'Brokeback' breaks out in Globes derby
2005-12-14

Category Golden Globe Awards People David Cronenberg Michelle Williams Nathan Lane Marcia Cross Eva Longoria Felicity Huffman Laura Linney Paul Giamatti Sarah Jessica Parker Joaquin Phoenix Philip Seymour Hoffman Frances McDormand Peter Jackson Keira Knightley Teri Hatcher Maria Bello Heath Ledger Johnny Depp Judi Dench Rachel Weisz Russell Crowe Woody Allen Zhang Ziyi Pierce Brosnan Steven Spielberg Charlize Theron Scarlett Johansson Ang Lee Reese Witherspoon George Clooney Gwyneth Paltrow Movie Crash Match Point The Constant Gardener Transamerica The Squid and the Whale The Producers A History of Violence Syriana Capote Brokeback Mountain King Kong Good Night, And Good Luck North Country Walk the Line In Her Shoes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Cinderella Man Memoirs of a Geisha Show Grey's Anatomy Desperate Housewives Clubs Dallas Cowboys

LOS ANGELES - The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. swooned over a thwarted romance between two cowboys, bestowing seven nominations on Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" as nominations were unveiled Tuesday for the 63rd annual Golden Globe Awards.

"Brokeback" not only figured in the best motion picture drama lineup but also lassoed nominations for Heath Ledger (actor), Michelle Williams (supporting actress) and Lee.

The other nominees in the drama contest include the African-set thriller "The Constant Gardener"; "Good Night, and Good Luck," an account of Edward R. Murrow's stand against Sen. Joseph McCarthy; the murder tragedy "A History of Violence"; and "Match Point," Woody Allen's London-set tale of social striving and infidelity.

On the lighter side, the HFPA chose as its five nominees for best motion picture musical or comedy "Mrs. Henderson Presents," a romp about a nudie revue that opens during the London blitz; the romantic Jane Austen adaptation "Pride & Prejudice"; Mel Brooks' musical "The Producers"; "The Squid and the Whale," a study of a New York family split by divorce that arguably packs more drama than laughs; and "Walk the Line," a musical biography of Johnny Cash and June Carter.

But then the HFPA mixed it up further with its director choices. Four of the dramas earned nominations for their helmers -- Lee for "Brokeback," Allen for "Match Point," George Clooney for "Good Night" and Fernando Meirelles for "Gardener." But "Violence" failed to earn a nomination for David Cronenberg. Instead, the Globe voters tossed nominations to Peter Jackson for "King Kong" and Steven Spielberg for "Munich."

By the time the dust settled, "Brokeback's" nearest competitors in terms of potential trophy count were the dramas "Good Night" and "Match Point" and well as "The Producers," all scoring four nominations. While the always unpredictable HFPA -- a collection of 86 foreign correspondents -- acknowledged such big-budget year-end awards hopefuls as "Kong," "Munich" and "Memoirs of a Geisha," with two nominations each, they elevated seven indie pictures, most with budgets less than $30 million, into the top two best picture categories.

On the television side, the Globes have long been known for embracing newcomers, but this year the HFPA truly cleaned house, dispensing with many of its perennial favorites to make room for a slew of freshman shows, including multiple nominations for NBC's "My Name Is Earl," Showtime's "Weeds," HBO's "Rome" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Commander in Chief."

ABC's "Desperate Housewives" emerged as the most-nominated TV program for the second consecutive year with five nods. And this time around, even Eva Longoria cracked the inner circle, earning her seat at the table of lead comedy actress nominees alongside fellow "Housewives" Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman (a double nominee for her role in "Transamerica").

On the film front, NBC Universal scored a double whammy as its specialty division, Focus, led the pack with a commanding 12 nominations, and Universal Pictures rose above its studio competition with 10. Its closest competition was Time Warner, whose three films units, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Independent Pictures and New Line Cinema accounted for five, five and two nominations, respectively.

Although "Kong" and "Munich" failed to earn best picture nominations, Universal Pictures chairman Stacey Snider said she was confident in their eventual reception. In the case of the upcoming "Munich," she noted, "It arrived late, but it represents a huge leap forward for Steven (Speilberg) and will be recognized as brilliant and thought-provoking. It just requires time to be presented to the public."

