Melissa McCarthy, Spy

Amy Schumer, Trainwreck

Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van

Lily Tomlin, Grandma

Again, I am going to have to go with Amy Schumer. Friends, and frontrunners, Jennifer Lawrence and Schumer, have been hilarious and supportive of each other in this category — Lawrence even commented that she wanted the pair to wear matching dresses.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture — Musical Or Comedy

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Steve Carell, The Big Short

Matt Damon, The Martian

Al Pacino, Danny Collins

Mark Ruffalo, Infinitely Polar Bear

While The Big Short makes two appearances in this category, the film faced a lot of flack for its lack of diversity. Matt Damon was able to captivate in The Martian, as he remained a scene stealer even though his character was mostly uncontested. And, Mark Ruffalo’s performance as a father with bi-polar disorder in Infinitely Polar Bear was heartfelt and genuine. I'd say it would come down to Damon and Ruffalo.

Best Television Series — Drama

Empire (Fox)

Game Of Thrones (HBO)

Mr. Robot (USA)

Narcos (Netflix)

Outlander (Stars)

It should be noted that Game Of Thrones won the 2015 Emmy, favoring it for further recognition.

Best Performance By Actress In A Television Series — Drama

Caitriona Balfe, Outlander (Starz)

Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)

Eva Green, Penny Dreadful (Showtime)

Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Fox)

Robin Wright, House Of Cards (Netflix)

Viola Davis notably took home the 2015 Emmy in this category. Could it be a repeat? Or, will Taraji P. Henson’s take home the award for beloved role Cookie Lyon? It's a toss-up between two great choices.

Best Performance By Actor In A Television Series — Drama

Jon Ham, Mad Men (AMC)

Rami Malek, Mr. Robot (USA)

Wagner Moura, Narcos (Netflix)

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)

Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan (Showtime)

Hamm won the Emmy and I think Hamm is going to win the Golden Globe. That being said, Wagner Moura did learn Spanish for Narcos and gave a really strong performance in a biographical series. Still think it's going to Hamm, though.

Best Television Series — Musical Or Comedy

Casual (Hulu)

Mozart In The Jungle (Amazon)

Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)

Silicon Valley (HBO)

Transparent (Amazon)

Veep (HBO)

Veep cleaned up at the Emmys, though both of Amazon’s nominated series Mozart In The Jungle and Transparent are getting a lot of buzz. My bet is on Mozart In The Jungle.

Best Performance By Actress In A Television Series — Musical Or Comedy

Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW)

Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens (Fox)

Julia Louis Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)

Gina Rodriguez, Jane The Virgin (CW)

Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie (Netflix)

As talented as all of the women are in this category, it kind of feels like we should stop calling awards like this one Best Comedic Television Actress and start calling it the Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Can we all just agree that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the Meryl Streep of television awards? (Or is Meryl the Julia of film?) However, Julia has never won a Golden Globe in this category (she has won for supporting actress), but she did win the Emmy for Veep for three consecutive years. Could this be her Golden Globe year?

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series — Musical Or Comedy

Aziz Ansari, Master of None (Netflix)

Gael Garcia Bernal, Mozart In The Jungle (Amazon)

Rob Lowe, The Grinder (Fox)

Patrick Stewart, Blunt Talk (Starz)

Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon)

While Jeffrey Tambor won for Transparent last year — and took home the 2015 Emmy — Aziz’s Ansari’s performance in his semi-autobiographical series could be a winner. Ansari’s series brought a fresh perspective and the buzz from the Netflix show should be factored in. But, Gael Garcia Bernal’s Mozart In The Jungle performance has also been favored to win. This is a close one, but I'll give it to Ansari.

Tune in Sunday to see how things pan out!