Golden Globes

Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, Mickey Rourke, Sally Hawkins, Colin Farrell Big Winners at 2009 Golden Globes

BrianTT — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:03:37 -0700

CHICAGO – The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards were held Sunday night and “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “Mad Men,” “John Adams,” and “30 Rock” were the big winners from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The HFPA spread the wealth around to a variety of talented actors including Heath Ledger, Sally Hawkins, Anna Paquin, Laura Dern, Laura Linney, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Tina Fey, Colin Farrell, Mickey Rourke, and Kate Winslet, twice.

Golden Globe Statuette
Photo credit: Chris Haston

“Slumdog Millionaire” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” won the two Best Picture awards, with the former taking away the most Golden Globes overall with four. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association chose “Mad Men” and “30 Rock” as the best television series on the air, giving the latter the most regular series awards with three. HBO’s “John Adams” tied “Slumdog Millionaire” for the most awards with four. Only “Adams,” “Slumdog,” “The Wrestler,” and “30 Rock” won more than a single award with the prizes being spread around to different films and shows.

One of the more emotional beats of the night came when director Chris Nolan accepted Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger for his amazing work in “The Dark Knight” and incredible speeches were given by Kate Winslet, Sally Hawkins, Tina Fey, Steven Spielberg, Danny Boyle, Colin Farrell, Mickey Rourke, and Tracy Morgan, accepting Best Comedy for “30 Rock”.

HBO destroyed on the TV side of the awards, winning all the major dramatic acting awards, as their “True Blood,” “In Treatment,” “John Adams,” and “Recount” were all given trophies before another network even took home their first prize. When the comedy awards came up, it was a clean sweep for “30 Rock,” winning best actor, actress, and comedy series. The dramatic awards were more spread out with “Mad Men” taking series, but “In Treatment” and “True Blood” winning the acting awards.

Winner Kate Winslet for Best Supporting Actress in “The Reader” on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

On the film side, “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “Revolutionary Road,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Reader,” “Happy-Go-Lucky,” “In Bruges,” and “The Wrestler” were all recipients of major awards, adding fuel to their various Oscar campaigns.

The night opened with Jennifer Lopez presenting the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture to Kate Winslet in “The Reader,” who beat Amy Adams and Viola Davis in “Doubt,” Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler”, and Penelope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. With a stunning seven nominations in her Golden Globe history, including two this year, Winslet’s win was the first of her amazing career (but not the last of the night). She gave a humble speech and looked absolutely amazing. Winslet is clearly the frontrunner for the equivalent Oscar, another award she has never won.

Sting presented the Best Song award to Bruce Springsteen for his excellent contribution to Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler”. He had one of the best lines of the night when he said, “This is the only time I’m gonna be in competition with Clint Eastwood. Felt pretty good, too.”

Simon Baker of “The Mentalist” and Eva Longoria of “Desperate Housewives” kicked off the awards for TV by giving Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie to Tom Wilkinson for playing Ben Franklin in HBO’s “John Adams,” beating Neil Patrick Harris for “How I Met Your Mother,” Denis Leary for “Recount,” Jeremy Piven for “Entourage,” and Blair Underwood for “In Treatment”. It was Wilkinson’s first win.

Winner Tom Wilkinson, Best Supporting Actor in Mini-Series or TV Movie “John Adams” on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

The same presenters gave HBO another prize when they handed Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie to Laura Dern for “Recount,” beating Eileen Atkins for “Cranford,” Melissa George for “In Treatment,” Rachel Griffiths for “Brothers & Sisters,” and Dianne Wiest for “In Treatment”. Dern dedicated her award to the people who voted for “change in this country” in the last presidential election.

Hayden Panettiere and Zac Efron gave the TV award for Best Actor in a TV Series - Drama to Gabriel Byrne for his brilliant work on “In Treatment”. Byrne, who could not attend, beat Jon Hamm from “Mad Men,” Hugh Laurie from “House,” Jonathan Rhys Meyers for “The Tudors,” and Michael C. Hall for “Dexter”.

