Hollywood's awards season kicked off with an epic clanger as the Golden Globe website revealed a winner – 72 hours before the event.


There may still be 36 hours to go until the audience at this year's Golden Globes gets to see famous people tearing open envelopes, clearing their throats and announcing that "the winner is ..." But Anne Hathaway could be forgiven for starting her victory celebrations early.

The actress, who has been short-listed for her role as a recovering drug addict in the film Rachel Getting Married, has already been identified as the winner of the prestigious "best actress in a drama" gong, on the awards ceremony's official website.

In what some saw as a computer glitch, and others believe to have been a major leak, a gold asterisk briefly appeared next to Hathaway's name in the ceremony's official running order.

Asterisks are not usually added until after the awards have taken place, when they signify the winner. Although it was swiftly taken down, several bookmakers stopped taking bets on the outcome of the race.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which runs the Golden Globes, did little to dampen speculation that a major cock-up had taken place, when it refused to comment on the incident, which took place at lunchtime on Thursday.

Members of the association, which is made up of roughly 80 journalists from around the world, were required to submit their completed ballot papers to the accountancy firm Ernst and Young by Wednesday, meaning that the winners of the awards were already known to some organisers when the website reported Hathaway's "success".

The incident added to the air of fevered anticipation in Hollywood in advance of the annual event, which is in its 66th year. Although they offend some purists by honouring the stars of both film and television, the Globes are widely considered to be the second most prestigious event in the spring awards season, after next month's Oscars.

Remarkably, British actors, directors and producers have an interest in 15 of the 25 categories to be announced during the event, which will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles.

Two British films are among the five competing for the sought-after "best drama" award: Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon, which was made by Working Title, the London-based firm which rose to prominence during the 1990s as the producers of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill.

Kate Winslet, who has never won either an Oscar or a Golden Globe, despite being nominated five times for each award, has a sporting chance of finally breaking her duck, since she is shortlisted twice: as best actress in a drama (the category in which Hathaway's "victory" was announced) for her role in Revolutionary Road, and best supporting actress for The Reader.

Meanwhile Emma Thompson is shortlisted for best actress in a musical or comedy for Last Chance Harvey, while the Irish actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are both shortlisted in the actors category for their role in the gangster comedy In Bruges.

The director Stephen Daldry joins Boyle on the shortlist in the "best director" category for The Reader, a film about a Nazi war criminal for which the writer David Hare has also been shortlisted. Ralph Fiennes, who also co-stars in the film, has been shortlisted for his work on two other titles: the HBO TV drama Bernard and Doris, and the film The Duchess.

British stars are also in the running for 11 television awards. Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins are both shortlisted for the BBC costume drama Cranford, while Hugh Laurie is up for best actor in a TV series for his portrayal of Dr Gregory House in House, a role that won him Golden Globes in 2006 and 2007.

Steven Spielberg will be honoured with a special award, celebrating his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field".

'Slumdog Millionaire' catches spirit of times

Today, with the global economy mired in doom and gloom, cinema audiences are turning to feel-good movies which, while not exactly critical triumphs, have managed to embody a sense of cheerful escapism from life's troubles.

Nowhere is this more evident than the box-office charts, which are currently topped by Marley and Me, a flyweight comedy about a labrador, and Four Christmases, the Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn vehicle which critics deemed "eerily unfunny".

Mamma Mia! recently became one of the most lucrative films of all time, defying the credit crunch to make an astonishing $500m (£325m) worldwide, 10 times its budget. Yet the film that truly embodies the spirit of the times may yet turn out to be one of Britain's own: Slumdog Millionaire, the story of an impoverished Indian teenager who wins the local version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

A critical hit (unlike other feel-good fodder) the film, by the Trainspotting auteur Danny Boyle, has already generated nearly $30m in the US despite being on a limited release. On Thursday,it completed a virtual clean sweep of the Critics' Choice Awards and, tomorrow, it is shortlisted for four Golden Globes. Local soothsayers note that the Critics' Choice judges have successfully picked the winner of the best film Oscar in seven out of the past 10 years.

It may be asking too much for Slumdog, made on a shoestring budget of just $15m, to outperform Mamma Mia!, but if Boyle adds to his sackful of Globes tomorrow, it may at least indicate that his industry still knows a masterpiece when it sees it.

Contenders in film, TV, wrestle for awards

Three-way fight at the Golden Globes tonight as "Doubt," "Frost/Nixon" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" compete with five nominations each.

