The lines were drawn for the Oscars as one of the hottest contests for Hollywood's top honours narrowed at last night's Golden Globes with the drama The Hoursand musical Chicagotaking top awards. Irish rock band U2 also scooped an award.
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Nicole Kidman and Jack Nicholson pose with their awards backstage Photo: FM/Getty Images
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The Hours
claimed the title of best dramatic film and earned star Nicole Kidman the award for best actress in a drama for playing writer Virginia Woolf fighting mental illness.To play Virginia Woolf, Kidman wore a prosthetic nose that gave even her most ardent fans a hard time recognising her.
Chicago, based on the popular stage show about an aspiring actress whose murderous ways make headlines, claimed three awards - more than any film. It won for best musical or comedy, and stars Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger won for best actor and actress in a musical or comedy.
Jack Nicholson was named best dramatic actor, his sixth Golden Globe for acting, as a retired insurance actuary pondering if his life was wasted in
About Schmidt.
In television awards, the cop show The Shieldwon the Golden Globe for drama, Beverly Hills satire Curb Your Enthusiasmwas best comedy and The Gathering Storm, about Winston Churchill, was named best TV movie or mini-series.
The movie categories, however, enjoy the spotlight because they come at the start of Hollywood's long awards season and are often a strong indicator of who will win Oscars, the film industry's top honours handed out in March.
Adaptationearned awards for Meryl Streep as best supporting actress and co-star Chris Cooper as best supporting actor.
Streep, who also has a starring role in The Hours, said she had more fun in Adaptationthan The Hours, which dealt with suicide and AIDS.
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Lara Flynn Boyle makes an entrance. Photo: KW/Getty Images
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Adaptation
was just a joy from beginning to end.
The Hours
was different," she said. "I had a nervous breakdown in every scene. That's hard. It was heavy going.".
Martin Scorsese was given his due with a best director trophy for his epic Gangs of New York. His film will likely join The Hours, Chicago About Schmidt, Adaptationas a serious Oscar combatant.
Gangsclaimed one minor award for best original song for Irish rock band U2's The Hands that Built America.
Screenwriting honours went to Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for About Schmidt, and best original score went to Elliot Goldenthal for Frida, marking the only Golden Globe for the movie about the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's quirky drama Talk to Herwas named best foreign language film. In his comments, Almodovar pleaded for peace, the only Golden Globe winner to make an anti-war statement.
Along with its reputation as an Oscar predictor, the Globes have become a hotbed for fashion, and the gowns worn by many top actresses had plunging necklines or were strapless.
The outrageous statement of the night came from Lara Flynn Boyle, who slipped into a pink tu-tu that had tongues wagging.
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Actress Kim Cattrall displays her award Photo: Getty Images
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In television awards, cable TV shows nearly knocked the broadcast networks out of the show.
The Shield
, on FX, claimed the award for best drama and HBO's
Curb Your Enthusiasm
won the Golden Globe for best drama.
The program's star Michael Chiklis was named best actor in a drama, marking his second major victory after claiming an Emmy last September. Edie Falco, of HBO's
The Sopranostook the award for best actress in a TV drama, but whispered her
acceptance speech because of a bad case of laryngitis.
Friendsstar Jennifer Aniston was named best actress in a TV comedy and he took the stage walking with a cane due to a broken toe. Tony Shalhoub was named best actor in a TV comedy for his role as the frantic private detective in Monk.
Kim Cattrall was named best supporting actress in a TV series for her role as the sexpot in Sex and the City." She said, "You have no idea how many men I've had to sleep with to get this award".