“Shape of Water,” Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand Advance in Oscar Race as Broadcast Critics Sideline Spielberg Movie, “Lady Bird”

You can’t say the Critics Choice Awards weren’t interesting. Hosted by Olivia Munn, the long ceremony– broadcast live from a hanger at the Santa Monica Airport– put the Oscar race into focus. Guillermo del Toro won Best Picture and Best Director for “The Shape of Water,” sending that movie into lead position for the Oscars.

This is tricky since “Shape of Water” has not produced any acting wins and it’s hard to have a Best Picture without actors. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” garnered Best Actress for Frances McDormand and Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell, neither of whom attended the ceremony.

Rockwell had a good excuse- he’s  hosting “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. McDormand just didn’t show up.

So now what? Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” needs a jolt from Oscar nominations or it’s over. Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” was ignored tonight as was Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.” Can they come back?

One strange phenomenon: Allison Janney, Best Supporting Actress for “I, Tonya,” seems to be pulling Margot Robbie along— the opposite of how it usually works. This is hurting Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf from “Lady Bird.”

If you’re voting an Oscar ballot this morning, my Best Actress choices remain Meryl Streep, Ronan, Judi Dench, McDormand, and Michelle Williams, with Jessica Chastain as a backup and then Robbie.

PS Nicole Kidman thanked “all of my children,” to rebuke criticism from the Golden Globes that she’d forgotten her older kids. A source told me she’d just spoken to daughter Bella, and that contrary to reports, all their relationships are fine.

WINNERS OF THE 23^RD ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

FILM:

BEST PICTURE – “The Shape of Water”

BEST ACTOR – Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”

BEST ACTRESS – Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS – Brooklynn Prince, “The Florida Project”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE – “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

BEST DIRECTOR – Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – Jordan Peele, “Get Out”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – James Ivory, “Call Me By Your Name”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Roger Deakins, “Blade Runner 2049”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau, Jeff Melvin, “The Shape of Water”

BEST EDITING (TIE) – Paul Machliss, Jonathan Amos, “Baby Driver”

BEST EDITING (TIE) – Lee Smith, “Dunkirk”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN – Mark Bridges, “Phantom Thread”

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP – “Darkest Hour”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – “War for the Planet of the Apes”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – “Coco”

BEST ACTION MOVIE – “Wonder Woman”

BEST COMEDY – “The Big Sick”

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY – James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY – Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”

BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE – “Get Out”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – “In The Fade”

BEST SONG – “Remember Me” from “Coco”

BEST SCORE – Alexandre Desplat, “The Shape of Water”

TELEVISION:

BEST COMEDY SERIES – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,Amazon

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES – Ted Danson,The Good Place, NBC

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES – Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES– Walton Goggins, Vice Principals, HBO

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES – Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory, CBS

BEST DRAMA SERIES – The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES – Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us, NBC

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES – Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES – David Harbour, Stranger Things, Netflix

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES– Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu

BEST LIMITED SERIES – Big Little Lies, HBO

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TV – The Wizard of Lies, HBO

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TV OR LIMITED SERIES – Ewan McGregor, Fargo, FX

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TV OR LIMITED SERIES – Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies, HBO

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TV OR LIMITED SERIES – Alexander Skarsgård, Big Little Lies, HBO

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TV OR LIMITED SERIES – Laura Dern, Big Little Lies, HBO

BEST TALK SHOW – Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ABC

BEST ANIMATED SERIES – Rick and Morty, Adult Swim

BEST UNSTRUCTURED REALITY SERIES – Born This Way, A&E

BEST STRUCTURED REALITY SERIES – Shark Tank, ABC

BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES – The Voice, NBC

BEST REALITY SHOW HOST – RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race, VH1