Ang Lee's 'Brokeback' leads Golden Globe (AP) Updated: 2006-01-17 09:58
The cowboy romance "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote" and "Transamerica" were
among the key contenders going into Monday's Golden Globes, a potential
breakthrough night for movies dealing with homosexuality or transsexualism.
Chinese actress
Ziyi Zhang, nominated for best actress in a drama for her work in 'Memoirs
of a Geisha' and Taiwanese director Ang Lee, nominated for best director
for his work on 'Brokeback Mountain,' arrive for the 63rd Annual Golden
Globe Awards on Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
[AP] | "Brokeback Mountain," director Ang Lee's
story of two rugged Western family men (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal)
concealing their homosexual affair, led the field with seven nominations,
including best drama.
Along with Ledger, "Capote" star Philip Seymour Hoffman was a favorite for
the dramatic lead-actor prize for his role as author Truman Capote. Felicity
Huffman was a front-runner for best dramatic actress for "Transamerica," in
which she plays a man preparing for surgery to become a woman.
Key wins by those films could help position them for major honors at the
Academy Awards, which occasionally have handed out top acting prizes for
performers in homosexual or gender-bending roles but have never given the
best-picture Oscar to a gay-themed film.
Oscar nominations come out Jan. 31, with the awards presented March 5.
The red carpet outside the Beverly Hilton was gridlocked before the Globes
ceremony. Early arrivals included "Munich" screenwriter Tony Kushner, Sandra Oh
of "Grey's Anatomy," Hugh Laurie of "House" and Matthew Fox of "Lost."
"It's cool," said Fox. "You get a lot of people you don't usually see
together. We're excited to see how it's going to play out."
Besides "Brokeback Mountain," the Globe nominees for dramatic picture were
the murder thriller "The Constant Gardener"; "Good Night, and Good Luck," about
Edward R. Murrow's stand against Sen. Joseph McCarthy; the mobster tale "A
History of Violence"; and "Match Point," a Woody Allen drama about infidelity.
Competing for best musical or comedy were the London theater tale "Mrs.
Henderson Presents"; the Jane Austen adaptation "Pride & Prejudice"; Mel
Brooks' farce "The Producers"; "The Squid and the Whale," about a family going
through a divorce; and the Johnny Cash biography "Walk the Line."
The Globes are awarded by the relatively small Hollywood Foreign Press
Association, which has about 80 members, compared with the 5,800 film
professionals eligible to vote for the Oscars.
Still, the Globes have an excellent track record at predicting the Oscars.
Globe winners catch momentum that can boost their chances come Oscar night.
Two years ago, Globe winners Sean Penn, Charlize Theron, Tim Robbins and
Renee Zellweger all went on to receive the four acting Oscars. Best picture "The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and director Peter Jackson earned
their Oscars after winning first at the Globes.
A win at the Globes is no guarantee of Oscar success, though. Last year, the
Howard Hughes epic "The Aviator" took the drama prize at the Globes, but the
boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby" won the best-picture Oscar.
Globe winners Jamie Foxx of "Ray" and Hilary Swank of "Million Dollar Baby"
went on to earn lead-acting Oscars, while supporting players Clive Owen and
Natalie Portman of "Closer" won at the Globes but lost at the Oscars to Morgan
Freeman of "Million Dollar Baby" and Cate Blanchett of "The Aviator."
Anthony Hopkins, a six-time Golden Globe nominee for such films as "The
Silence of the Lambs" and "The Remains of the Day," was to receive the group's
Cecil B. DeMille award for career achievement.
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