The announcement last month in Beverly Hills pushed some potential Academy Award contenders into a brighter spotlight while nudging others into the shadows with cold snubs.

The late Heath Ledger earned a supporting-actor bid for his savage Joker in "The Dark Knight" as expected (the film's lone mention). Ledger's father, Kim, and mother, Sally, along with sister Kate released a statement after they learned that the actor, who died in January from an accidental prescription drug overdose, had received the nomination: "We thank the Hollywood Foreign PressAssociation for honoring Heath's performance in "The Dark Knight."

"This nomination is deeply appreciated and is not lost on those of us who continue to love and miss him. We are so proud that our boy's work is being recognized in this way."

The Globes list also includes some surprise contenders: Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. for the bizarre Hollywood war-movie comedy "Tropic Thunder" and several nominations for the low-budget hitman-on-holiday film "In Bruges," which had zero buzz before this.

THE BEST DRAMA CONTENDERS: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Slumdog Millionaire." And best musical/comedy: "Burn After Reading," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "In Bruges," "Mamma Mia!" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

An unexpected absence in the top drama category is the gay-rights biopic "Milk," which has picked up several awards from critics group.

Lead Sean Penn, however, will compete for best actor in a drama category, along with Leonardo DiCaprio in "Revolutionary Road," Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon," Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler."

"The Wrestler" also yielded a nomination in the best original song category for Jersey Shore rocker Bruce Springsteen. The track will be featured on Springsteen's upcoming album, "Working on a Dream." Springsteen's Globe contenders are Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Clint Eastwood and Peter Gabriel.

COMPETING FOR ACTRESS IN A DRAMA: Meryl Streep in "Doubt," Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married," Angelina Jolie in "Changeling," Kristin Scott Thomas in "I've Loved You So Long" and Kate Winslet in "Revolutionary Road."

Streep and Winslet have two nominations. Streep also has best actress comedy/musical for "Mamma Mia!," and Winslet has supporting actress for "The Reader."

The other supporting-actress nominees are Amy Adams, "Doubt;" Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona;" Viola Davis, "Doubt"; and Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler."

Tomei, who plays a stripper and shows tenderness to the battered Rourke, joked that the announcement of her nomination in Los Angeles had her "stumbling around the house naked in the dark."

"Maybe it means there will be sequel," she cracked about the searing drama. "I have to put a coherent thought together. I'm just happy."

AS FOR THOSE SURPRISES: "In Bruges" earned nominations for best comedy/musical and actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. "Tropic Thunder's" Downey Jr. and Cruise were tapped for supporting actor. Neither movie has gotten much awards attention so far, but now they'll be bandied about in industry Oscar-talk.

Notable about the Golden Globes is the separate categories for comedy and drama in the best picture and lead acting groups, giving a platform to a wider selection of movies and actors than the Oscars.

Meanwhile, Eastwood was shut out of the main categories with "Gran Torino," his first acting role in four years and one he says may be his last. That film has only one nomination: best song for the title track.

The directors facing off against each other are Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"; Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"; David Fincher, "Button"; Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"; and Sam Mendes, "Revolutionary Road."

The Golden Globes are set to be given out tonight, just one day before Oscar nominations close.

TV too

THE GLOBES ALSO RECOGNIZE TV. In that group, HBO leads with a colossal 22 nominations (runner-up Showtime had eight). The 2000 Florida election drama "Recount" and the psychotherapy character study "In Treatment" each have five nominations.

Up for comedy series: "30 Rock," "Californication," "Entourage," "The Office" and "Weeds." Drama series: "Dexter," "House," "In Treatment," "Mad Men" and "True Blood."

Golden Globes triumph for Kate Winslet. Shame about the speech ...
'I'm so sorry Anne, Meryl, Kristin, and oh God, who's the other one? Angelina'

By Guy Adams in Los Angeles


Kate Winslet and Slumdog Millionaire combined to make it an extraordinary night for the Brits at the Golden Globes, winning all six of the awards they were nominated for, and making themselves firm favourites to take top honours at next month's Oscars.

The actress broke a long-running duck that has seen her unsuccessfully nominated for five Golden Globes and another five Oscars by winning a brace of prizes, including Best Actress in a Dramatic Film, for her role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road.

