Music heavyweights Selena Gomez (“Emilia Pérez”) and Ariana Grande (“Wicked”) found themselves leading the Golden Globes nominations early Monday morning.
Both were nominated in the supporting actress category.
Gomez stars in Netflix’s, “Emilia Perez.” Music plays a central role in the film. Gomez explores a new frontier by acting in Spanish for the first time. She taps into her greatest strength: singing. Her performance of “Mi Camino,” is sung entirely in Spanish and marks a pivotal moment in the film.
Last week, Grande and her “Wicked” co-star Cynthia Erivo were named as the recipients of the NBR Spotlight Award for their creative collaboration.
As Glinda, Grande’s knack for comedic timing has won her rave reviews. Her rendition of “Popular” is filled with charm and wit, while her entry song “No One Mourns the Wicked” is poetic. As the village mob mentality screams “She’s Dead,” Grande’s expressions have hidden depth and capture her duality as she mourns her friend and is filled with regret.
Speaking about her first day on set, Grande recalled, “‘Wicked’ was the most emotional day of my life…All I remember was holding hands with Cynthia [Erivo] and Jon [Chu] and crying. And [Jon] saying, ‘Welcome to “Wicked.”
Erivo landed her fourth Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a comedy/musical for her part in “Wicked” as Elphaba. Erivo is the second Black woman to play Elphaba in a major production of “Wicked.” Alexia Khadime was the first Black woman to portray the character full-time (Khadime starred in the West End production from 2008-2010 and returned to the role in 2023).
On playing Elphaba, Erivo told Variety, “I hope it’s a bit of a love letter to everyone who feels different, who feels out of place, to all of the Black women who have walked into rooms and felt like they haven’t been welcomed.” She added, “To anyone who’s walked into a room and felt like they haven’t been welcomed. I am really glad to be the conduit through which this character has been brought to the world.”
Erivo is also expected to fly into the best actress race when the Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 17. Should Erivo land there, it will put the actress one step closer to achieving the elite EGOT. Erivo already has an Emmy, Grammy and Tony award. She just needs the Oscar. If she goes on to win there, she will also be the second ever Black actress to win the best actress Oscar after Halle Berry’s win in 2002 for “Monster’s Ball.”
Gomez also landed a best performance by an actress in a television series – musical or comedy nomination for Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.”
In the original song category, Miley Cyrus’ “Beautiful That Way,” from Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl” was nominated. The song written by Andrew Wyatt, Cyrus and Lykke Li will be released on Dec. 9.
Nikki Glaser will host the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards. The awards show telecast will take place on Jan. 5 at 8-11 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.
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