The equivalent actress award went to Anna Paquin in “True Blood”. The first-year series star beat Sally Field in “Brothers & Sisters,” January Jones in “Mad Men,” Kyra Sedgwick in “The Closer,” and Mariska Hargitay in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”. If you’re keeping track, all four acting awards for dramatic television went to HBO and for four different series or movies. It was an amazing night for the network that was just getting started.

The Jonas Brothers gave “WALL-E” the award for Best Animated Feature Film, beating “Bolt” and “Kung Fu Panda”. The winner for Best Motion Picture or Mini-Series Made for Television continued the run for HBO and created the first multiple award winner as “John Adams” beat “Raisin in the Sun,” “Bernard and Dorris,” “Cranford,” and “Recount”.

Anna Paquin, Winner of Best Actress: TV Series Drama for “True Blood” on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

Johnny Depp gave Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy to Sally Hawkins for “Happy-Go-Lucky,” beating out Meryl Streep for “Mamma Mia!,” Emma Thompson for “Last Chance Harvey,” Rebecca Hall for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” and Frances McDormand for “Burn After Reading”. The delightful Hawkins was clearly surprised and stunned at her win and gave arguably the most charming speech of the night.

Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture went, as expected, to Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight,” beating Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder,” Ralph Fiennes in “The Duchess,” and Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt”. Director Christopher Nolan accepted the award, which was greeted with an almost-immediate standing ovation.

Best Foreign Language Film went to Israel’s “Waltz With Bashir,” beating Germany’s “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” “Everlasting Moments” from Sweden/Denmark, Italy’s “Gomorra,” and France’s “I’ve Loved You So Long”.

Back to the TV award, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart gave Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television to Laura Linney to “John Adams,” making it three awards for the film. She beat Judi Dench in “Cranford,” Catherine Keener in “An American Crime,” Shirley MacLaine in “Coco Chanel,” and Susan Sarandon in “Bernard and Doris”. Six TV awards into the evening and HBO was the only network that had won a single prize.

Alec Baldwin, winner Best Actor in TV Series Musical or Comedy 30 Rock on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen gave the first big award of the night to “Slumdog Millionaire,” giving Simon Beaufoy the award for Best Screenplay, beating “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” and “The Reader”.

Bouncing back and forth between film and television, the next award was Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, which went to Alec Baldwin in “30 Rock”. Baldwin predictably beat Steve Carell from “The Office,” Kevin Connolly from “Entourage,” David Duchovny in “Californication,” and Tony Shalhoub from “Monk”.

Terence Howard and Megan Fox gave the award for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie to, as widely expected by this point, Paul Giamatti in “John Adams,” making it a clean sweep for the mini-series, winning a stunning four awards. Giamatti beat Kiefer Sutherland in “24: Redemption,” Tom Wilkinson and Kevin Spacey in “Recount,” and Ralph Fiennes in “Bernard and Doris”. It was the great Giamatti’s first win at the Golden Globes.

“30 Rock” won the prize for Best TV Comedy again, beating “Californication,” “Entourage,” “The Office,” and “Weeds”.

“Slumdog Millionaire” would take home its second prize of the night when Kate Beckinsale and Sean Combs gave A.R. Rahman the trophy for Best Score. Rahman beat the much more widely known composers, Alexandre Desplat for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Clint Eastwood for “Changeling,” James Newton Howard for “Defiance,” and Hans Zimmer for “Frost/Nixon”.

Danny Boyle, winner Best Director of Motion Picture Slumdog Millionaire on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

David Duchovny and Kane Krakowski gave Best Actress in a TV Comedy to, predictably, Tina Fey in “30 Rock”. Fey beat Christina Applegate for “Samantha Who?,” America Ferrera for “Ugly Betty,” Debra Messing for “The Starter Wife,” and Mary Louise Parker for “Weeds”. “30 Rock” had swept the comedy awards, winning best actor, actress, and series, all choices hard to argue with although it might have been nice to spread the wealth a bit. Fey gave a great speech, taking jabs at the people who had criticized her online.

Steven Spielberg accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement from Martin Scorsese, an old friend and, as Spielberg said, “inspiration”. As the clip reel of Spielberg’s work made crystal clear, if anyone deserves a lifetime achievement award it is Steven Spielberg.

