Heavyweights dominate Globes
2008-12-11 19:06
Beverly Hills - Heavyweight movie stars took centre stage on Thursday as Hollywood's awards season got under way with the unveiling of nominees for next month's Golden Globe Awards.
A slew of A-list talent was among the nominees named at an early morning ceremony in Beverly Hills, with Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie all
picking up nods.
The Golden Globes, which take place on January 11, are seen as an important staging post ahead of the Academy Awards, offering clues to which films and stars will be successful at the Oscars.
No one film emerged as the overwhelming favourite in Thursday's nominations, with love story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, political thriller Frost/Nixon and Doubt sharing five nominations each.
Both Benjamin Button and Frost/Nixon cemented their status as Oscars contenders with nominations in the key categories of best drama, best director and best actor.
Benjamin Button, an adaptation of an F Scott Fitzgerald short story, stars heart-throb Pitt as a man who ages in reverse.
The film faces competition in the best picture race from Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The Reader and Revolutionary Road.
Pitt's rivals in the best actor drama race include DiCaprio, who plays a frustrated 1950s suburbanite in Revolutionary Road, Sean Penn, a trailblazing gay politician in Milk, Frank Langella, disgraced US President Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon and Mickey Rourke, a washed-up brawler in The Wrestler.
Meanwhile Australian actor Heath Ledger received a posthumous nomination in the best supporting actor category for his acclaimed performance in Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight.
However Ledger, who tragically died of a prescription drugs overdose in January, faces competition from Tom Cruise, Ralph Fiennes, Philip Seymour-Hoffman and Robert Downey Jr.