LOS ANGELES (JTA) – Jewish actors, directors and screenwriters scored well in nominations for the 2011 Golden Globe Awards, auguring well for the upcoming Oscar picks.
Two top favorites for best motion picture honors, “The King’s Speech” and “The Social Network,” announced earlier this month, led the field with seven and six Golden Globe nods respectively.
Named in the best actor/actress categories were Jesse Eisenberg, who portrays Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in “Social Network,” and Natalie Portman as a ballet dancer in “Black Swan.”
Also picked were two actors with Jewish mothers, James Franco as a trapped hiker in “127 Hours” and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Love & Other Drugs.”
Tapped for best supporting actors were Andrew Garfield as Facebook co-founder in “Social Network” and Mila Kunis in “Black Swan.”
Jewish writers took three of five nominations for best screenplay: David Seidler for “King’s Speech,” Aaron Sorkin for “Social Network” and Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg for “The Kids Are All Right.”
Seidler, 73, like England’s George VI in “King’s Speech” grew up as a severe stutterer. His paternal grandparents perished in the Holocaust, he lived through the London Blitz as a baby, and started researching the British monarch’s life as far back as the 1970s.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association., which sponsors the Golden Globe Awards, two years ago picked Israel’s “Waltz with Bashir” as the top foreign-language movie, but this time Israel drew a blank.
Winners of the Golden Globe picks will be named Jan. 16. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will name its nominees on Jan. 25 and hand out Oscars to the winners on Feb. 27.