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson presented best director to Danny Boyle for “Slumdog Millionaire,” beating Stephen Daldry for “The Reader,” David Fincher for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Ron Howard for “Frost/Nixon,” and Sam Mendes for “Revolutionary Road”.

The most surprising win of the night, by far, came when Sandra Bullock gave Best Actor in a Comedy to Colin Farrell for “In Bruges”. The very gracious and surprised Farrell beat his co-star in the film, Brendan Gleeson, Dustin Hoffman for “Last Chance Harvey,” James Franco for “Pineapple Express,” and Javier Bardem in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.

Sacha Baron Cohen cracked about the end of Madonna’s marriage before giving Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy to Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” beating “Burn After Reading,” “In Bruges,” “Mamma Mia!,” and “Happy-Go-Lucky”. Sadly, Woody didn’t appear to accept the award himself.

Mickey Rourke, winner Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama The Wrestler on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

Mark Wahlberg and Cameron Diaz presented Kate Winslet with her second award of the night for “Revolutionary Road,” beating Anne Hathaway for “Rachel Getting Married,” Angelina Jolie for “Changeling,” Kristin Scott Thomas for “I’ve Loved You So Long,” and Meryl Streep for “Doubt”. The clearly stunned Winslet was speechless, repeating “thank you so much” and crying. It took seven nominations for Kate Winslet to win two awards in one night.

After what was clearly now just a technical error in favor of Anne Hathaway earlier this week, most expected her to win, making the Winslet announcement that much more surprising.

Blake Lively and Rainn Wilson presented the award for Best Television Series - Drama to “Mad Men,” beating “Dexter,” “House,” “In Treatment,” and “True Blood”. A predictable but deserving win.

Susan Sarandon appeared to present Best Actor in a Drama, which went to Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler”. Rourke beat out Sean Penn in “Milk,” Leonardo DiCaprio in “Revolutionary Road,” Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon,” and Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. Rourke was humbled and happy to win. He thanked, among others, Axl Rose, Bruce Springsteen, and his dogs. Someone give this man an Oscar.

Not surprisingly, “Slumdog Millionaire” closed the night with a win for Best Drama, presented by Tom Cruise. The excellent film beat “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “The Reader,” and “Revolutionary Road”.

See the full list of 2009 Golden Globe winners in list form.
Read about Anne Hathaway’s early, accidental Golden Globe snafu.
Read more Golden Globes articles on HollywoodChicago.com.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Anne Hathaway ‘Randomly,’ Inadvertently Awarded Early Golden Globe For ‘Rachel Getting Married’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:10:11 -0700

CHICAGO – At least one “Web site technician” for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) revealed a secret crush on Anne Hathaway’s lead role in “Rachel Getting Married” when the worker “randomly” awarded the actress an early Golden Globe two days before the official NBC telecast.

For a very short period of time, a star was noticed indicating Hathaway as the winner on the official Web site of the Golden Globes for her against-type role as a recovering junkie in “Rachel Getting Married”.

If the star stands, she’d best a powerhouse of other actresses in the lead-actress category including Angelina Jolie for “Changeling,” Meryl Streep for “Doubt,” Kristin Scott Thomas for “I’ve Loved You So Long” and Kate Winslet for “Revolutionary Road”.

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married”.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Quickly after the snafu went public, the HFPA posted the following whoopsie notice on Jan. 9, 2008 on its Web site:

In the process of preparing for Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, a technician working on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Web site made a mistake and a name of a nominee was randomly marked as a winner. The mistake was immediately corrected.

The ballots are tabulated by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. Only four executives of the accounting firm know the identity of the winners before the envelopes are opened and recipients are announced during the live telecast.

No one else – including the members of the HFPA – knows who the winners are prior to the live announcement.

The 66th-annual Golden Globes will air on NBC at 8 p.m. EST on Jan. 11, 2009. The full official list of Golden Globe nominees can be found below.

Read the official results of the 66th-annual Golden Globes.
Read more HollywoodChicago.com articles on the Golden Globes.

Best Motion Picture, Drama
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“The Reader”
“Revolutionary Road”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”
Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Burn After Reading”
“Happy-Go-Lucky”
“In Bruges”
“Mamma Mia!”
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”
Meryl Streep, “Mamma Mia!”
Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”
James Franco, “Pineapple Express”
Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”
Dustin Hoffman, “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise, “Tropic Thunder”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Ralph Fiennes, “The Duchess”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Animated Feature Film
“Bolt”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Wall-E”

Best Foreign Language Film
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” (Germany)
“Everlasting Moments” (Sweden, Denmark)
“Gomorrah” (Italy)
“I’ve Loved You So Long” (France)
“Waltz With Bashir” (Israel)

Best Director, Motion Picture
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Sam Mendes, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (written by Eric Roth)
“Doubt” (written by John Patrick Shanley)
“Frost/Nixon” (written by Peter Morgan)
“The Reader” (written by David Hare)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (written by Simon Beaufoy)

Best Original Score, Motion Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (composed by Alexandre Desplat)
“Changeling” (composed by Clint Eastwood)
“Defiance” (composed by James Newton Howard)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (composed by A. R. Rahman)
“Frost/Nixon” (composed by Hans Zimmer)

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Down to Earth,” “WALL-E” (lyrics by Peter Gabriel)
“Gran Torino,” “Gran Torino” (lyrics by Jamie Cullum)
“I Thought I Lost You,” “Bolt” (music/lyrics by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele)
“Once in a Lifetime,” “Cadillac Records” (music/lyrics by Beyoncé Knowles, etc.)
“The Wrestler,” “The Wrestler” (music/lyrics by Bruce Springsteen)

Best Television Series, Drama
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“House” (FOX)
“In Treatment” (HBO)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“True Blood” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order”
January Jones, “Mad Men” (AMC)
Anna Paquin, “True Blood” (HBO)
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men” (AMC)
Hugh Laurie, “House” (FOX)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors” (Showtime)

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“Californication” (Showtime)
“Entourage” (HBO)
“The Office” (NBC)
“Weeds” (Showtime)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?” (ABC)
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty” (ABC)
Tina Fey, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife” (USA)
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds” (Showtime)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Steve Carell, “The Office” (NBC)
Kevin Connolly, “Entourage” (HBO)
David Duchovny, “Californication” (Showtime)
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk” (USA)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“A Raisin in the Sun” (ABC)
“Bernard and Doris” (HBO)
“Cranford” (PBS)
“John Adams” (HBO)
“Recount” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench, “Cranford” (PBS)
Catherine Keener, “An American Crime”
Laura Linney, “John Adams” (HBO)
Shirley MacLaine, “Coco Chanel”
Susan Sarandon, “Bernard and Doris” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes, “Bernard and Doris” (HBO)
Paul Giamatti, “John Adams” (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, “Recount” (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland, “24” (FOX)
Tom Wilkinson, “Recount” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins, “Cranford” (PBS)
Laura Dern, “Recount” (HBO)
Melissa George, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
Denis Leary, “Recount” (HBO)
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage” (HBO)
Blair Underwood, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams” (HBO)

Read the official results of the 66th-annual Golden Globes.
Read more HollywoodChicago.com articles on the Golden Globes.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Family of Heath Ledger Responds to ‘The Dark Knight’ Golden Globe Nomination

BrianTT — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:11:00 -0700

CHICAGO – Heath Ledger’s searing performance as The Joker in “The Dark Knight” has been earning acclaim all year and the late actor landed a posthumous Golden Globe nomination this morning when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association revealed their choices for the best of 2008.

The family of Ledger responded this morning with a statement republished by People Magazine. The father of the nominee for best performance by an actor in a supporting role said, “We thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for honoring Heath’s performance in The Dark Knight.”

Kim Ledger went on to say, “This nomination is deeply appreciated and is not lost on those of us who continue to love and miss him. We are so proud our boy’s work is being recognized in this way.”

Heath Ledger stars as the Joker in “The Dark Knight”.
Photo credit: Warner Bros., copyright DC Comics

To win the posthumous Golden Globe award, Heath Ledger will have to beat both Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. from “Tropic Thunder”, Ralph Fiennes from “The Duchess”, and Philip Seymour Hoffman for “Doubt”. The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be broadcast live on NBC at 8 p.m. EST on January 11th from the Beverly Hilton.

Heath Ledger passed away on January 22nd from an accidental overdoe of prescription drugs in his New York apartment.

Heath Ledger has already been nominated for best actor for “The Dark Knight” from The Australian Film Institute and supporting actor from the Golden Satellite Awards. This morning’s Golden Globe nomination is the second for Ledger with the HFPA choosing him for his work in “Brokeback Mountain” in 2005, a nomination echoed by the Academy Awards that year.

Read about all of the Golden Globe nominees.

Get the details on the Dark Knight Blu-Ray release.

Check out Adam Fendelman’s Five-Star Review of The Dark Knight.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

66th Golden Globes Emphasize Star Power With Film Nominations

BrianTT — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:25:34 -0700

CHICAGO – The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the nominees for The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards this morning and jaws dropped at some of their choices and some of their exclusions. Somewhat surprisingly, “The Dark Knight” was left out of the Best Picture category, but far more shockingly, “Milk” was also off the short list. Both films did get a single acting nomination - for Heath Ledger and Sean Penn, respectively - but the confusing awards season was made increasingly more so this morning by the HFPA.

The big films of the year for the HFPA were “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Doubt”, and “Frost/Nixon”, all of which landed five nominations. “The Reader”, “Revolutionary Road”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” all followed with four nods a piece.

Regarding the nominations for “Benjamin Button”, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement, “We’re thankful to the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing our film with these nominations. Throughout the journey to make this movie, Benjamin Button has been a labor of love for all of us, and particularly David, who brought so much of himself to the story. We’re tremendously proud of the film and the work of Cate, Brad and the wonderful cast and crew, and delighted to be honored with this nomination.”

Stars like Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr., Meryl Streep, Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and even Mickey Rourke will all walk the red carpet as film nominees. A pair of fantastic actresses landed two nominations with Meryl Streep picking up nods for “Doubt” and “Mamma Mia!” with Kate Winslet up for two with her turns in “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader”.

Winslet was ecstatic about her double nominations and the success of her pictures, saying through a statement, “Playing April Wheeler and Hannah Schmitz, two strong and complex characters was a true gift. To be recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for both performances is a genuine honor and I am incredibly grateful. I am forever thankful to my husband Sam Mendes, Leo and fellow cast members and for Justin’s beautiful script. I am equally proud to share this day with Stephen Daldry and David Hare.”

On the dramatic side of the nominations, “Milk” and “The Dark Knight” were replaced by somewhat surprising nominees “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road” for Best Picture (Drama), alongside the more expected choices of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Frost/Nixon”, and “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Many of the Best Picture nominees were represented in the acting choices with both stars of “Revolutionary Road”, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, making the top five in their respective categories. Brad Pitt for “Benjamin Button” and Frank Langella for “Frost/Nixon” will compete with DiCaprio along with Sean Penn in “Milk” and Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler”. Winslet will go up against Streep in “Doubt”, Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married”, Angelina Jolie in “Changeling”, and Kristin Scott Thomas in “I’ve Loved You So Long”.

Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” was clearly well-liked by the HFPA, awarding the film nominations for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical), Javier Bardem for Best Actor in a Comedy, Rebecca Hall for Best Actress, and Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress. “Vicky” will compete with “Burn After Reading”, “Happy-Go-Lucky”, “In Bruges”, and “Mamma Mia!” for the big prize.

Javier Bardem released a statement through The Weinstein Company and said, “I am very happy to receive such support from the HFPA and truly thankful to Mr. Allen for allowing me the amazing experience of working with him and such an outstanding cast”

Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins in the provocative drama from director Clint Eastwood, “Changeling”.
Photo credit: Tony Rivetti, Jr. Copyright: © 2008 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Two actors from “In Bruges”, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason, will compete with Bardem for Best Actor with James Franco in “Pineapple Express” and Dustin Hoffman in “Last Chance Harvey”. Hall will have to beat Sally Hawkins in “Happy-Go-Lucky”, Frances McDormand in “Burn After Reading”, Streep in “Mamma Mia!”, and Emma Thompson in “Last Chance Harvey” to take home the Golden Globe.

