No Sam Elliott and more Golden Globes nomination shockers

LOS ANGELES — There’s no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to the mercurial Hollywood Foreign Press Association and its Golden Globe nominations, but this year saw a number of surprises, like the dominance of Adam McKay’s Dick Cheney film “Vice,” and a number of truly shocking exclusions.

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THEY CHOSE THE WRONG SAM

This was supposed to be Sam Elliott’s year. The veteran character actor delivered a powerful performance as Jackson Maine’s brother in “A Star Is Born,” which many still think will earn the 74-year-old his first ever Oscar nomination. But the HFPA had a different plan for the baritone-voiced Elliott (a two-time Globes nominee), and instead, surprised with a supporting actor nomination for Sam Rockwell’s turn as George W. Bush in “Vice.”

“COLD WAR” ICED OUT

Poland’s “Cold War,” one of the most highly acclaimed foreign language films of the year, was shockingly shut out of the foreign language category. There were a few locks, like Mexico’s “Roma,” from director Alfonso Cuaron, Lebanon’s “Capernaum” and even Japan’s “Shoplifters.” But Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cannes-winning romance between two mismatched people was supposed to be one as well. Belgium’s “Girl,” a Netflix film, was the surprise inclusion here. The film about a transgender girl training to be a ballerina has been the subject of some criticism for its depiction of trans people.

WHERE’S “ATLANTA”?

When it comes to television the HFPA has tended to favour the new, but many were surprised to see “Atlanta” left off the list for best television series, musical or comedy, which included such unexpected choices as “Kidding” and “The Kominsky Method.” Donald Glover scored an acting nomination for the series, however.

AND THE FEMALE DIRECTORS?

Following in the footsteps of the American Film Institute, none of the 10 films nominated for best picture (comedy/musical and drama) were directed by a woman, nor were any of the five directing nominees women. It is surprising in a year that has had acclaimed and awards buzzy films such as Marielle Heller’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” Tamara Jenkins’ “Private Life” and Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace.” Jenkins’ film, and the performances from Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn was shut out completely.

MOSTLY CRICKETS FOR “A QUIET PLACE”

John Krasinski’s celebrated mostly-silent horror sensation “A Quiet Place” got only one nomination, and a curious one at that, for Marco Beltrami’s score of all things. Krasinski was expected to be a bigger player, for director (his debut), screenwriting, and even acting alongside his wife Emily Blunt, who did get her own best actress nomination for “Mary Poppins Returns.”

CRITICAL DARLING “FIRST REFORMED” SHUT OUT

Paul Schrader’s punishing drama “First Reformed” about a protestant minister played by Ethan Hawke got a handful of Independent Spirit Award nominations, was selected by the National Board of Review and AFI as one of the top films of the year and won big at the Gotham Awards. But the film and Hawke were left out completely. The studio behind it, A24, had a difficult year in general with the Globes, securing only one nomination for Elsie Fisher’s breakout performance in the coming-of-age movie “Eighth Grade.”

NO LOVE FOR MICHAEL. B JORDAN

Michael B. Jordan had a banner year, both critically and at the box office, with his tour de force supporting performance in “Black Panther,” and then reprising his role as Adonis Creed in “Creed II.” Then again, the HFPA also snubbed him for the first “Creed” as well (Stallone won that year for the film).

THE “FIRST MAN” QUESTION REMAINS

Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong drama “First Man” remains a big awards season question mark, and the Golden Globes didn’t really help to shine a light on which way it might go. Chazelle didn’t get a nomination, nor did screenwriter Josh Singer or star Ryan Gosling. But the film did score two interesting nominations, Justin Hurwitz for his score, and Claire Foy for her supporting role as Armstrong’s wife Janet.

AN OFF YEAR FOR THE PEARSON FAMILY

NBC’s “This is Us” was conspicuously left empty handed when it came to the Globes nominations. Just last year it was up for drama series, supporting actress (Chrissy Metz), and actor (Sterling K. Brown, who won).

DYSTOPIAN SHOWING FOR ‘THE HANDMAID’S TALE’

The Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel has been an awards darling since the beginning, and even became the first streaming series to win the Golden Globe for best television series in its first year. But this year, it was left out of the drama category entirely. Elisabeth Moss got the sole nomination for the series for best actress, a prize she’s won before.

SOME HAPPY SURPRISES

Charlize Theron and Robert Redford both scored lead acting nominations for films that seemed to have slipped off the awards radar: Theron, as a stressed-out mother in “Tully,” and Redford, as a gentleman bank robber in “The Old Man and the Gun.”

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press

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Taxpayers Federation calling on BC Government to scrap failed Carbon Tax

Published on January 16, 2025

Todayville

From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation

By Carson Binda

BC Government promised carbon tax would reduce CO2 by 33%. It has done nothing.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the British Columbia government to scrap the carbon tax as new data shows the province’s carbon emissions have continued to rise, despite the oldest carbon tax in the country.

