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