Source: Daily Variety
Golden Globe Awards: ""American Beauty"" Leads The Pack
By Timothy M. Gray and Bill Higgins, Daily Variety
DreamWorks Picturesí ""American Beauty"" led the race for the Golden Globes Awards with six nominations, which were announced December 20 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ""Beauty"" was trailed closely by ""The Insider"" and ""The Talented Mr. Ripley,"" with five each, and ""Being John Malkovich"" and ""The End Of The Affair,"" which scored four nominations. As was expected in a year where thereís no dominant film (as occurred two years ago with ""Titanic""), the nominations were spread over a large number of pictures. Thirty-six movies received nominations, with 18 getting one each - almost exactly the same numbers as last year, when there was also no clear front-runner. ""Itís still an open field,"" said one studio executive. ""And the smaller films are still in contention."" On the television side, HBO led the field with 18 nominations, fueled by the series ""The Sopranos"" and ""Sex And The City,"" with five apiece. 20th Century Fox TV led all production studios with eight nominations. The Globes are divided almost equally between films (13 categories) and TV (11). Due to the awardsí proximity to the Oscars, the film categories often get much more attention, since they are seen as bellwethers to the Academy Awards. However, the Globe-Oscar correlation is spotty. Last year, many Golden Globe nominees also went on to Oscar bids; but, only four of 13 Globe winners went on to win an Academy Award. (The two male acting Globe winners, Jim Carrey for ""Truman Show"" and Michael Caine for ""Little Voice,"" didnít even get Oscar nominations.) That low batting average is typical in years like 1999, when there are no clear frontrunners. For the years of ""Titanic"" and ""Forrest Gump,"" on the other hand, the correlation is much higher. Completely absent from Globe nominations was the yearís biggest boxoffice bonanza, ""Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace,"" which has raked in $918.2 million worldwide. Box office runner-up ""The Sixth Sense"" ($452 million globally) nabbed two nominations. Also ignored were such year-end award hopefuls as ""Any Given Sunday,"" ""Cradle Will Rock,"" ""Ride With the Devil,"" ""Snow Falling On Cedars,"" ""Topsy-Turvy,"" and ""Titus."" Getting only one bid apiece were ""Angelaís Ashes,"" ""Anywhere But Here,"" ""Eyes Wide Shut"" and ""The Green Mile,"" while ""Anna And The King"" scored two, both in music categories. In general, these films have also been bypassed by critics groups so far. Their Oscar momentum thus hits a speed bump, since kudos from critics and the Globes are attention-getters - a way of alerting Oscar voters to see these films before filling their ballots. Such a leg-up could prove especially helpful this year, when there is such a glut of year-end openers, with no clear-cut shoo-ins in the major categories. On the other hand, they shouldnít give up hope: Last yearís eventual best-picture winner, ""Shakespeare In Love,"" won a Globe, but was pretty much ignored in the criticsí voting. One studio executive said ""Sony should put money behind ëEnd of the Affair.í Clearly it has momentum."" Bob Levin, Worldwide Marketing President at Sony Picture Entertainment, said the Golden Globes have an impact on the box office domestically. ""It has a direct value on the box office in the U.S.; internationally, it makes exhibitors aware of the film,"" since the awards show in January may coincide with international release of some of the nominated pictures. ""If you have a movie for which you are planning a slow rollout, the recognition certainly helps heighten awareness, as with ëThe End Of The Affair.í If you are absent, you have a much harder row to hoe because you have so many films surrounding you."" The Globes divide film, lead actor and lead actress contenders into separate dramatic and comedy/musical categories. With nominations in both dramatic and comedy categories, Julianne Moore is a double nominee, for ""Affair"" and ""An Ideal Husband,"" respectively. ""Iím having a good day,"" said Moore who spoke to Daily Variety from New York. ""But itís putting me way behind in my Christmas-present wrapping. That was my plan for the day."" Also a double nominee is Jack Lemmon, competing against himself for two lead roles in miniseries/telepic: ""Inherit The Wind"" and ""Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays With Morrie."" Back on the film side, ""American Beauty"" will compete for best drama with ""The Insider,"" ""The Talented Mr. Ripley,"" ""The Hurricane"" and ""The End Of The Affair."" For comedy/musical, the nominees are ""Analyze This,"" ""Being John Malkovich,"" ""Man On The Moon,"" ""Notting Hill"" and ""Toy Story 2."" In the director race, the Globes live up to their international