Film awards season kicks into high gear

Golden Globe nominations announced

Beverly Hills, Calif. ? Everyone in Hollywood says the Golden Globes are an honor in their own right. But for film contenders, they’re just another trophy if they don’t lead to an Academy Award.

Tuesday’s Globe nominations solidified the Oscar field. The cowboys-in-love drama “Brokeback Mountain” led with seven nominations, including best picture and honors for lead actor Heath Ledger, supporting actress Michelle Williams and director Ang Lee.

Smaller movies also grabbed the other four best dramatic picture nominations: George Clooney’s Edward R. Murrow tale “Good Night, and Good Luck”; Woody Allen’s infidelity drama “Match Point”; David Cronenberg’s “A History of Violence,” about a family menaced by mobsters; and Fernando Meirelles’ “The Constant Gardener,” a thriller about a diplomat investigating his wife’s murder.

Although higher-profile films like “Syriana,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” and Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” were overlooked in the best-picture race, big-studio fare can’t be counted out come Oscar nomination day on Jan. 31 said Tom O’Neil, who runs theenvelope.com, an awards Web site.

“King Kong,” which opens today, has a chance to become a “Titanic”-style critical and commercial juggernaut that sweeps to Oscar victory, especially since many in Hollywood count on that film to salvage a dismal year at the box office, O’Neil said.

“The Globes embraced our gay cowboys but spurned our American macho monkey, who may come back big time at the Oscars,” O’Neil said. “It could be the movie that saves Hollywood, and you can’t underestimate the importance of the ‘Kong’ legacy in American pop culture.”

Since they are chosen by a comparatively small group of about 90 entertainment reporters in the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the Globe nominations often recognize a less mainstream field than the Oscars, which are awarded by 5,800 actors, filmmakers and other Hollywood professionals.

Two years ago, the Golden Globes correctly predicted Oscar winners in all key categories, including Jackson’s best-picture champ “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and actors Sean Penn, Charlize Theron, Tim Robbins and Renee Zellweger.

Yet a year ago, the Globes missed the mark, picking “The Aviator” as best picture, an honor that went to “Million Dollar Baby” at the Oscars. Jamie Foxx and Hilary Swank won lead-acting Globes and went on to earn Oscars, but Globe voters chose Clive Owen and Natalie Portman of “Closer” for the supporting-actor honors, while Oscars went to Morgan Freeman for “Million Dollar Baby” and Cate Blanchett for “The Aviator.”

Still, the Globes positioned “Brokeback Mountain” as a frontrunner, though the critical favorite has an uphill trail for the Oscars, where a gay-themed film has never won top honors. The Globes will be presented Jan. 16, five days before Oscar balloting closes.

Felicity Huffman received two nominations – best dramatic actress in a film for her role as a man preparing for sex-change surgery in “Transamerica” and best actress in a TV musical or comedy for “Desperate Housewives.” Her TV co-stars Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria also were nominated, and the ABC show earned a best TV comedy bid.

Highlights of the Golden Globe nominations

Among the motion picture and television nominees for the 63rd annual Golden Globe Awards announced Tuesday in Beverly Hills, Calif:

Motion Picture
Picture, Drama: “Brokeback Mountain,” “The Constant Gardener,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “A History of Violence,” “Match Point.”
Picture, Musical or Comedy: “Mrs. Henderson Presents,” “Pride & Prejudice,” “The Producers,” “The Squid and the Whale,” “Walk the Line.”
Actress, Drama: Maria Bello, “A History of Violence”; Felicity Huffman, “Transamerica”; Gwyneth Paltrow, “Proof”; Charlize Theron, “North Country”; Ziyi Zhang, “Memoirs of a Geisha.”
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Judi Dench, “Mrs. Henderson Presents”; Keira Knightley, “Pride & Prejudice”; Laura Linney, “The Squid and the Whale”; Sarah Jessica Parker, “The Family Stone”; Reese Witherspoon, “Walk the Line.”
Actor, Drama: Russell Crowe, “Cinderella Man”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Capote”; Terrence Howard, “Hustle & Flow”; Heath Ledger, “Brokeback Mountain”; David Strathairn, “Good Night, and Good Luck.”
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Pierce Brosnan, “The Matador”; Jeff Daniels, “The Squid and the Whale”; Johnny Depp, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”; Nathan Lane, “The Producers”; Cillian Murphy, “Breakfast on Pluto”; Joaquin Phoenix, “Walk the Line.”
Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson, “Match Point”; Shirley MacLaine, “In Her Shoes”; Frances McDormand, “North Country”; Rachel Weisz, “The Constant Gardener”; Michelle Williams, “Brokeback Mountain.”
Supporting Actor: George Clooney, “Syriana”; Matt Dillon, “Crash”; Will Ferrell, “The Producers”; Paul Giamatti, “Cinderella Man”; Bob Hoskins, “Mrs. Henderson Presents.”
Director: Woody Allen, “Match Point”; George Clooney, “Good Night, and Good Luck”; Peter Jackson, “King Kong”; Ang Lee, “Brokeback Mountain”; Fernando Meirelles, “The Constant Gardener”; Steven Spielberg, “Munich.”

Television
Series, Drama: “Commander in Chief,” ABC; “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; “Lost,” ABC; “Prison Break,” Fox; “Rome,” HBO.
Actress, Drama: Patricia Arquette, “Medium”; Glenn Close, “The Shield”; Geena Davis, “Commander in Chief”; Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”; Polly Walker, “Rome.”
Actor, Drama: Patrick Dempsey, “Grey’s Anatomy”; Matthew Fox, “Lost”; Hugh Laurie, “House”; Wentworth Miller, “Prison Break”; Kiefer Sutherland, “24.”
Series, Musical or Comedy: “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO; “Desperate Housewives,” ABC; “Entourage,” HBO; “Everybody Hates Chris,” UPN; “My Name is Earl,” NBC; “Weeds,” Showtime.
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Marcia Cross, “Desperate Housewives”; Teri Hatcher, “Desperate Housewives”; Felicity Huffman, “Desperate Housewives”; Eva Longoria, “Desperate Housewives”; Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds.”
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Zach Braff, “Scrubs”; Steve Carell, “The Office”; Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; Jason Lee, “My Name is Earl”; Charlie Sheen, “Two and a Half Men.”