In an emotional and sometimes tearful pair of acceptance speeches, she told a star-studded audience at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles that "I have a habit of not winning things," before asking, in a highly theatrical fashion: "Is this really happening?" After winning for Revolutionary Road she gushed: "I'm so sorry Anne, Meryl, Kristin, and oh God, who's the other one? Angelina. Now, forgive me. Gather. This is really happening ..."

Though cynics winced at Winslet's faltering delivery, and wondered if it was really necessary for her to declare undying love for both Leonardo DiCaprio and her husband Sam Mendes, the scale of her achievement justified a measure of emotion. No actress has ever scooped the Golden Globe for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress – which Winslet won for her role in The Reader – on the same night. And her gushing performance followed in a great Hollywood tradition.

The low-budget film, about a boy from the slums of Mumbai who wins the jackpot on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, continued a remarkable run of form that has seen it showered with awards, and propelled it relentlessly up the box office charts.

In total, a record 10 of this year's 25 Golden Globe trophies will go back to the British Isles, including the Best Actress in a Comedy prize which was scooped by the little-known London-born actress Sally Hawkins. Hawkins who is also no stranger to a wet handkerchief, upset the odds to beat Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson for her starring role in the Mike Leigh film Happy-Go-Lucky. Tom Wilkinson was honoured for his role in John Adams, an HBO mini-series about America's second president which won a total of four awards in the TV category of the awards. Irish stars Gabriel Byrne and Colin Farrell also won their first Globes, for the TV show In Treatment and the film In Bruges respectively.

Elsewhere in the Globes, which are the only major awards event to honour both television and film, Tina Fey continued her virtual clean sweep of this year's comedy gongs, landing three trophies for her TV show 30 Rock. The highly-rated Israeli title Waltz With Bashir was named Best Foreign Language film, while Wall-E took Best Animation.

Three films that had been considered leading contenders for the Academy Awards, and which led the Globe field with five nominations each – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt and Frost/Nixon – ended the night being completely shut out.

But it was Slumdog Millionaire that generated the most headlines. It scooped four gongs, more than any other film, getting the nod for the prestigious titles of Best Drama Film and Best Director, for its director Danny Boyle.

As expected, the late Heath Ledger landed the Best Supporting Actor Globe for his career-defining turn as the Joker in the summer Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight. But one of the biggest cheers of the night was reserved for Mickey Rourke, who won the Best Actor award for The Wrestler, in which he plays an ageing former wrestling star who gets a last shot at glory in the ring.

Winslet's highlights A simple thank you would have done

*Best Supporting Actress – The Reader

"OK, you have to forgive me because I have a habit of not winning things. [She puts award on the floor then picks it up]. No that doesn't feel right putting that down ... Penelope, Amy, Marissa and Viola. It is such an honour to be in your company ... Sorry this is going on a bit but I'm gonna make the most of it. I must also, I really must also thank our hair and make-up department ... Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack were producers on this film. They died while we were filming and they never got to see the finished product; I hope they would have been proud. My husband Sam for your incredible support ... I'm sorry I was so mental at the end. And my children Mia and Joe who are watching this on TV. Look, I won!"

*Best Actress – Revolutionary Road

"I'm so sorry Anne, Meryl, Kristin, and oh God, who's the other one? Angelina. Now, forgive me. Gather. This is really happening ... Thank you so much. You should wrap up. You have no idea how much I'm not wrapping up ... I want to thank the late great Richard Yates for writing this remarkable novel ... Leo, I'm so happy I can stand here and tell you how much I love you and how much I've loved you for 13 years. And your performance in this film is nothing short of spectacular‚ And my husband Sam. Thank you for directing this film, babe, and thank you for killing us every single day. It made me love you more."

Here is a complete list of winners at the ceremony:

FILM:

Best Picture, Drama: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: Vicky Christina Barcelona
Best Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, In Bruges
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir
Best Animated Film: Wall-E
Best Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Score: AR Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Song: The Wrestler (performed and written by Bruce Springsteen), The Wrestler

TELEVISION:

Best Series, Drama: Mad Men
Best Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Best Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, True Blood
Best Series, Musical or Comedy: 30 Rock
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Best Miniseries or Movie: John Adams
Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, John Adams
Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giammatti, John Adams
Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, Recount
Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, John Adams
Cecil B DeMille Award: Steven Spielberg.

