The Oscar race has kicked off to a speedy start, with this year's Golden Globe nominations giving new talent and a few stalwarts the edge.
Familiar names appear in the best actor category, including Russell Crowe, Tom Cruise, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, and Sean Penn. Meanwhile, established performers Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman, and Charlize Theron are joined by 16-year-old Evan Rachel Wood and 19-year-old newcomer Scarlett Johansson in the best drama actress category.
Scarlett, who is nominated for her role alongside Colin Firth in Girl With A Pearl Earring, is also on the comedy shortlist for her other film, Lost In Translation. The Sofia Coppola-directed flick is one of the top-nominated films, earning five shortlists, including best director and best screenplay. Sofia, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, goes head to head with some heavyweight male counterparts for the best director, including Clint Eastwood (Mystic River), Peter Jackson (Return Of The King), Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain), and Peter Weir (Master And Commander).
Meanwhile, British humor takes the comedy categories by storm with Bend It Like Beckham, Love Actually, and the Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Helena Bonham Carter-vehicle Big Fish landing nods. For TV, Ricky Gervais is a surprise UK nominee, receiving a best actor nod for The Office.
The comedy acting categories are dominated by US names, however, including Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Jack Nicholson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Jack Black. In the comedy actress shortlists, Helen Mirren is the lone Brit, going up against familiar faces such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Diane Lane, and Diane Keaton.
There were few surprises in the best motion picture drama category, with the big-budget dramas The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, Cold Mountain, and Master And Commander receiving nominations along with the critically acclaimed Mystic River and Seabiscuit. Cold Mountain is the front-runner in the race, with a total of eight nominations.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Uma Thurman, who received a drama actress shortlist for her role in Kill Bill, was among the stars announcing the Golden Globe contenders
Photo: © PA
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Cold Mountain was the leading film with eight nominations, including acting nods for Nicole Kidman and Jude Law
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Lost In Translation's Scarlett Johansson was a double nominee for both the Sofia Coppola-directed film (above) and Girl With A Pearl Earring
