The race for the Oscars turned into a three-way contest after The Aviator, Sidewaysand Million Dollar Babytook top Golden Globe Awards.
Veteran director Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, about the life of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, earned three Golden Globe honors, more than any other film.
It secured best film drama, best dramatic actor for Leonardo DiCaprio playing Hughes, and best original score for composer Howard Shore.
But Scorsese lost best director honors to Clint Eastwood, whose female boxing drama Million Dollar Babyhas been a hit with critics. The movie also earned Hilary Swank the Golden Globe for best dramatic actress for her role as a woman pugilist.
Coming into the Golden Globes, Sidewayshad been the most nominated movie with seven nominations overall to six for The Aviator.
Sidewayswalked off with two awards, one for best musical or comedy and a second for best screenplay for director Alexander Payne and his writing partner Jim Taylor.
Britain's Clive Owen was named best supporting actor and Natalie Portman took the best supporting actress prize. Spain's The Sea Inside, about a quadriplegic's battle to take his own life, was named best foreign language film.
The Golden Globes, given out by the 93-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are Hollywood's first major show of the awards season. They often tip movie fans on which films might go on to win Oscars, given on February 27th by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.