Golden Globe after-parties still boozy, spirited

By SOLVEJ SCHOU Associated Press Writer



BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—It was a subdued night of post-Golden Globe Awards partying for Hollywood, but the bashes were lavish and extravagant by any other standard.
A year after the writers' strike shut down the awards show ceremony and its after-parties, the alcohol flowed again at several shindigs Sunday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Despite the recession, post-Globe revelers shared booze, food and the sheer will to make merry.

Clutching a tumbler of whiskey, his hair askew, "Mad Men" actor and nominee Jon Hamm grinned next to his girlfriend, surrounded by cast members at an intimate, exclusive bash for the AMC '60s-themed show, which won a best TV drama trophy for the second year in a row. Retro tunes blasted overhead as guests ate mashed potatoes served in martini glasses. Decorations were minimal.

"To win again is great. We're going to light the lamp. We're going to party until late," said Hamm, a little unsteady on his feet.

Hamm pointed out that even with layoffs within the entertainment industry and beyond, a party could provide an economic boost.

"It employs a lot of people. I was a caterer and waiter for a long time of my life," he said.

Hamm's co-star Michael Gladis, sipping on a scotch and soda, said he had been drinking for hours.

"We're good at it. It's all about pacing," he joked, noting the show's characters' penchant for at-work boozing.

Unlike previous years, The Weinstein Co., E! and Paramount Pictures did not host after-parties at the hotel. Showtime held an offsite party at the nearby Peninsula Hotel, and Fox Searchlight hosted a party at the restaurant Craft.



NBC Universal's annual party on the Hilton's rooftop was a mostly industry affair, with guests dancing to a DJ spinning tunes by Prince and Britney Spears. Vases of white roses and lilies, and silver containers full of white feathers, decorated the area. Massive black chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

Attendees feasted on a modest spread of grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes, pasta and beef tenderloin served with mustard and horseradish.

With only two onsite parties left, most celebrities flocked to the Warner Bros. In Style bash in the Oasis Courtyard or HBO's grand party at its traditional home at the Circa 55 restaurant and poolside patio.

Both parties did their part to save on costs. Warner Bros. In Style reused decor which would have been used last year, and did not hand out gift bags. HBO also recycled decorations from other events.

Warner Bros. In Style's soiree still looked, well, in style. A live band pumped out covers of tunes by Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson and the Talking Heads. Guests chomped on slices of pizza, bologna and turkey. A couch-sized silver-plated ball drooped from the ceiling, circled by glittering strings of fake crystals. Pink fake feathered peacocks sat alongside platters of red roses.

Eva Longoria Parker and nominee Leonardo DiCaprio made early appearances. Gerard Butler, thoroughly enjoying himself, danced and then mingled. Adrian Grenier sat on a couch, drink in hand, flanked by two women.

Other attendees included Aaron Eckhart, Mira Sorvino, Debra Messing and a dapper Terrence Howard.



At the end of the night, though, HBO's gold-and-brown themed party reigned, with a line to get in snaking down the hall after midnight. The cable network came away from the awards rewarded with major trophies for actors in multiple shows and miniseries.

Eva Mendes, Drew Barrymore and Lauren Hutton made for a glamazon trifecta, huddled together smoking outside next to the pool, which was lit up by dozens of circular trays sporting candles.

"It's a privilege to be here, and it should never be forgotten what a privilege it is," boasted Barrymore, when asked about the opulent setting, given the sorry state of the economy.

Earlier in the evening, a hungry Paul Giamatti, holding his best actor trophy for the title role of John Adams in the HBO miniseries, also reflected on partying and Hollywood. "John Adams" snagged acting awards as well for Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson, plus a trophy for best miniseries or TV movie.

"It's 'basta' with the glitz and the glam. It's enough. But I'm gonna go along with it, man," said Giamatti, before searching out a plate of food.

Anna Paquin, who won as best actress in a TV drama for the vampire series "True Blood," looked dazed as she sat at a table waiting to dig into some steaming chicken. Grilled scallops, rice, macaroni and cheese and beef tenderloin rounded out the menu.

"I'm loopy, and the adrenaline has started to wear off. Now I'm just hungry," said Paquin, happy she didn't have to be at work the next day until 7 a.m.

Jeremy Piven, who plays irate agent Ari Gold on the HBO show "Entourage," broke out into smiles as he joked to friends about losing to Wilkinson. Munching on chocolates and taking pictures with fans, the actor didn't indulge in champagne and wine like his co-stars. He said he was drinking a lot of water instead.