Who's Up, Who's Down: Helen Mirren, Leo, Gibson and Clooney's Pets

Dec 15, 2006,  Dre Rivas
UP: Leonardo DiCaprio, Helen Mirren, Mel Gibson

The Golden Globes were announced yesterday, and Leonardo DiCaprio was all over them (you can check out Laremy's recap here and my own here). Being nominated for two Golden Globes is a big deal, but even bigger is being nominated for two in the same category (Best Performance By An Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama). I've seen The Departed and Blood Diamond, and I must say he was deserving of both nominations. This is coming from a guy who thought Leo was a little, cocky, pissant actor in the mid '90s. My baby's all grown up!

On the other hand, Helen Mirren -- so good in The Queen -- was crowned with not one, not two, but three Golden Globe nominations. She was nominated Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for The Queen (playing Queen Elizabeth II) and Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for both Queen Elizabeth I (playing Queen Elizabeth I) and Prime Suspect: The Final Act (not playing a Queen Elizabeth). I would say something nice about Clint Eastwood getting nominations for both Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, but I think I'm still in shock Flags received anything.

I kind of covered this earlier this week in my "All I Want For Christmas" column, but proper props must be made to Mel Gibson, Hollywood's favorite "may be" bigot (not so fast, Kramer!). First, his Apocalypto rolls in at numero uno at the box office. Now he's scored a Best Foreign Film Golden Globe nomination as well. Is this forgiveness, or simply the apathy of the gentile? He still may not get the Academy's support, but this is definitely something worth mentioning.

DOWN: George Clooney's Pets, Film Critics

George Clooney's pets have had a rough year. First his bulldog died, and now his pet pig of 18 years kicked the bucket too. Losing a pet sucks, so I'm definitely feeling your pain, Georgey Boy.

I hate to paint myself as Gibson's stooge, but I could not believe the number of film critics who felt the need to become psychiatrists when reviewing Apocalypto last weekend. If I have to read one more review where the writer is trying to psychoanalyze the guy, I'm going to go Lindsay-Lohan nuts (finally, an excuse for my poor grammar!).

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Dre writes five times a week for Film.com, covering Movies and DVD with his Floridian flare. E-mail him!