Bale, Bening among early Golden Globe winners

By Bob Tourtellotte

BEVERLY HILLS, California | Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:30pm EST

BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) - Annette Bening, who played a lesbian mother in "The Kids Are All Right," and Christian Bale, who portrayed a drug-addicted boxer in "The Fighter," won Golden Globe trophies on Sunday.

Bening was named best actress in a comedy in the tale of two children of lesbian parents who search for their sperm donor father. Bale claimed the honor of best supporting actor for boxing drama "The Fighter."

In another key film award, Melissa Leo playing the mother of Christian Bale's character in "The Fighter" was named best supporting actress.

Among other early winners, Facebook film "The Social Network," which was also nominated for best drama, took home two honors. One went to Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for best score and a second to writer Aaron Sorkin for best screenplay.

"Toy Story 3" was named best animated movie for what director Lee Unkrich called ""an animated movie that beat with a human heart."

Denmark's "In a Better World" was named best foreign language film.

But it was Bening and Bale who brought major starpower to the early awards with Bening thanking her cast, including Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo, and Bale poking modest fun at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which hands out the Golden Globe Awards.

"Now I know who you are, and suddenly I realize how wise and perceptive and spectacular you guys are," Bale quipped.

The Golden Globe Awards, which are given out by the nearly 90 members of the HFPA, are one of the major Hollywood awards shows leading to the film industry's most-prized honors, the Oscars, which are handed out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The night's top Golden Globe is best film drama, and in that category, "The King's Speech," which examines British King George VI's stammering problem, will compete with "The Social Network," the Facebook film that has swept many early honors in Hollywood's awards season.

Three others hope to deliver a knockout punch and win best drama including boxing movie "The Fighter," which had six nods, ballet movie "Black Swan" and thriller "Inception."

HFPA THE BUTT OF JOKES

Host, comedian Ricky Gervais, got the show off to a start by poking fun at movies like "The Tourist" and actor Charlie Sheen, who in recent weeks has been reported partying wildly, causing concern at the CBS television network that airs his comedy, "Two and a Half Men."

Gervais also noted a scandal that has rocked the HFPA this year. A former publicist sued the group claiming its members received favors in turn for nominations from movie studios. Noting Gervais' often cutting wit, HFPA President Philip Berk took the stage with a joke of his own, aimed at Gervais.

"Ricky, next time you want me to help you qualify your movies, go to another guy," Berk joked.

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Hollywood's eyes focus on Golden Globe Awards

By Bob Tourtellotte

BEVERLY HILLS, California | Sun Jan 16, 2011 12:53pm EST

BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) - Hollywood on Sunday geared up for one of its biggest parties of the year, the Golden Globe Awards, with "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network" in a close race for the top honor, best film drama.

"The King's Speech" heads into the glitzy awards ceremony as the most nominated movie with seven nods overall, including best drama. It faces stiff competition from critics' darling "The Social Network," the Facebook film that has swept many early honors in Hollywood's awards season and comes into the Golden Globes with six nominations.

Three others hope to deliver their own knockout punch and win best drama including boxing movie "The Fighter," which had six nominations, ballet movie "Black Swan" and thriller "Inception."

The Golden Globe Awards, which are given out by the nearly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are one of the major Hollywood awards shows leading to the film industry's most-prized honors, the Oscars, which are given away by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Annually, movie fans tune in to the televised ceremony because early awards show often provide tips as to which movies, actors, actresses and others might take home Oscars.

As importantly, the top stars turn out in their finest gowns, dripping in diamonds and other jewelry, for the event that is often billed as Hollywood's biggest party.

But this year's party began with a sobering lawsuit filed last week in which a former publicist for the HFPA sued for $2 million claiming members engaged in "payola" activities like taking lavish gifts from studios in exchange for nominations.

HFPA President Philip Berk told Reuters the suit was little more than "the outpouring of a disgruntled, former employee."

THE SHOW GOES ON

Party atmosphere or not, the show must go on -- as the saying goes in Hollywood -- and on Sunday the red carpet had been rolled out as usual for the stars.

Unlike the Oscars, Golden Globe voters also pick best movies in a separate category for comedies or musicals, but pundits say only two nominees in that category have the critical success and the fans to compete closely for an Oscar -- lesbian family comedy "The Kids Are All Right" and fantasy "Alice in Wonderland."

The other three are critically panned "Burlesque," box office flop "The Tourist," and action movie "Red."

The race for best actress in a drama is a close one between Natalie Portman portraying a young ballerina in "The Black Swan," Nicole Kidman as a grieving mother in "The Rabbit Hole" and Michelle Williams in relationship drama "Blue Valentine." Also included in the category are newcomer Jennifer Lawrence for "Winter's Bone" and Halle Berry in "Frankie and Alice."

Best drama film actor will see Jesse Eisenberg, who portrays Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network," up against oddsmaker favorite Colin Firth as stammering British King George VI in "The King's Speech." The other nominees are Mark Wahlberg in "The Fighter," James Franco for "127 Hours" and Ryan Gosling in "Blue Valentine."

Golden Globe voters also give out honors in television categories. Competing for best TV drama are a few veteran shows such as "Dexter," "Mad Men" and "The Good Wife," as well as newcomers "Boardwalk Empire" and "The Walking Dead."

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"Green Hornet" flies high at box office

LOS ANGELES | Sun Jan 16, 2011 1:15pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Green Hornet" flew into the top spot at the weekend box office in North America on Sunday despite bad critical buzz for the 3-D superhero comic-book adaptation.

The picture sold about $34 million worth of tickets during the three days beginning Friday, said its distributor, Columbia Pictures. The opening was in line with expectations and it ranks as the third-best start for a new release in January, according to the Sony Corp unit.

Seth Rogen stars as the titular vigilante, aided in his crime-fighting efforts by Kato (played by Taiwanese actor Jay Chou). French filmmaker Michel Gondry directed. Critics were largely negative toward the film with the Wall Street Journal calling it an "atrocity."

But Columbia said exit polls indicated the film clicked with its audience, of whom men accounted for 61 percent.

"I think audiences are absolutely the best critics," said Rory Bruer, Columbia's president of worldwide distribution.

Universal Pictures' new comedy-drama "The Dilemma," starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, followed at No. 2 with $17.1 million, also in line with mild expectations.

Last weekend's champion, the Coen brothers' Western remake "True Grit," fell to No. 3 with $11.2 million. After four weeks, Paramount Pictures' awards contender has earned $126.4 million.

The film was followed by two others seeking Oscar glory. The Weinstein Co's royals drama "The King's Speech" jumped five places to No. 4 with $9.1 million, while Fox Searchlight's sapphic ballerina melodrama "Black Swan" was steady at No. 5 with $8.1 million. Their respective totals stand at $44.6 million and $73 million.

Universal Pictures is a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc. The Weinstein Co is privately held. Fox Searchlight is a unit of News Corp.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Bill Trott)

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