Johnny Depp finally received his first Golden Globe trophy after 7 previous nominations fell through when the recipients for the annual awards were announced on Jan 13 at The Beverley Hilton hotel in Beverley Hills, California (Jan 14 morning, Singapore)
The two-time Academy Award nominee was recognised in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedycategory for his performance in his latest collaboration with renowned director, Tim Burton, and his first musical role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The film, which opens in Singapore theatres on Jan 31, was also named Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
This is Depp’s 5th consecutive Golden Globe nomination since 2004 and 8th overall. He was previously nominated in the same Musical or Comedy category for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2007), Ed Wood (1995), Benny & Joon (1994) and Edward Scissorhands (1991), as well as Finding Neverland (2005) in the category of Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
The winners for this year’s awards were announced in a 30-minute news conference attended by more than 600 journalists internationally. Entertainment journalists, Lara Spencer of The Insider, Brooke Anderson of CNN, Jim Moret of Inside Edition, Giuliana Rancic of E! News Daily, Dayna Devonof Extra, and Mary Hart of Entertainment Tonight took turns to open the envelopes instead of the usual glitzy celebs who ruled the ceremony.
The conference was held in replacement of the traditional formal dinner ceremony due to the ongoing Writer’s Guild strike, which is in its 13th week.
“We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony [could] not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide [were] deprived of seeing many of their favourite stars celebrating 2007’s outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television,” said Jorge Camara, President of The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), in an official statement.
The HFPA organises the annual awards, which celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, and selects the nominees and winners. “We take some comfort, however, in knowing that this year’s Golden Globe Award recipients [were] announced on the date originally scheduled.”
British director, Joe Wright’s Atonement, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, earned top honours for Best Motion Picture – Drama, beating hot favourites, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, which have been sweeping major precursor awards to the Oscars in the last month, including the Critic’s Choice Awards, the National Board of Review Awards and the National Society of Film Critics Awards.
No Country, however, took home the Best Screenplay trophy for writers and directors, Joel and Ethan Coen (also known as The Coen Brothers), as well as Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Spanish star, Javier Bardem
There Will Be Blood’s lead actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, and Julie Christie earned her first Golden Globe for Best Actress (Drama) for her turn as a wife suffering from Alzheimer’s in Away From Her.
France nabbed 3 of the 14 motion picture awards with The Diving Bell And The Butterfly earning Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director honours – a feat no other foreign language film has been able to achieve since Ang Lee’s win in both categories for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2001.
French actress, Marion Cotillard, won Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her portrayal of the late French pop singer, Edith Piaf, in La Vie En Rose.
But Cotillard wasn’t the only recipient who won for a biographical portrayal. Oscar winner, Cate Blanchett, was named Best Supporting Actress for her turn as Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There.
In the television field, AMC’s new series, Mad Men, earned honours for Best Television Series (Drama) and Best Actor in a Drama Series for its star, Jon Hamm.
Damages’ Glenn Close emerged champion in the fiercely competitive Best Actress in a Drama Series race against 6 other actresses – Oscar and Emmy winner Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters), Oscar winner Holly Hunter (Saving Grace), Oscar nominee Minnie Driver (The Riches), Emmy winner Patricia Arquette (Medium), and previous winners for this award Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) and Edie Falco (The Sopranos).
Under the Musical or Comedy categories, British sitcom, Extras, picked up the award for Best Television Series while David Duchovny (Californication) and Tina Fey (30 Rock) received Best Actor and Actress honours respectively.
The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the HFPA – an organisation comprised of journalists covering the United States film industry. It’s considered a strong guide to predicting the nominees and winners for the Oscars – motion pictures’ highest accolade – and is one of the few awards which honour both motion picture and television series.
What follows is the nominations list for the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards (winners are in bold and marked with an ***):
Best Motion Picture – Drama
American Gangster
***Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
***Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy – Atonement
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington – American Gangster
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
***Julie Christie – Away From Her
Jodie Foster – The Brave One
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson’s War
Hairspray
Juno
***Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
***Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling – Lars And The Real Girl
Tom Hanks – Charlie Wilson’s War
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Savages
John C. Reily – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams – Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky – Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
***Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page – Juno
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Cassey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
***Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War
John Travolta – Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
***Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
Julia Roberts – Charlie Wilson’s War
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
Best Director – Motion Picture
Tim Burton – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Joel and Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men
***Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Ridley Scott – American Gangster
Joe Wright – Atonement
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Diablo Cody – Juno
***Ethan and Joel Coen – No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton – Atonement
Ronald Harwood – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin – Charlie Wilson’s War
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Clint Eastwood – Grace Is Gone
Alberto Iglesias – The Kite Runner
***Dario Marianelli – Atonement
Howard Shore – Eastern Promises
Michael Brook, Kaki King & Eddie Vedder – Into The Wild
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Despedida” – Love In The Time Of Cholera
“Grace Is Gone” – Grace Is Gone
*** “Guaranteed” – Into The Wild
“That’s How You Know” – Enchanted
“Walk Hard” – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Best Animated Feature
Bee Movie
***Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks, And 2 Days (Romania)
***The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France/United States)
The Kite Runner (United States)
Lust, Caution(Taiwan)
Persepolis(France)
Best Television Series – Drama
Big Love
Damages
Grey’s Anatomy
House
***Mad Men
The Tudors
Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Michael C. Hall – Dexter
***Jon Hamm – Mad Men
Hugh Laurie – House
Bill Paxton – Big Love
Jonathan Rhys Meyers – The Tudors
Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Patricia Arquette – Medium
***Glenn Close – Damages
Minnie Driver – The Riches
Edie Falco – The Sopranos
Sally Field – Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter – Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
***Extras
Pushing Daisies
Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock
Steve Carell – The Office
***David Duchovny – Californication
Ricky Gervais – Extras
Lee Pace – Pushing Daisies
Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate – Samantha Who?
America Ferrera – Ugly Betty
***Tina Fey – 30 Rock
Anna Friel – Pushing Daisies
Mary-Louise Parker – Weeds
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
The Company
Five Days
***Longford
The State Within
Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Adam Beach – Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Ernest Borgnine – A Grandpa For Christmas
***Jim Broadbent – Longford
Jason Isaacs – The State Within
James Nesbitt – Jekyll
Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bryce Dallas Howard – As You Like It
***Queen Latifah – Life Support
Debra Messing – The Starter Wife
Sissy Spacek – Pictures Of Hollis Woods
Ruth Wilson – Jane Eyre
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ted Danson – Damages
Kevin Dillon – Entourage
***Jeremy Piven – Entourage
Andy Serkis – Longford
William Shatner – Boston Legal
Donald Sutherland – Dirty Sexy Money
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Rose Byrne – Damages
Rachel Griffiths – Brothers & Sisters
Katherine Heigl – Grey’s Anatomy
***Samantha Morton – Longford
Anna Paquin – Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Jaime Pressly – My Name Is Earl