As for "Kong," which opens Wednesday, she added, "We've never received reviews like this. And audience reactions have been great. We have every confidence it will be recognized as awards season progresses. We're really gratified by the nominations that 'Munich' and 'Kong' did receive."

With nominations also going to Universal's "The Producers" and "Cinderella Man," Snider said, "It feels like this year the Hollywood Foreign Press gave recognition to a lot of movies, spreading it all around."

Despite all the accolades falling on "Brokeback," Focus co-president David Linde said the studio will stick to its original release plan. Having opened to sold-out crowds in Los Angeles and New York, the film will move into 18 markets this weekend, with its next expansion planned for Jan. 6 after some of the bigger year-end releases have had their moment in the sun. "It's speaking to an incredibly diverse audience," Linde said, "and that bodes well for its going outside of the main markets."

In addition, "The Constant Gardener," which will be released on DVD on Jan. 10, is being rereleased this weekend in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. And Linde expects "Pride," which has grossed nearly $27 million to date, will break out of the specialty market on the strength of its nominations.

Meanwhile, the Weinstein Co., which after 74 days in business is the relative newcomer on the block even if company co-founder Harvey Weinstein is an experienced awards hand, broke out of the crowd with its seven nominations for an eclectic array of films, including "Mrs. Henderson," "Transamerica" (released with IFC Films), foreign-language nominee "The Promise" and "The Matador." The Weinstein Co. also had a hand in overseeing the campaign for "Proof," released by Miramax Films, which earned Gwyneth Paltrow a nomination.

In the best dramatic film actor category, Ledger will be facing off against three actors playing real-life figures: Russell Crowe as boxer Jim Braddock in "Cinderella Man"; Philip Seymour Hoffman as author Truman Capote in "Capote" and David Strathairn as CBS journalist Murrow in "Good Night." The fifth slot went to Terrence Howard for his performance as a small town pimp trying to break into the music business in "Hustle & Flow."

For best dramatic film actress, the nominees were Maria Bello, who plays a woman dealing with her husband's dangerous past in "A History of Violence"; Paltrow, struggling with a family history of genius and madness in "Proof"; Charlize Theron, fighting against sexual harassment in "North Country"; Ziyi Zhang, learning the arcane arts of pleasing men in "Memoirs of a Geisha"; and Huffman, playing a pre-operative transsexual reuniting with her son in "Transamerica."

Huffman was just one of several multiple nominees. Clooney scored three citations: best directing and screenwriting nominations for "Good Night" as well as a best supporting actor nomination for his CIA operative in "Syriana." Among the TV contenders, Donald Sutherland staked a claim in two races: best performance by an actor in a miniseries for his work in "Human Trafficking" and best performance by a supporting actor in a series for his role as Rep. Nathan Templeton in "Commander in Chief."

For best actor in a movie musical or comedy, the nominations were spread among Pierce Brosnan, playing a scruffy hit man in "The Matador"; Jeff Daniels as an intellectual contending with divorce in "Squid"; Johnny Depp as the eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"; Nathan Lane as a larcenous Broadway producer in "The Producers"; Cillian Murphy as a resilient cross-dresser in "Breakfast on Pluto"; and Joaquin Phoenix as singer Cash in "Walk the Line."

Phoenix's "Walk the Line" co-star Reese Witherspoon, who plays June Carter, scored a nomination in the musical/comedy actress race, where she will compete with Judi Dench as an upper-crust theater owner in "Mrs. Henderson"; Keira Knightley as a young woman flirting with marriage in "Pride"; Laura Linney as a wife in the middle of an affair in "Squid"; and Sarah Jessica Parker as a woman confronting her future in-laws in "The Family Stone."

Supporting movie actress nominees were Scarlett Johansson for "Match Point," Shirley MacLaine for "In Her Shoes," Frances McDormand for "North Country," Rachel Weisz for "Gardener" and Williams for "Brokeback."

In addition to Clooney, the supporting film actor nominees were Matt Dillon for "Crash," Will Ferrell for "The Producers," Paul Giamatti for "Cinderella Man" and Bob Hoskins for "Mrs. Henderson."

The Globe winners will be announced Jan. 16 at a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton, which will be broadcast by NBC.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter