'King's Speech,' 'Social Network' Lead Golden Globe Nods
A low-key British historical drama about King George VI's stammer led with seven nominations for the Golden Globe awards Tuesday, while blockbuster Facebook film "The Social Network" scored six nods.
"The King's Speech," starring Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter, was nominated for best picture, director, actor, screenplay, score and supporting actor and actress.
"Seeing a small-scale project play into an international arena makes this all the more worthwhile," said Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, nominated for his portrayal of real-life speech therapist Lionel Logue.
The Golden Globe winners will be announced at a star-studded show on January 16, in what is traditionally seen as the run-up to the Academy Awards on February 27.
The "Social Network" won nominations for best picture, director and actor for Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, as well as best supporting actor and screenplay.
Also nominated for best drama for the Golden Globes, organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were ballet-themed thriller "Black Swan," "Inception" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and "The Fighter" about a young boxer.
Best actor nominees for the drama category also included James Franco for Danny Boyle's latest movie "127 hours," Ryan Gosling for "Blue Valentine" and Mark Wahlberg for "The Fighter."
Best drama actress nods went to Halle Berry in "Franky and Alice," Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole," Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone," Natalie Portman in "Black Swan" and Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine."
"The King's Speech," directed by Tom Hooper, tells the tale of how George VI -- thrust onto the throne after his father's death and older brother Edward VIII's abdication -- overcomes a debilitating stammer.
The film only recently opened in the United States to an extremely modest box office of barely 350,000 dollars on its opening weekend, and is not due to be released in Britain until January.
But nominations from the film include best actor for British heart-throb Firth and best supporting actress for Bonham Carter.
By contrast, "The Social Network," about how computer whiz kid Zuckerberg developed Facebook from his early days at Harvard, has been a blockbuster around the world and made over 22 million dollars on its opening weekend.
That movie, also tipped to do well at the Oscars, also features pop star Justin Timberlake as Napster founder Sean Parker, Zuckerberg's mentor.
In other categories, best director nominations went to Darren Aronofsky ("Black Swan"), David Fincher ("The Social Network"), Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech"), Christopher Nolan ("Inception") and David Russell ("The Fighter.")
For best foreign language film, Mexican-Spanish production "Biutiful" will vie with France's "The Concert", Russia's "The Edge", Italy's "I am Love" and Denmark's "In a better world."
In the comedy and musical category, U.S. actor Johnny Depp earned two best actor nods, one for his turn in "Alice and Wonderland" and another for "The Tourist."
In the running for best animated film are Universal's "Despicable Me," Dreamworks's "How to Train your Dragon," Walt Disney's recent blockbuster "Tangled," Pixar's "Toy Story 3" and "The Illusionist" by Django Films.
Veteran actor Michael Douglas, who was diagnosed with throat cancer this year, welcomed his best supporting actor nod for "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."
"To be selected with these extraordinary nominees is an honor and, boy, was I ready for some good news!" he said in a statement.
On the small screen, best TV drama series will be chosen from the much-praised "Mad Men," "Boardwalk Empire," "Dexter," "The Good Wife" and "The Walking Dead."
Source: Agence France Presse
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