all carried away

Golden Globe nominations are out! And while I certainly fall into that group of entertainment consumers who think a Golden Globe isn't as good a TV award as an Emmy, or nearly as good a movie award as an Oscar, it's still exciting. It's nice to see what new TV shows are getting recognition in their first season (Heroes!). Plus the movie nominations often provide clues for what we might see come Oscar time, and I put money on those nominations.

The one I'm most excited about, however, is Ben Affleck's nomination for Best Supporting Actor. SO WELL DESERVED. I'm so freaking happy for him. Like, an unreasonable amount, considering it's not like I know him personally or anything.

It's just, look. I like Ben Affleck. I would consider myself a Ben Affleck Fan. I think he's dreamy, for starters, all tall & swaggering and cute smile, plus the sharp sense of humor and rich vocabulary (yes, a good vocab is a turn on. The rest of you young lads need to read more books). I've seen him do a couple special feature things with Kevin Smith as well as a couple interviews, and he's always intelligent and self-deprecating and funny and charming. And that's just why I like him as a person.

As an actor, I find him wholly engaging. I'm not even going to point to Chasing Amy, though I could, because it's not even my favorite. I really loved his supporting role in Good Will Hunting, actually--mostly understated, but the bit about the sandwich on layaway kills me every time (and I watch that movie a lot). I thought he was the perfect hero in Armageddon, which I've also watched a lot. What? It's entertaining, and that's what movies are FOR. I thought he was viscous and funny in Dogma, I thought he was sympathetic and sweet in Jersey Girl, and I thought he was a perfect Matt Murdock in a somewhat imperfect Daredevil. His entrance in Shakespeare in Love is one of the best, ever.

But y'all, he was AWESOME in Hollywoodland. Really, really good. He delivered a multi-layered performance that was fascinating and heartbreaking. Of course it was absolutely perfect casting, but he really owned that role. I was so impressed, and have been rooting for him to get awards ever since I saw the movie.

I didn't expect to get all carried away with the Affleck love here, but whatever. I'm happy for him. He's got really tough competition in his category ( Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls, Brad Pitt for Babel, and Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg for The Departed) so I guess we'll just see how the Hollywood Foreign Press votes. (If I had to pick someone else in this category, I'm going with Wahlberg for what was, in my opinion, his Best Role Ever.)

In conclusion: Yay!