The 23rd annual Critics’ Choice Awards ceremony will air live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on January 11 and excitement is building in Hollywood. It has moved back to its usual January slot and will take place four days before the Golden Globes, ushering in a busy awards season. All eyes will be on the show to see who prevails in prestigious categories like Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture. They are not exactly a predictor for the Oscars, but the awards provide an insight into which stars and films are gaining momentum at a crucial period in the calendar.
The awards are run by the Broadcast Film Critics Association – which includes 300 members, spread across TV, radio, print and online, that review films – and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, its counterpart for the television industry. The awards will be aired on The CW and BFCA president Joey Berlin said: “BFCA and BTJA are thrilled to be back on The CW, where many of our finest CCA shows were nurtured. The CW is home to some of the best shows anywhere on broadcast television, and we’re looking forward to being back in their company for years to come. The Critics’ Choice Awards show has grown to be one of the most important and star-studded in Hollywood — and perhaps the most fun. We can’t wait to gather the brightest lights in film and television together again for what is sure to be a spectacular event on January 11.”
Gaye Hirsch, The CW’s head of development, added: “As award season kicks into high gear, we’re thrilled we can bring viewers an exciting night filled with the biggest and brightest stars in Hollywood.” Sportsbooks will offer odds on the various categories in the build-up to the event, and several categories will be hotly contested.
Research 5dimes for latest odds and you will see some famous names and hit films like Dunkirk jostling for position.
The 22nd Critics’ Choice Awards proved to be a great night for La La Land, which was named Best Picture, while director Damien Chazelle took the Best Director award. That led to a surge of support for the musical heading into the Academy Awards and Chazelle and co looked to have scooped the main prize when presented Faye Dunaway read out its name. But it was revealed to be a mix up on behalf of accountancy firm PwC, which handled logistics at The Oscars, and La La Land’s team had to leave the stage to be replaced by the Moonlight gang.
The Critics’ Choice Awards did not therefore foreshadow The Oscars in the Best Picture stakes, but Chazelle did go on to win Best Director at the Academy Awards. Casey Affleck also won Best Actor in both, but Natalie Portman won Best Actress for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy, only to lose out to La La Land’s Emma Stone at The Oscars. Winning a Critics’ Choice Award is a tremendous achievement in its own right and it often predicts who will emerge victorious at The Oscars, but not always, so nobody can afford to get too carried away by the results.
This year the likes of Dunkirk, The Post and The Shape of Water are expected to fight it out for Best Picture, while Christopher Nolan is thought to be leading the race for Best Director. There have been several eye-catching performances from leading ladies, but Frances McDormand is generating a lot of buzz for her starring role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, while Gary Oldman is heavily tipped to sweep up at awards season for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.
