December 14, 2005

Brokeback Mountain Leads Golden Globe Race With Seven Nominations

By Larry Carroll, with additional reporting by Chris Harris (MTV.com

A movie-minded person might describe the lack of sunlight as Pitch Black-like, the odd silence to be similar to something out of Cast Away, or the barren streets to be reminiscent of Vanilla Sky. Indeed, as you drive across Los Angeles at 4 a.m., encountering only automobiles piloted by other journalists headed to the same destination, it's hard to not have movies on your mind.

Those particular flicks, however, are little more than reference points as one approaches the announcements for the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, held Tuesday morning (December 13) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. After the morning zombies filtered into the room, heading off to gossip circles of journalists, publicists, movie executives and hangers-on, a hush came over them all. The city slept, the crowd leaned in close, and the morning of Brokeback Mountain commenced.

The Ang Lee cowboy drama leads the Golden Globes pack with seven nominations for the annual awards, largely seen as the primary indicator of how the Oscar race will play out in the weeks to come. The big showdown of the season seems to be shaping up between Brokeback and the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, which totaled three nominations while rising to prominence as the most legitimate threat in the Globes' musical or comedy categories. A-list actor George Clooney, typically seen as a strictly commercial talent, led the morning's big surprises as his name dangled off the lips of the announcers and filtered through the crowd.

"Jorge Clooney," was actually the pronunciation used by guest announcer Mark Wahlberg, reading his friend's Best Director nomination with a sly smile. "I wanted to spice it up a bit."

Wahlberg and his co-announcers, first appearing on the blue-and-gold stage shortly after 5 a.m., seemed to present the three variations of morning consciousness. The 40-Year-Old-Virgin star Steve Carell, eager to please in a dark suit, seemed ready to put his head back on the pillow as he rocketed into his list of names without saying so much as hello. Wahlberg, working the room as if he had just walked over from last call at a bar down the street, cracked up the assembled press by greeting everyone with a "good evening." Kate Beckinsale, gorgeously attired in a long black dress and dangling diamond earrings, fell somewhere in the middle, throwing off her look with some tiny grandma-style glasses.

"After my name was read, I clearly didn't hear any other words spoken for the next 10 minutes," Carell, who was nominated for a TV acting award for his work on The Office, smiled after the announcements. "They're all winners in my book."

The nominees for Best Motion Picture seemingly capped the mainstream acceptance of Brokeback while reinforcing the highly regarded drama A History of Violence and Good Night, and Good Luck, starring, written and directed by Clooney. The Constant Gardener overcame its late-summer release to stay fresh in the minds of voters, while Match Point scored early recognition while being hailed as Woody Allen's finest film in over a decade.

"I'm always very gratified when anyone likes a movie I've done, but I can't take the credit," Allen said in response to his film, director and screenplay nominations. "It's a triumph for the cast."

The enormous and gaudy gold ballroom was packed with onlookers whose reactions could often gauge the level of surprise with the mention of each nomination. As Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) scored supporting actress nominations, a bevy of publicists hissed a half-hushed "Yesssss" to each other. The crowd woke up quickly as it picked its collective jaw off the ground, hearing the name of Will Ferrell dropped in the best supporting actor category (for The Producers). Similar gasps and glances could be seen upon the announcements of Sarah Jessica Parker (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for The Family Stone), Johnny Depp (Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Matt Dillon (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Crash).

Most of the prognosticator's expected names didn't disappoint (Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix for Walk the Line, Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain, Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Capote), and the nominations were divvied up quite evenly with the exception of Brokeback (Good Night, and Good Luck, Match Point and The Producers had four nominations each, while more than a dozen other films followed closely with three or two).

"I'm amazed and honored that we have been recognized by the [Hollywood Foreign Press Association] and especially pleased that audiences are responding to John and June's amazing music and love story," Phoenix said in a statement. "We couldn't have done it without writer/director James Mangold, whose commitment and vision inspired us all."

Hovering over the see-through microphone stand, Wahlberg read over each name, eventually arriving at that of his recent Four Brothers co-star. "Terrence Howard for Hustle & Flow, the actor smiled, before reaching over to turn off his vibrating cell phone. "I don't know who's calling me right now -- it must be Terrence Howard."

"I still don't know [who called]; I haven't checked yet," Wahlberg laughed while being interviewed after his announcing duties had concluded. "I've got to make some calls on my way to the golf course."

As for the rest of the field, one of the morning's biggest surprises was Mrs. Henderson Presents, a small film starring Judi Dench that opened recently to middling reviews but scored nominations for Dench (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy), Bob Hoskins (Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy), and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Also worth noting is the anointment of Jorge Clooney as not only a newly nicknamed superstar, but a triple threat, scoring nominations as a director and writer (Good Night, and Good Luck) as well as supporting actor (Syriana).

On the small screen, Lost once again made the short list for best dramatic television series, along with Commander in Chief, Grey's Anatomy, Prison Break, and Rome. Desperate Housewives leads the TV comedy nominees and will do battle with Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Everybody Hates Chris, My Name Is Earl and Weeds. Desperate Housewives stars Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria are all in the running for best actress in a comedy series, leaving room for just one other contender, Mary Louise Parker for Weeds.

As the eyes of the world again turned their focus elsewhere, the three stars and their well-dressed counterparts from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association wished everyone farewell - tempered with a reminder that the Globes ceremony will air live on January 16. In the lobby, flutes of champagne greeted the media, as they quickly ran past the bubbly to file their stories. "Here we go," one uttered to another, attempting to sidestep the stampede. The 2005 awards season rush has officially commenced, and a champagne stream appears to be flowing through Brokeback Mountain.

Notable categories and nominations for the 63rd annual Golden Globes:

Best Motion Picture
Brokeback Mountain
The Constant Gardener
Good Night, and Good Luck
A History of Violence
Match Point


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Maria Bello - A History of Violence
Felicity Huffman - Transamerica
Gwyneth Paltrow - Proof
Charlize Theron - North Country
Ziyi Zhang - Memoirs of a Geisha


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Russell Crowe - Cinderella Man
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
Terrence Howard - Hustle & Flow
Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
David Strathairn - Good Night, and Good Luck


Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Pride & Prejudice
The Producers
The Squid and the Whale
Walk the Line


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - 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


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - 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


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Scarlett Johansson - Match Point
Shirley MacLaine - In Her Shoes
Frances McDormand - North Country
Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams - Brokeback Mountain


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
George Clooney - Syriana
Matt Dillon - Crash
Will Ferrell - The Producers
Paul Giamatti - Cinderella Man
Bob Hoskins - Mrs. Henderson Presents


Best Director - Motion Picture
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


Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Woody Allen - Match Point
George Clooney and Grant Heslov - Good Night, and Good Luck
Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco - Crash
Tony Kushner and Eric Roth - Munich
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana - Brokeback Mountain


Best Television Series - Drama
Commander in Chief
Grey's Anatomy
Lost
Prison Break
Rome


Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Patricia Arquette - Medium
Glenn Close - The Shield
Geena Davis - Commander in Chief
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Polly Walker - Rome


Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Patrick Dempsey - Grey's Anatomy
Matthew Fox - Lost
Hugh Laurie - House
Wentworth Miller - Prison Break
Kiefer Sutherland - 24


Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
Everybody Hates Chris
My Name Is Earl
Weeds


Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Marcia Cross - Desperate Housewives
Teri Hatcher - Desperate Housewives
Felicity Huffman - Desperate Housewives
Eva Longoria - Desperate Housewives
Mary Louise Parker - Weeds


Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - 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