Manny The Movie Guy /

Dear Hollywood Foreign Press,

There’s not a whole lot of foreign-y things going on at the nominations announced this morning. Like for example, what the heck happened to "Harry Potter?" No love for one of the greatest British series ever, not to mention one of the most beloved franchises? It was just one of the best reviewed films in 2011 you know, but I guess, it’s not popular enough for the Golden Globe? Wait, the final film also broke box-office records, so that’s very popular no?

And then, why did you ignore Gary Oldman and the great "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?" His subdued performance deserves a closer look. We know you really, really love Ryan Gosling, but if you’re going to nominate the extremely talented actor, his performance in "Drive" was way better than "The Ides of March!" Watch it again!

Oh but wait, you guys probably haven’t seen "Drive" yet because judging from the nominations, it was virtually non-existent except for Albert Brooks’ truly deserving nod for Best Supporting Actor! Okay, I’ll give you that, at least you honored Brooks compared to the Screen Actors Guild Award omission!

Speaking of SAG snubs, you also forgot the legendary Vanessa Redgrave who stole the show in "Coriolanus!" The film is not as popular as "The Help," but it’s every bit as deserving.

Alright, I love that you love Madonna, I love her too! But the original score nomination for "W.E.," a movie she directed, could have easily been given to Cliff Martinez for "Drive." Because, like I said, if you watched the movie again you will understand that the score is pretty much one of the characters in the Nicolas Winding Refn film.

And then, there’s "The Muppets!" You may have heard the songs, they were pretty much part of its extensive marketing campaign, yet, the memorable tunes were ignored! What about "Life’s a Happy Song" or "Man or Muppet?" If you’re going to give a Best Song award, don’t you want to give it to a song that’s intrinsically part of the movie? After all, "The Muppets" is really about being a man or a muppet!

And I guess you’re really sick of Steven Spielberg? The icon did not get a Best Director nomination, yet, "War Horse" is part of the Best Picture race, and you even honored his "The Adventures of Tintin" for Best Animated Feature! Also, Disney/Pixar cannot be nominated every year. "Cars 2" was a big let down, but there it was, duking it out with the likes of "Arthur Christmas," "Puss in Boots," and "Rango!" But NOT "Kung Fu Panda 2," the film that dominated the Annie Awards nominations. With or without using your 3D glasses, you would have noticed that "Kung Fu Panda 2" was one of the most beautiful animated films of the year!

Way to go for proving to everyone, you will do anything for Angelina Jolie! Her under-the-radar "In the Land of Blood and Honey" received a Best Foreign Film nomination. Really, Hollywood Foreign Press?

And then there’s "The Tree of Life." One of the Oscar front-runners was ignored! Nary a nomination in sight. Terrance Malick, at least, deserved a Best Director nod.

So once again, just like last year, and the year before that, the Golden Globe nominations were full of popular people. But popularity should not be your barometer for recognition. Art should also be factored in too. Sure, you bestowed nods to one of the most artistic films of the year, "The Artist," but that doesn’t mean your awards show is significant. One word of advice: Be Relevant!

X O X O

P.S. But who are we kidding here. After all my above-mentioned gripes, I will still be watching. Maybe, you’ll pick the truly deserving "best" winners for each category. And I want to see Ricky Gervais make fun of the ceremony again. Now see, that guy is still relevant!