“The carbon tax isn’t reducing carbon emissions like the politicians promised,” said Carson Binda, B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Premier David Eby needs to axe the tax now to save British Columbians money.”

Emissions data from the provincial government shows that British Columbia’s emissions have risen since the introduction of a carbon tax.

Total emissions in 2007, the last year without a provincial carbon tax, stood at 65.5 MtCO2e, while 2022 emissions data shows an increase to 65.6 MtCO2e.

When the carbon tax was introduced, the B.C. government pledged that it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent.

The Eby government plans to increase the B.C. carbon tax again on April 1, 2025. After that increase, the carbon tax will add 21 cents to the cost of a litre of natural gas, 25 cents per litre of diesel and 18 cents per cubic meter of natural gas.

“The carbon tax has cost British Columbians a lot of money, but it hasn’t helped the environment as promised,” Binda said. “Eby has a simple choice: scrap the carbon tax before April 1, or force British Columbians to pay even more to heat our homes and drive to work.”

If a family fills up the minivan once per week for a year, the carbon tax will cost them $728. The carbon tax on natural gas will add $435 to the average family’s home heating bills in the 12 months after the April 1 carbon tax hike.

Other provinces, like Saskatchewan, have unilaterally stopped collecting the carbon tax on essentials like home heating and have not faced consequences from Ottawa.

“British Columbians need real relief from the costs of the provincial carbon tax,” Binda said. “Eby needs to stop waiting for permission from the leaderless federal government and scrap the tax on British Columbians.”

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The problem with deficits and debt

Published on January 13, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Jake Fuss

This fiscal year (2024/25), the federal government and eight out of 10 provinces project a budget deficit, meaning they’re spending more than collecting in revenues. Unfortunately, this trend isn’t new. Many Canadian governments—including the federal government—have routinely ran deficits over the last decade.

But why should Canadians care? If you listen to some politicians (and even some economists), they say deficits—and the debt they produce—are no big deal. But in reality, the consequences of government debt are real and land squarely on everyday Canadians.

Budget deficits, which occur when the government spends more than it collects in revenue over the fiscal year, fuel debt accumulation. For example, since 2015, the federal government’s large and persistent deficits have more than doubled total federal debt, which will reach a projected $2.2 trillion this fiscal year. That has real world consequences. Here are a few of them:

Diverted Program Spending: Just as Canadians must pay interest on their own mortgages or car loans, taxpayers must pay interest on government debt. Each dollar spent paying interest is a dollar diverted from public programs such as health care and education, or potential tax relief. This fiscal year, federal debt interest costs will reach $53.7 billion or $1,301 per Canadian. And that number doesn’t include provincial government debt interest, which varies by province. In Ontario, for example, debt interest costs are projected to be $12.7 billion or $789 per Ontarian.

Higher Taxes in the Future: When governments run deficits, they’re borrowing to pay for today’s spending. But eventually someone (i.e. future generations of Canadians) must pay for this borrowing in the form of higher taxes. For example, if you’re a 16-year-old Canadian in 2025, you’ll pay an estimated $29,663 over your lifetime in additional personal income taxes (that you would otherwise not pay) due to Canada’s ballooning federal debt. By comparison, a 65-year-old will pay an estimated $2,433. Younger Canadians clearly bear a disproportionately large share of the government debt being accumulated currently.

Risks of rising interest rates: When governments run deficits, they increase demand for borrowing. In other words, governments compete with individuals, families and businesses for the savings available for borrowing. In response, interest rates rise, and subsequently, so does the cost of servicing government debt. Of course, the private sector also must pay these higher interest rates, which can reduce the level of private investment in the economy. In other words, private investment that would have occurred no longer does because of higher interest rates, which reduces overall economic growth—the foundation for job-creation and prosperity. Not surprisingly, as government debt has increased, business investment has declined—specifically, business investment per worker fell from $18,363 in 2014 to $14,687 in 2021 (inflation-adjusted).

Risk of Inflation: When governments increase spending, particularly with borrowed money, they add more money to the economy, which can fuel inflation. According to a 2023 report from Scotiabank, government spending contributed significantly to higher interest rates in Canada, accounting for an estimated 42 per cent of the increase in the Bank of Canada’s rate since the first quarter of 2022. As a result, many Canadians have seen the costs of their borrowing—mortgages, car loans, lines of credit—soar in recent years.

Recession Risks: The accumulation of deficits and debt, which do not enhance productivity in the economy, weaken the government’s ability to deal with future challenges including economic downturns because the government has less fiscal capacity available to take on more debt. That’s because during a recession, government spending automatically increases and government revenues decrease, even before policymakers react with any specific measures. For example, as unemployment rises, employment insurance (EI) payments automatically increase, while revenues for EI decrease. Therefore, when a downturn or recession hits, and the government wants to spend even more money beyond these automatic programs, it must go further into debt.

Government debt comes with major consequences for Canadians. To alleviate the pain of government debt on Canadians, our policymakers should work to balance their budgets in 2025.