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Stars orbit Golden Globes

AP, Beverly Hills, California
Tuesday, Jan 18, 2005, Page 16

The Golden Globes shared the wealth with the Howard Hughes epic, The Aviator, the big winner with the best-drama prize and two other honors. Still, five different films split key acting honors.

The road-trip romp Sideways won the Globe for best comedy, while lead-actor prizes went to Jamie Foxx of the Ray Charles film biography Ray, Hilary Swank of the boxing saga Million Dollar Baby, Annette Bening of the showbiz comedy Being Julia and Leonardo DiCaprio of The Aviator.

The Globes boost the winners' odds at the Academy Awards, which are next Thursday (Feb. 27).

"Can I just tell you that I am having the ride of my life right now?" said Foxx, who won the best-actor prize in a musical or comedy and is considered the front-runner to win the best-actor Oscar for his uncanny emulation of Ray Charles. "I wish I could take what I'm feeling right now and put it in the water system, and we would all love each other a whole lot more."

Earning a record three Globe nominations, Foxx lost in his other two categories: supporting movie actor for Collateral and actor in a TV movie or miniseries for Redemption.

Swank's win for dramatic actress and Bening's for musical or comedy set up an Oscar rematch between the performers, who competed against each other five years ago for best actress. Underdog Swank won the Golden Globe and Oscar for Boys Don't Cry over Bening, who had been considered the favorite for American Beauty.

Left, Hilary Swank is best actress and Clint Eastwood, above, is best director, for Million Dollar Baby. PHOTOS: AFP

In Million Dollar Baby, Swank plays a determined boxer whose life takes a tragic turn. Swank paid tribute to director and co-star Clint Eastwood.

"I don't want to ruin your `go ahead, make my day image,' but you have such a huge heart and you envelop all the people around you .... You guided us so brilliantly, while you also, in my humble opinion, gave the performance of your career," Swank said.

In Being Julia, Bening plays an aging stage diva in 1930s London who plots gleeful revenge against the men in her life. Backstage, Bening said that while Hollywood economics is geared toward roles for younger actresses there are still some filmmakers eager to present tales of older women.

Above, Teri Hatcher of the television series Desperate Housewives. Right, Leonardo DiCaprio celebrates his Golden Globe for best actor in a drama PHOTOS: AP

"I think there's no question that sexism exists, but I think that as long as people are willing to fight and create interesting stories that involve women of all different ages, then the movies will get made," Bening said.

As Hughes in The Aviator, dramatic-actor winner DiCaprio reunited with his Gangs of New York director Martin Scorsese. DiCaprio said that for all his good fortune in Hollywood, the "pinnacle of all that is to work alongside one of the greatest contributors to the world of cinema of all time, and that is the great Martin Scorsese."

Jamie Foxx wins best musical actor. PHOTO: AP

Eastwood won the directing honor for Million Dollar Baby, solidifying his chances to win the same honor at the Oscars. Eastwood previously won the directing Oscar for Unforgiven.

David Stewart speaks as he and Mick Jagger accept their award for best original song. PHOTO: AP

Natalie Portman and Clive Owen won supporting-actor honors for the sex drama Closer, their wins coming as something of a surprise. Both offered profuse thanks to Closer director Mike Nichols.

"Mike Nichols, I love you, you're the nicest, smartest, wisest daddy, friend, rock star," Portman said.

The Aviator earned composer Howard Shore the Globe for film score, while Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart won the song honor for Old Habits Die Hard from Alfie.

"I'd like to thank Dave Stewart for getting me into this mess," Jagger said on stage alongside Stewart, formerly of the Eurythmics.

Spain's The Sea Inside -- starring Javier Bardem in the real-life story of Ramon Sampedro, a paralyzed man who fought a decades-long battle for his right to die -- was picked as best foreign-language film.

The Globes serve as the most prominent ceremony in Hollywood's pre-game show leading up to the Academy Awards on Feb. 27. The awards are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, whose small membership of about 90 people pales compared to the nearly 6,000 film professionals eligible to vote for the Oscars.

Yet the Globes historically serve as a solid forecast that helps set the odds for subsequent film honors.

Golden Globe winners gain attention that can put them on the inside track for prizes from acting, directing and other filmmaking guilds -- the momentum often sticks with them right through Oscar night.

In the TV categories, "Desperate Housewives" won for best musical or comedy series, while Teri Hatcher beat her show's co-stars Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman for best actress in a TV comedy. Hatcher thanked ABC for giving "me a second chance at a career when I couldn't have been a bigger has-been."

"Nip / Tuck" won for best dramatic TV series, while The Life and Death of Peter Sellers took the Globe for best TV movie or miniseries and Jason Bateman of "Arrested Development" was honored as best actor in a comedy series.

Other TV winners included Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" as dramatic actress, Ian McShane as dramatic actor for "Deadwood," Anjelica Huston as supporting actress for the suffrage film Iron Jawed Angels, and William Shatner as supporting actor for "Boston Legal."

"I really wanted to win," Shatner said afterward backstage, where he fielded questions about playing sinister attorney Denny Crane after decades of being typecast as space hero Captain Kirk in "Star Trek." "It's all part of the fun of acting. Acting is like being in a sandbox and pretending, so this is part of the pretense."

Robin Williams, a five-time Globe winner for such films as The Fisher King and Good Morning, Vietnam, received the Cecil B DeMille award for career achievement. Williams dedicated his award to a friend, the late Christopher Reeve, who died last year.

Williams' manic acceptance speech included jibes at the foreign-press group's occasionally embarrassing history, such as presenting Pia Zadora with the best newcomer award for her movie flop Butterfly just two years after giving Williams the same honor for "Mork & Mindy."

But Williams praised the group for having a separate category for comedy, which often is overlooked in other Hollywood movie honors.

"You allow us to be in the room with the adults," Williams said.

The following is a list of winners on Sunday at the 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, which are given out by the 93-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

FILM

Drama: The Aviator

Dramatic Actress: Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby

Dramatic Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator

Musical or Comedy: Sideways

Musical or Comedy Actress: Annette Bening, Being Julia

Musical or Comedy Actor: Jamie Foxx

Foreign Language Film: The Sea Inside, (Spain)

Supporting Actress: Natalie Portman, Closer

Supporting Actor: Clive Owen, Closer

Director: Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Sideways

Original Score: Howard Shore, The Aviator

Original Song: "Old Habits Die Hard,'' in Alfie

TELEVISION

Dramatic Show: Nip/Tuck

Dramatic Actress: Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Dramatic Actor: Ian McShane, Deadwood

Comedy Show: Desperate Housewives

Comedy Actres: Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives

Comedy Actor: Jason Bateman, Arrested Development

Mini-Series or TV Movie: The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Mini-Series or TV Movie Actress: Glenn Close, The Lion in Winter

Mini-Series or TV Movie Actor: Geoffrey Rush, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Supporting Actress: Angelica Huston, Iron Jawed Angels

Supporting Actor: William Shatner, Boston Legal

Cecil B DeMille Award: Robin Williams
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