6 Golden Globe Nods for "Up in the Air"
Last Updated 9:40 a.m. ET
The recession-era tale "Up in the Air" led Golden Globe film contenders Tuesday with six nominations, among them best drama and acting honors for George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.
Other drama picks were the space fantasy "Avatar," the Iraq War tale "The Hurt Locker," the World War II saga "Inglourious Basterds" and the Harlem drama "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire."
Photos: Golden Globes Nominees 2009
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The musical "Nine" ran second with five nominations, including best musical or comedy and acting slots for Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard.
Also competing for musical or comedy are the romance "(500) Days of Summer," the bachelor-party bash "The Hangover" and two Meryl Streep films, "It's Complicated" and "Julie & Julia."
"Up in the Air" generally has been considered a comedy, but its inclusion in the drama category could give it more weight as a potential favorite for the Academy Awards, where dramatic films tend to dominate.
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Playing a frequent-flyer junkie in "Up in the Air," Clooney had a nomination for best dramatic actor, along with Jeff Bridges as a boozy country singer in "Crazy Heart," Colin Firth as a grieving gay academic in "A Single Man," Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in "Invictus" and Tobey Maguire as a prisoner of war in "Brothers."
Streep had two nominations for musical or comedy actress, as chef Julia Child in "Julie & Julia" and a woman in an affair with her ex-husband in "It's Complicated."
Sandra Bullock also had two nominations, as dramatic actress in the football story "The Blind Side" and as a dragon-lady boss forcing her assistant to pose as her fiance in "The Proposal."
Other dramatic actress nominees were Emily Blunt as Britain's monarch in her early reign in "The Young Victoria," Helen Mirren as the imperious wife of Leo Tolstoy in "The Last Station," Carey Mulligan as a 1960s British teen in an affair with an older man in "An Education" and Gabourey Sidibe as an illiterate, abused teen turning her life around in "Precious."
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The 67th annual Globes will be handed out Jan. 17 at ceremony hosted by British comic actor Ricky Gervais.
Hollywood's second biggest film honors after the Academy Awards, the Globes are a key ceremony that sort out the prospects leading up to the Oscar nominations Feb. 2.
The Globes come six days before nomination voting closes for the Oscars. Globe winners can get a last-minute bump for an Oscar nomination, particularly on smaller films such as 1999's "Boys Don't Cry," whose Globe triumph for Hilary Swank helped put her on the map for a best-actress win at the Oscars.
Last year's best drama winner at the Globes, "Slumdog Millionaire," went on to win best picture and dominate at the Oscars. Other Globe recipients who followed with Oscar wins included Heath Ledger as supporting actor for "The Dark Knight" and Kate Winslet, who won supporting actress at the Globes for "The Reader" and best actress for that film at the Oscars.
The Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of about 85 critics and reporters for overseas outlets.
The following are this year's nominations:
Best Motion Picture - Drama
"Avatar"
"The Hurt Locker"
"Inglourious Basterds"
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
"Up in the Air"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Emily Blunt, "The Young Victoria"
Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"
Cary Mulligan, "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"
Tobey Maguire, "Brothers"
Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
"(500) Days of Summer"
"The Hangover"
"It's Complicated"
"Julie & Julia"
"Nine"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
Sandra Bullock, "The Proposal"
Marion Cotillard, "Nine"
Julia Roberts, "Duplicity"
Meryl Streep, "It's Comlicated"
Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
Matt Damon, "The Informant!"
Robert Downey Jr, "Sherlock Holmes"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "(500) Days of Summer"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Nine"
Michael Stuhlbarg, "A Serious Man"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Matt Damon, "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"
Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"
Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Penelope Cruz, "Nine"
Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique, "Precious"
Julianne Moore, "A Single Man"
Best Director - Motion Picture
Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"
James Cameron, "Avatar"
Clint Eastwood, "Invictus"
Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"
Best Animated Feature Film
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
"Coraline"
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"The Princess and the Frog"
"Up"
Best Foreign Language Film
"Baaria" (Italy)
"Broken Embraces" (Spain)
"The Maid (La Nana)" (Chile)
"A Prophet" (France)
"The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band - Eine Deutsche Kindergeschichte)" (Germany)
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Neill Blomkamp, "District 9"
Mark Boal, "The Hurt Locker"
Nancy Meyers, "It's Complicated"
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Michael Giacchino, "Up"
Marvin Hamlisch, "The Informant!"
James Horner, "Avatar"
Abel Korzeniowski, "A Single Man"
Karen O, Carter Burwell, "Where The Wild Things Are"
Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Cinema Italiano" from "Nine"; Music & Lyrics by Maury Yeston
"I Want To Come Home" from "Everybody's Fine"; Music & Lyrics by Paul McCartney
"I Will See You" from "Avatar"; Music by James Horner, Simon Franglen; Lyrics by James Horner, Simon Franglen and Kuk Harrell
"The Weary Kind" from "Crazy Heart"; Music & Lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T. Bone Burnett
"Winter" from "Brothers"; Music by U2; Lyrics by Bono
Best Television Series - Drama
"Big Love" (HBO)
"Dexter" (Showtime)
"House" (Fox)
"Mad Men" (AMC)
"True Blood" (HBO)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Glenn Close, "Damages"
January Jones, "Mad Men"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Anna Paquin, "True Blood"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Simon Baker, "The Mentalist"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
Bill Paxton, "Big Love"
Best Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"Entourage" (HBO)
"Glee" (Fox)
"Modern Family" (ABC)
"The Office" (NBC)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Toni Collette, "United States of Tara"
"Courteney Cox, "Cougar Town"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Lea Michele, "Glee"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
David Duchovny, "Californication"
Thomas Jane, "Hung"
Matthew Morrison, "Glee"
Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
"Georgia O'Keeffe" (Lifetime Television)
"Grey Gardens" (HBO)
"Into the Storm" (HBO)
"Little Dorrit" (PBS)
"Taking Chance" (HBO)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Joan Allen, "Georgia O'Keeffe"
Drew Barrymore, "Grey Gardens"
Jessica Lange, "Grey Gardens"
Anna Paquin, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler"
Sigourney Weaver, "Prayers for Bobby"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Kevin Bacon, "Taking Chance"
Kenneth Branagh, "Wallander: One Step Behind"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Endgame"
Brendan Gleeson, "Into the Storm"
Jeremy Irons, "Georgia O'Keeffe"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Jane Adams, "Hung"
Rose Byrne, "Damages"
Jane Lynch, "Glee"
Janet McTeer, "Into the Storm"
Chloë Sevigny, "Big Love"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Michael Emerson, "Lost"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
William Hurt, "Damages"
John Lithgow, "Dexter"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Cecil B. DeMille Award:
Martin Scorsese
The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will be broadcast live coast to coast Sunday, Jan. 17 on NBC (5 to 8 p.m. PT, 8 to 11 p.m. ET) from The Beverly Hilton.
For more info:
Golden Globes