Hawkins spoke out after her nod, saying in a statement, “Wow, wow, wow – what a surprise, I cannot describe how I feel, so appreciative of it all and so very pleased!! Such an honor to be in the same category as Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson. They are great, iconic women that I’ve watched for years – they have definitely inspired and influenced me in my decision to pursue acting. So proud to be in this film and having the chance again to work with Mike Leigh. These past couple of days have been a whirlwind but I am feeling quite lucky and blessed at the moment.”

Supporting nominees included a shocking nomination for Tom Cruise in “Tropic Thunder”, Robert Downey Jr. in the same movie, Ralph Fiennes in “The Duchess”, Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt”, and Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight”. Cruise was funny in “Thunder” but nominating him over Eddie Marsan or any of the acclaimed supporting cast in “Milk” was the biggest shock of the morning. On the actress side, Penelope Cruz will compete with Amy Adams and Viola Davis in “Doubt”, Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler”, and Kate Winslet in “The Reader”.

Both of the “Doubt” ladies had something to say about their supporting nods with Amy Adams revealing in a statement, “I am so honored to be nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Doubt along with John Patrick Shanley, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Viola Davis. Helping to bring John’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play to the screen was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.”

Viola Davis added, “I cannot even believe it! I feel so blessed and grateful to the HFPA for honoring my work. It’s more than I have ever dreamed. First working with Meryl, Phillip, Amy and John and now THIS!! Thank you! Thank you!”

The nominees for Best Director mirrored the nominees for Best Picture (Drama) and left Christopher Nolan and Gus Van Sant without a chance to win - Danny Boyle for “Slumdog Millionaire”, Stephen Daldry for “The Reader”, David Fincher for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, Ron Howard for “Frost/Nixon”, and Sam Mendes for “Revolutionary Road”.

David Fincher said in a statement, “I would like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Kathy Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Cean Chaffin, Paramount and Warner Bros. for allowing me to make this movie that I’ve wanted to make for so many years. I am indebted to the entire cast and crew, and so pleased with this acknowledgment of everyone’s hard work and love for the movie. A special thanks to the people of New Orleans for embracing the production and giving us so much support and inspiration.”

Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn.
Photo credit: Andrew Schwartz/Miramax Film Corp

The nominees for Best Foreign Language Film are “The Baader Meinhof Complex”, “Everlasting Moments”, “Gomorrah”, “I’ve Loved You So Long”, and “Waltz With Bashir”.

The screenplays in competition are close to the same as Best Picture (Drama) with one change - “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Doubt”, “Frost/Nixon”, “The Reader”, and “Slumdog Millionaire”.

TV nominees for the Golden Globes were a lot more predictable with “30 Rock” and “Mad Men” leading the comedy and dramatic sides with relatively few newcomers. HBO’s “True Blood”, nominated for Best Drama, was the only freshman candidate in the Best Drama category. “Entourage”, “In Treatment”, “Recount”, “Californication”, “The Office”, “Weeds”, “Dexter”, and “House” were all nominated as well.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Golden Globe Telecast Canceled; Awards Become Highest-Profile Casualty of Writer’s Strike

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:11:02 -0700

CHICAGO – The organizers of the 2008 Golden Globe Awards on Monday announced the cancellation of its telecast. The move earned the title of the highest-profile casualty of the writer’s strike.

Following last week’s declaration to protest the event in defense of striking WGA writers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and NBC on Monday said the typically high-profile telecast will be substituted with a mere press conference. The HFPA on Monday issued the following statement in explanation:

America Ferrara at the Golden Globe Awards.
Photo credit: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association [on Monday] announced that the recipients of Golden Globe Awards in 25 categories will be revealed during an hour-long HFPA press conference at the Beverly Hilton to be covered live by NBC News beginning at 6 pm PST on Jan. 13.

The 65th-annual Golden Globe Awards NBC telecast and champagne dinner in the Beverly Hilton’s international ballroom is officially cancelled.

“We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony will not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favorite stars celebrating 2007’s outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television,” said HFPA President Jorge Camara.

“We take some comfort, however, in knowing that this year’s Golden Globe Award recipients will be announced on the date originally scheduled.”

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com