Johnny Depp, ‘Mad Max’ and other Golden Globes snubs and surprises

The 2015 Golden Globe nominations have been announced, and the list of nominees provides irrefutable proof of the growing status of digital-only content within the world of television and film.

The Golden Globe nominations, which will be announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday morning, are at the center of the drama surrounding the categorization of this year’s movies and actors.

Christian Bale and Steve Carell were nominated for playing financial wheeler-dealers in The Big Short, which Paramount opens on 11 December.

The SAG and Globe nominations this week sent the Hollywood awards season into full gear, with Tinseltown headed for the Oscars on February 28.

Box office hit “The Martian” received three nominations: best picture comedy, best director (Ridley Scott) and best actor (Matt Damon). For comedy or musical series, the HFPA nominated four series from streaming outlets and two more from HBO, leaving network series such as “Modern Family” and “The Big Bang Theory” out of the running.

After the Screen Actors Guild Awards passed over Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo on Wednesday, the Globes did, too. – “Trumbo” star Bryan Cranston on how he intends to revel in his nomination for best actor in a drama film.

The folks at TV’s Big Four networks might as well have slept in Thursday morning and skipped the announcement of the Golden Globes nominations. As for Beasts, I can only hope this attention will get more people to see the brilliance of all that is Cary Fukunaga and my extraordinary co-star Abraham Attah. Both “Outlander”, with its European setting and cast, and “Mr. Robot”, an edgy, cinematic drama beloved by TV geeks, are typical of the worthy but more out-there choices often made by the HFPA, which a year ago awarded Showtime’s “The Affair” best drama series (but failed to even nominate it this time around).

With movies, however, there’s a clean slate every year and little chance for the Globe voters to play trendsetters.

Mark Ruffalo’s nomination for “Infinitely Polar Bear” – a movie nearly no one saw – over “Spotlight” also befuddled. And since it’s one of the few shows where alcohol is permitted, and amusing man Ricky Gervais will be returning to host, it’s always a hilarious, live event where anything can happen.

Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies earned just one nomination, for Rylance.

Smith, whose upcoming “Concussion” has drawn headlines for its depiction of head trauma in football, apparently displaced Johnny Depp (“Black Mass”) from the best actor, drama, nominees. The film was also nominated for best screenplay and the movie’s director, Tom McCarthy, received a nod.

One more thing: This year also saw a virtual whiteout among the Globe’s film acting contenders. Delineating drama and comedy (or musical) is a task unique to the Golden Globes, which honor films and lead performances for both.

Overall, what the list of award nominations shows is that streaming services’ content no longer just rivals that of TV broadcasters, it’s actually besting them in terms of quality of programming.

Though some questionable category decisions left less humorous films competing for best comedy or musical, two of comedy’s top stars will crash a particularly somber awards season: Melissa McCarthy and Amy Schumer.

The nominations (via Variety) went to Orange is the New Black (2), Narcos (2), House of Cards, Grace & Frankie, Bloodline and Master of None.

Premium cable channel Starz earned six nods, including its Outlander, a time-travel series set in the Scottish Highlands that put Ireland’s Caitriona Balfe in the best actress race and garnered a spot in the best drama series category.

Idris Elba earned a best supporting actor nomination for his searing turn as the leader of a group of child soldier rebels.