Dear Gossips,
We are officially in the back half of November which… how did that even happen?! This year has felt at once interminable and also like a blitz. But the fact is, it’s almost December which means there are really only four weeks of campaigning left before people pack it up for the holidays. And next week is American Thanksgiving which historically hasn’t been a full gear week of work so it’s three weeks, really, that are left for those in contention to make their final pushes before the end of the year.
The Golden Globe nominations are happening on December 9; Critics Choice is three days later on December 12; the SAG nominations are on January 8; and the Oscars make their announcement in just two months, on January 17. So this is a critical period for those seeking nominations and that’s why the Academy’s Governors Awards, held last night, have become a major stop on the campaign circuit. Almost all of the actors in the race this year, and it’s looking competitive across the board, were in attendance.
Almost.
The frontrunner in the Best Actor category right now is Ralph Fiennes for his performance in Conclave. Ralph has turned up for the premieres but has largely stayed off the campaign trail. His team’s campaign strategy seems to be that he’s the “overdue” candidate of the year and should be nominated based on the strength of his work in this film and over the course of his career. I can’t wait for social media to realise that his name is pronounced “Rafe” and not “Ralph” all over again.
Late last week, Variety released its updated prediction for Best Actor nominees and Ralph is the oldest among them, with Timothée Chalamet the youngest. Timmy, of course, is in contention for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. He also skipped the Governors Awards, likely because he’s shooting Marty Supreme, but the first screenings of A Complete Unknown are happening this coming Wednesday and given how viral he always is, get ready for the social media hype to start when first reactions are posted as soon as people have seen the film.
You know who’s been on this campaign the longest though? Colman Domingo. He is extraordinary in Sing Sing, which actually premiered at TIFF over a year ago in September 2023. Colman was actually at the Oscars as a nominee for the 2023/24 season for his work in Rustin and Sing Sing was released rather quietly this past summer. It does not have the benefit of being super top of mind like the other contenders in this category so, unlike Ralph, he’s had to show up at everything to keep up the momentum.
As usual, Colman was serving last night at the Governors Awards even though it’s a more muted look than some of his previous appearances. In general it seemed like most of the contenders dialed it back slightly for this event, because you don’t want to show up with peacock energy at an event for lifetime achievement honorees like Quincy Jones. Click here and here to watch Rashida Jones accept the honourary Oscar on behalf of her dad.
It occurred to me while writing this that Colman has never hosted Saturday Night Live. I wonder if he has time in his schedule between now and the Oscars to make his SNL debut. He was actually asked last night on the carpet about the now fan favourite “Domingo” sketch that was started by Ariana Grande and continued this past weekend when Charli XCX hosted.
@hollywoodreporter at the #oscars governorsawards, #colmandomingo jokes that the #snl #domingo sketches are inspired by him #saturdaynightlive
♬ original sound - The Hollywood Reporter
Colman is booked and busy. He has at least four projects in development, and two projects in post, including the Michael Jackson biopic coming next year, in which he plays Joe Jackson, so it’s not like he has a lot of time. But I’m so curious to see how the writers would meet the challenge of having an actual Domingo do “Domingo”.
Yours in gossip,
Lainey