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Jonathan Bailey
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Sunday, January 5, 2025
Golden Men of the Moment
I wasn't planning on doing my usual Golden Globe themed posts this year, but decided at the last minute not to mess with tradition, especially with so many of the nominee's that I've covered, and uncovered over the years. When it came to entertainment in 2024, there were three men, that for me, stood out and met the moment. On television it was Cooper Koch. Both Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez were stand outs in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, but it was Koch who nabbed the Golden Globe nomination.
Koch's role as Erik was in some ways, the easier brother to sympathize with. This was demonstrated most impactfully in episode 5, The Hurt Man. The entire episode was one long take of Koch as Erik explaining the intimate details of his abuse to his lawyer, Leslie Abramson. I'd read about the scene prior to watching, and expected it to 'feel' long and repetitive, but was skillfully written and superbly acted by Koch.
Koch was also the only the lead actor to go full frontal in the series. Chavez certainly showed his fair share of skin, but Erik was visually more venerable, both emotionally, and physically in the series. No need to shed any tears for Chavez, I'm sure there are Golden Globe nominations in his future.
As a side note, if you haven't met, or seen, Cooper's equally hot, and equally gay, twin brother Payton Koch, let me introduce you with the image below.
When it comes to Challengers, for me, it was all about Art. Although I love me some Josh O'Connor, My eyes were focused on Art and actor Mike Faist. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the recent re-make of West Side Story, I did like Mike as Riff. I played Riff in high school and have an affinity for the role. Riff was also playing second fiddle to Tony.
In Challengers, Art fought hard not to play second fiddle to O'Connor's Patrick, but with Zendaya playing them both, he was hard to figure out who really came out on top. Zendaya nabbed a Golden Globe acting nom, as did the film for Best Film, comedy or musical, and best original score. Although I wish Faist would have given us a butt scene, if there was a best underwear scene, he'd be the winner for sure.
I've written before that struggle with film adaptations of plays and musicals. I admit, I'm a bit of a snob about it. I grew up listening to soundtracks, and seeing shows both life, and on TV with Great Performance on PBS. With a few exceptions, the films never match the stage versions. I don't think there was one actor and character in the film version of Into The Woods that was nearly as good as the original Broadway cast. I've said it before, but if you haven't seen the PBS version of the show, check it out!
I did, reluctantly go to the theatre to see Wicked just before Christmas. I wasn't planning on it, but I was in the minority when choosing which film to see. I'm glad, I ended up really loving it. Visually it was stunning and the actors were all great. I still prefer the Original Broadway soundtrack over the film's soundtrack, but I have to admit my prediction was wrong. I really liked Ethan Slater, (below) as Bog, ( I have an affinity for cute gingers...) and wish we'd gotten to see more of him.
When it comes to men of the moment, no one had a bigger year than Jonathan Bailey. 2024 was actually the result of several years of work which culminated with his turn as Fiyero in Wicked. Wicked is focused on the two female leads, so Fiyero, at least in Part 1, doesn't really have a large role. The highlight of course is his big number, Dancing Through Life.
I've seen many actors perform Dancing Through Life, on-line, and in person. I watched dozens when I put together my tribute to Fiyero last year. (HERE:) I featured dozens of my favorite Fiyeros, so many stage actors have played the role over the last two decades.
I think my favorite vocal of Dancing Through Life remains that from original cast member Norbert Leo Butz. My favorite visual version I think is still Aaron Tviet's stage version. Bailey met the moment though, and director John M. Chu and the costume designer certainly knew how to best capture his assets. Although they relied heavily on 'stomping' for some reason, it was still visually a great performance. I bought the digital version yesterday, and have watched it at least 3 times.
Although the film garnered several Golden Globe nominations, including one for the two lead actress's, there was not one for Bailey. Not surprising really. Bailey was certainly flirty, engaging, and sexy as hell int he role, Fiyero didn't have much of a story arc or have to show much emotional range in the first act of the show. There's a bit more drama for Fiyero in the second act. Still.... those moves in the Library do deserve a trophy of some sort!
Supporting Actor:
Borisov
Supporting Actor: Film
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Denzel Washington, Gladiator II
Culkin
Supporting Actor: Television
Tadanobu Asano, ShÅgun
Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Diego Luna, La Maquina
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Bardem
Lead Actor: Television
Male actor in a television series – Drama
Donald Glover, Mr and Mrs Smith
Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocent
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Eddie Redmayne, The Day of the Jackal
Hiroyuki Sanada, ShÅgun
Billy Bob Thornton, Landman
If you click on the actor's name above their image, you'll go to previous scenes of male skin featuring the actor on the site.
Sanada
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Danson
Male actor in a television series – Musical / Comedy
Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This
Ted Danson, A Man on the Inside
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Short & Martin
Colin Farrell, The Penguin
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer
Kevin Kline, Disclaimer
Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Ewan McGregor, A Gentleman in Moscow
Andrew Scott, Ripley
Gadd
Lead Actor in a Motion Picture
Below are the nominee's for Lead Actor in a Drama, and in a Musical or Comedy. If you click on their name above their image, you'll see previous posts with scenes of male skin that I've done on the actor on the site.
Male Actor: Drama
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig, Queer
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Male Actor: Musical or Comedy
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Hugh Grant, Heretic
Gabriel LaBelle, Saturday Night
Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness
Glen Powell, Hit Man
Sebastian Stan, A Different Man
Grant
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