mandate: of the five competitors, only one is American-born (Michael Mann, ""The Insider""). Also in the race are Canada, Ireland and the U.K. Aside from Mann, best director nods went to Norman Jewison for ""The Hurricane,"" Neil Jordan for ""The End Of The Affair,"" Sam Mendes for ""American Beauty,"" and Anthony Minghella for ""The Talented Mr. Ripley."" None has received a Globe before, though Jewison has been nominated for best director for ""Fiddler On The Roof"" and ""In the Heat Of The Night."" Jordan got a nod for the ""Mona Lisa"" screenplay; and Minghella was nominated for directing and writing the screenplay for ""The English Patient."" Neither Mann or Mendes has been nominated before. In London, Jordan Monday said, ""I was surprised, but Iím mostly happy, really. Itís quite a complicated movie. As a director, you look for material that places demands on you and that stretches the medium, but itís hard to find a place in the market for films like that. The whole awards circus is very important for non-mainstream moves and independent films."" Tube Ties The TV nominations welcomed a lot of newcomers. In the races for drama and comedy series, half of the nominations are new. Repeating their bids from last year are two dramas ó NBCís ""ER"" and ABCís ""The Practice"" - and three comedies: Foxís ""Ally McBeal,"" ABCís ""Dharma And Greg"" and ABCís ""Spin City."" They are joined by ABCís ""Once And Again,"" HBOís ""The Sopranos"" and NBCís ""West Wing,"" all dramas, and HBOís ""Sex And The City"" and NBCís ""Will & Grace."" Aside from the heavy ""Sex"" and ""Sopranos"" showings, other series made a big impact for the first time. NBCís ""Will and Grace"" scored four nominations and fall freshmen ""Once And Again"" (ABC) and ""West Wing"" (NBC) had three apiece. ""ER"" (NBC) nabbed two nominations, half of last yearís tally. ABCís ""Dharma And Greg"" scored three, down one from last year. Also dropping one were two David E. Kelley shows, Foxís ""Ally McBeal"" and ABCís ""The Practice"" with two each this year. Gaining one from last year was ABCís ""Spin City"" with three nominations, including one for Heather Locklear. Past faves such as ""Frasier,"" ""3rd Rock From The Sun,"" ""The X-Files"" and ""Law And Order"" were absent from the list. In the TV supporting-role races, the Globes mix series, miniseries and TV movies. Each of the two categories, supporting actor and actress, were evenly split between series and longforms, with three nominations going in each direction. Of the 12 contenders in those two categories, the only repeat from last year is David Spade, of NBCís ""Just Shoot Me."" In the longform race, NBCís miniseries ""Joan Of Arc"" led the charge with four nominations. HBOís TV movies ""Introducing Dorothy Dandridge"" and ""RKO 182"" and A&Eís ""Dash & Lilly"" took home three bids apiece, followed by two each for HBOís ""Witness Protection"" and Showtimeís ""The Passion Of Ayn Rand."" ""Lilly"" director Kathy Bates also was nominated for her acting turn in ABCís ""Annie."" The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is comprised of 82 Los Angeles-based members. Armyan Bernstein, a producer, writer of ""Hurricane"" and Chairman of Beacon Communications, said, ""Everybody I know watches the Golden Globes. Itís a show everybody has come to love. Itís not unnoticed what an impact they have on box office and Academy Award voting. They have come into a prominent position."" As for the growing importance of the Globes, Jordan said, ""We live in a world where Hollywood dominates everything, donít we? Over the last four or five years, people around the world have become so aware of this: People everywhere know box office grosses! So the Golden Globes have become more and more and more important."" Sonyís Levin added, ""A long time ago, it would be an easy ticket to get seats for the Golden Globes. There was a cynicism in the industry about the awards. Now everyone shows up, and it is a tough ticket. There continues to be harping, but I think they have gained a lot of respect."" The Golden Globe telecast will be held at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday, January 23. It will be broadcast live on NBC. The show is produced by Dick Clark Productions in association with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Here is a complete list of film and television nominees: Film Best Motion Picture - Drama ""American Beauty"" ""The End Of The Affair"" ""The Hurricane"" ""The Insider"" ""The Talented Mr. Ripley"" Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Drama Annette Bening (""American Beauty"") Julianne Moore (""The End Of The Affair"") Meryl Streep (""Music Of The Heart"") Hilary Swank (""Boys Don't Cry"") Sigourney Weaver (""A Map Of The World"") Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture - Drama Russell Crowe (""The Insider"") Matt Damon (""The Talented Mr. Ripley"") Richard Farnsworth (""The Straight Story"") Kevin Spacey (""American Beauty"") Denzel Washington (""The Hurricane"") Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy ""Analyze This"" ""Being John Malkovich"" ""Man On The Moon"" ""Notting Hill"" ""Toy Story 2"" Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy Janet McTeer (""Tumbleweeds"") Julianne Moore (""An Ideal Husband"") Julia Roberts (""Notting Hill"") Sharon Stone (""The Muse"") Reese Witherspoon (""Election"") Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy Jim Carrey (""Man On The Moon"") Robert DeNiro (""Analyze This"") Rupert Everett (""An Ideal Husband"") Hugh Grant (""Notting Hill"") Sean Penn (""Sweet And Lowdown"") Best Foreign Language Film ""Aimee & Jaguar"" ""All About My Mother"" ""East-West"" ""Girl On The Bridge"" (""La fille sur le pont"") ""The Red Violin"" Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture Cameron Diaz (""Being John Malkovich"") Angelina Jolie (""Girl, Interrupted"") Catherine Keener (""Being John Malkovich"") Samantha Morton (""Sweet And Lowdown"") Natalie Portman (""Anywhere But Here"") Chloe Sevigny (""Boys Donít Cry"") Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture Michael Caine (""The Cider House Rules"") Tom Cruise (""Magnolia"") Michael Clarke Duncan (""The Green Mile"") Jude Law (""The Talented Mr. Ripley"") Haley Joel Osment (""The Sixth Sense"") Best Director - Motion Picture Norman Jewison (""The Hurricane"") Neil Jordan (""The End Of The Affair"") Michael Mann (""The Insider"") Sam Mendes (""American Beauty"") Anthony Minghella (""The Talented Mr. Ripley"") Best Screenplay ""American Beauty,"" Alan Ball ""Being John Malkovich,"" Charlie Kaufman ""The Cider House Rules,"" John Irving ""The Insider,"" Eric Roth & Michael Mann ""The Sixth Sense,"" M. Night Shyamalan Best Original Score ""American Beauty,"" Thomas Newman ""Angela's Ashes,"" John Williams ""Anna And The King,"" George Fenton ""The End Of The Affair,"" Michael Nyman ""Eyes Wide Shut,"" Jocelyn Pook ""The Insider,"" Lisa Gerraro & Pieter Bourke ""The Legend Of 1900,"" Ennio Morricone ""The Straight Story,"" Angelo Badalamenti ""The Talented Mr. Ripley,"" Gabriel Yared Best Original Song ""Beautiful Stranger"" from ""Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,"" Madonna and William Orbit ""How Can I Not Love You"" from ""Anna And The King,"" Kenneth Edmonds, George Fenton & Robert Kraft ""Save Me"" from ""Magnolia,"" Aimee Mann ""When She Loved Me"" from ""Toy Story 2,"" Randy Newman ""You'll Be In My Heart"" from ""Tarzan,"" Phil Collins Television Best Series (Drama) ""ER"" ""Once & Again"" ""The Practice"" ""The Sopranos"" ""The West Wing"" Best Actor (Drama Series) Billy Campbell (""Once And Again"") James Gandolfini (""The Soparanos"") Rob Lowe (""The West Wing"") Dylan McDermott (""The Practice"") Martin Sheen (""The West Wing"") Best Actress (Drama Series) Lorraine Bracco (""The Sopranos"") Amy Brenneman (""Judging Amy"") Edie Falco (""The Sopranos"") Julianna Margulies (""ER"") Sela Ward (""Once & Again"") Best Series (Comedy/Musical) ""Ally McBeal"" ""Dharma & Greg"" ""Sex And The City"" ""Spin City"" ""Will & Grace"" Best Actor (Comedy/Musical Series) Michael J. Fox (""Spin City"") Thomas Gibson (""Dharma & Greg"") Eric McCormack (""Will & Grace"") Ray Romano (""Everybody Loves Raymond"") George Segal (""Just Shoot Me"") Best Actress (Comedy/Musical Series) Jenna Elfman (""Dharma & Greg"") Calista Flockhart (""Ally McBeal"") Felicity Huffman (""Sports Night"") Heather Locklear (""Spin City"") Debra Messing (""Will & Grace"") Sarah Jessica Parker (""Sex And The City"") Best Miniseries Or TV Movie ""Dash And Lilly"" ""Introducing Dorothy Dandridge"" ""Joan Of Arc"" ""RKO 281"" ""Witness Protection"" Best Supporting Actor (Series, Miniseries Or TV Movie) Klaus Maria Brandauer (""Introducing Dorothy Dandridge"") Peter Fonda (""Passion of Ayn Rand"") Sean P. Hayes (""Will & Grace"") Chris Noth (""Sex And The City"") Peter O'Toole (""Joan Of Arc"") David Spade (""Just Shoot Me"") Best Supporting Actress (Series, Miniseries Or TV Movie) Kathy Bates (""Annie"") Jacqueline Bissett (""Joan Of Arc"") Kim Cattrall (""Sex And The City"") Melanie Griffith (""RKO 281"") Nancy Marchand (""The Sopranos"") Cynthia Nixon (""Sex And The City"") Miranda Richardson (""The Big Brass Ring"") Best Actor (Miniseries Or TV Movie) Jack Lemmon (""Inherit The Wind"") Jack Lemmon (""Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays With Morrie"") Liev Schreiber (""RKO 281"") Sam Shepard (""Dash And Lilly"") Tom Sizemore (""Witness Protection"") Best Actress (Miniseries Or TV Movie) Halle Berry (""Introducing Dorothy Dandridge"") Judy Davis (""Dash And Lilly"") Mia Farrow (""Forget Me Never"") Helen Mirren (""Passion Of Ayn Rand"") Leelee Sobieski (""Joan Of Arc"") Source: Daily Variety