FEINBERG FORECAST: ‘The Help’ and ‘The Artist’ Are Early Frontrunners at Globes

What follows is my first assessment of the Golden Globe Awards’ major categories…

BEST PICTURE (DRAMA)
Frontrunners
The Help (Disney, 8/12, PG-13, trailer)
The Descendants (Fox Searchlight, 11/23, R, trailer)
War Horse (Disney, 12/25, PG-13, trailer)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Bros., 12/25, PG-13, trailer)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Sony, 12/21, TBA, trailer)
Major Threats
The Ides of March (Sony, 10/14, R, trailer)
Moneyball (Columbia, 9/23, PG-13, trailer)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Focus Features, 12/9, R, trailer)
J. Edgar (Warner Bros., 11/11, R, trailer)
Margin Call (Roadside Attractions, 10/21, R, trailer)
The Iron Lady (The Weinstein Company, 12/30, PG-13, teaser)
Possibilities
Shame (Fox Searchlight, 12/2, NC-17, trailer)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 (Warner Bros., 7/15, PG-13, trailer)
A Dangerous Method (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/23, R, trailer)
Super 8 (Paramount, 6/10, PG-13, trailer)
Hugo (Paramount, 11/23, PG, trailer)
The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight, 5/27, PG-13, trailer)

OPINION: Bravo to the HFPA for Bringing Back Ricky Gervais as Golden Globes Host

BEST PICTURE (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Frontrunners
The Artist (The Weinstein Company, 11/23, TBA, trailer)
Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics, 5/20, PG-13, trailer)
Bridesmaids (Universal, 5/13, R, trailer)
Beginners (Focus Features, 6/3, R, trailer)
50/50 (Summit, 9/30, R, trailer)
Major Threats
Crazy Stupid Love (Warner Bros., 7/29, PG-13, trailer)
Young Adult (Paramount, 12/9, R, trailer)
Carnage (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/16, R, trailer)
My Week with Marilyn (The Weinstein Company, 11/23, R, trailer)
Win Win (Fox Searchlight, 3/18, R, trailer)
We Bought a Zoo (20th Century Fox, 12/23, PG, trailer)
Possibilities
The Rum Diary (FilmDistrict, 10/28, R, trailer)
Our Idiot Brother (The Weinstein Company, 8/26, R, trailer)
Bad Teacher (Sony, 6/24, R, trailer)
Friends with Benefits (Sony, 7/22, R, trailer)
The Muppets (Disney, 11/23, PG, trailer)
The Hangover Part II (Warner Bros., 5/26, R, trailer)

BEST DIRECTOR
Frontrunners
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Steven Spielberg (War Horse)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Tate Taylor (The Help)
Major Threats
David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar)
George Clooney (The Ides of March)
Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
Possibilities
Steven Spielberg (The Adventures of Tintin)
Bennett Miller (Moneyball)
Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
Tomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
Jason Reitman (Young Adult)
Roman Polanski (Carnage)

BEST ACTOR (DRAMA)
Frontrunners
George Clooney (The Descendants)
Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)
Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March)
Michael Fassbender (Shame)
Major Threats
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Woody Harrelson (Rampart)
Daniel Craig (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Ryan Gosling (Drive)
Possibilities
Zachary Quinto (Margin Call)
Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method)
Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)
Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus)

BEST ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Frontrunners
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris)
Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50)
Ewan McGregor (Beginners)
Major Threats
Matt Damon (We Bought a Zoo)
Paul Giamatti (Win Win)
Steve Carell (Crazy Stupid Love)
Eddie Murphy (Tower Heist)
Ben Stiller (Tower Heist)
Johnny Depp (The Rum Diary)
Possibilities
Christoph Waltz (Carnage)
John C. Reilly (Carnage)
Paul Rudd (Our Idiot Brother)
Bradley Cooper (The Hangover Part II)
Russell Brand (Arthur)
Jesse Eisenberg (30 Minutes or Less)

BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA)
Frontrunners
Viola Davis (The Help)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)
Major Threats
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Keira Knightley (A Dangerous Method)
Possibilities
Helen Mirren (The Debt)
Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre)
Michelle Yeoh (The Lady)
Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)

PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes of THR’s Actress Roundtable 2011

BEST ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Frontrunners
Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Charlize Theron (Young Adult)
Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)
Jennifer Garner (Butter)
Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher)
Major Threats
Emma Stone (Crazy Stupid Love)
Jodie Foster (Carnage)
Kate Winslet (Carnage)
Julianne Moore (Crazy Stupid Love)
Possibilities
Mila Kunis (Friends with Benefits)
Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses)
Scarlett Johansson (We Bought a Zoo)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Frontrunners
Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Albert Brooks (Drive)
Kevin Spacey (Margin Call)
Jeremy Irons (Margin Call)
Colin Firth (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Major Threats
Tom Hanks (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method)
Stanley Tucci (Margin Call)
Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)
Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
George Clooney (The Ides of March)
Possibilities
Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life)
Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)
John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Nick Nolte (Warrior)
Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)
Jim Broadbent (The Iron Lady)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Frontrunners
Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
Jessica Chastain (The Help)
Major Threats
Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)
Carey Mulligan (Shame)
Demi Moore (Margin Call)
Judi Dench (J. Edgar)
Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March)
Possibilities
Marion Cotillard (Midnight in Paris)
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
Amber Heard (The Rum Diary)
Elle Fanning (Super 8)
Judy Greer (The Descendants)