Golden Globe Awards: frontrunners, controversy and potential politics

You might not have even seen them yet, but you've likely heard a lot about Moonlight and La La Land. Both are favourites going into the Golden Globe Awards inthe best picture categories. The beauty is, because theGlobes make a distinction between drama and musical/comedy, they both have a chance to shine.

Moonlight, which stars Mahershala Ali, Trevante Rhodes and Naomie Harris, is based on a play and tells the story,in three acts, of a boy trying to find himself as he comes of age.

La La Land is a whimsical modern-day musical about the artistic struggles of those trying to make it in Los Angeles. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are bothnominated for their singing and dancing roles.

But that's just the beginning of the many storylines happening at this year's Golden Globes.

Ryan vs Ryan

Two Canuckswill go head-to-head in the best actor categoryfora musical or comedy. In addition to Gosling's La La Land nomination (he was born in London, Ont.), Ryan Reynolds is also up for his foul-mouthed comedic performance in Deadpool. The Vancouver-native returned to his hometown to shoot the film.

Controversial Casey

Casey Affleck is poised to take the best actor award in a motion picture drama for his portrayal of an uncle who returns home to care for his nephewin Manchester By The Sea.

But the younger brother of Ben Affleckisn't just soaking up the spotlight he's also battling it.

Casey Affleck was accused of sexual harrassment by two women, a case that was eventually settled in 2010 with Affleck denying any wrongdoing.

The allegations, which never entered criminal court, don't seem to be harming the actor's rise to the top. He's already won a number of critics' circle awards for his performance. A Golden Globe would most certainly send a message that he's being embraced regardless of any past issues.

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The toughest category isn't in film... it's in TV

The frontrunners are clear in the film categories this year. But that's hardly the case for television, particularly with the best drama series.

The list of contenders says it all: Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, Westworld, The Crown and This Is Us. The Crown, with its exceptional performances and writing, could easily take it. But Netflix's Stranger Things was a surprising hit with audiences and Game of Thrones, which broke an Emmy record this year but has yet to score a Golden Globe for best drama, always puts up a good fight.

Will Fallon get political?

Host Jimmy Fallon is known for his "awwshucks" demeanour and softball late-night interviews. He's a friend, not a foe, of celebs, so they're unlikely to be a target of his zingers.

That leaves current events as a key source of comic material and, given the liberal slant of Hollywood, he'll have a receptive audience if he chooses to make jokes about America's new political reality.

Rare tribute

Unlike the Oscars, the Globes don't include an "in memoriam" section in the show to honour those who have died recently in the entertainment industry.

But producers are making an exception this year, after the death of Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher was so closely followed by her veteran actress mother, Debbie Reynolds.

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The show is trying to find a way to honour the losses, which not only shocked fans, but touched Hollywood as a whole.

Oscar potential

A lot of people like to point out that the Golden Globes are often a strong indicator of what we can expect at the Oscars. This is partly true, in the sense that the momentum set by the Golden Globes around many films and actors can help propelthem into Oscar nomination territory.

But the winners here are decided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is quite adifferent base from the Academy. You just have tolook at last year's somewhatsurprisingAcademy Award best picture winnerSpotlightto see how the award shows can differ. Spotlight didn't win a single Golden Globe last year, though it was nominated for three. The Revenant took best picture.