DAILY NEWS UPDATE: Specialty Releases Circle Golden Globes, USA Films' "Traffic" Takes Lead

DAILY NEWS UPDATE: Golden Globe Nominees

>> Specialty Releases Circle Golden Globes, USA Films' "Traffic" Takes Lead

(indieWIRE/ 12.15.00) -- The Hollywood Foreign Press Association -- a
cultural oddity made up of foreign journalists based in Los Angeles --
announced its nominations for the 58th Golden Globe Awards on Thursday
morning. Leading up the nominees, Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic" tied with
Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" with 5 nominations for the top spot. "Traffic"
picked up noms for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director (Steven
Soderbergh, who was also nominated for "Erin Brockovich"), Best Supporting
Actor (Benicio del Toro), Best Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones),
and Best Screenplay (Stephen Gaghan). The nominations couldn't have come
at a better time for the film, as USA Films will release "Traffic" next
week.

This year's Miramax push, "Chocolat" received 4 nominations: Best Picture -
Comedy, Best Actress - Comedy (Juliette Binoche), Best Supporting Actress
(Judi Dench) and Best Original Score (Rachel Portman).

Other specialty releases like Stephen Daldry's "Billy Elliot" (Universal
Focus) and Istvan Szabo's "Sunshine" (Paramount Classics) notably received
nominations for Best Motion Picture - Drama. "Elliot's" Julie Walters also
garnered a nomination for Best Supporting Actress and "Sunshine" received
noms for Best Director (Szabo) and Best Original Score (Maurice Jarre).

In the Best Actress - Drama category, independents also dominated, with
nominations going to Ellen Burstyn (Artisan's "Requiem for a Dream"), Laura
Linney (Paramount Classics' "You Can Count on Me") and Bjork (Fine Line's
"Dancer in the Dark," which also received a nom for Best Song for "I've Seen
It All"). While in the Best Actor - Drama category, Javier Bardem (Fine
Line's "Before Night Falls") and Geoffrey Rush (Fox Searchlight's "Quills")
received nominations. In the Best Actress - Comedy category, nominations
went to Brenda Blethyn (Fine Line's "Saving Grace") and Renee Zellweger (USA
Films' "Nurse Betty"). Additionally, Willem Dafoe received a nomination for
Best Supporting Actor for "Shadow of the Vampire" (Lions Gate). "You Can
Count on Me" and "Quills" also received noms for Best Screenplay, for
Kenneth Lonergan and Doug Wright, respectively.

Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (Sony Pictures Classics) was
excluded from the Best Picture - Drama category because of a rule that such
films must be in English, but Lee was nominated for Best Director - Drama,
and the film was nominated for Best Original Score (Tan Dun) and Best
Foreign Film, along with "Amores Perros" (Lions Gate, Mexico), "The Hundred
Steps" (Italy), "Malena" (Miramax, Italy), and "The Widow of St. Pierre"
(Lions Gate, France).

Often considered to be a harbinger of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts
and Sciences' Academy Awards, the Golden Globe winners will be announced on
January 21, 2001. [Anthony Kaufman]

The complete list of film nominees follows:

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

BILLY ELLIOT

Universal Pictures / Working Title / BBC Film / WT2; Universal Focus

ERIN BROCKOVICH

Universal Pictures / Jersey Films; Universal Pictures / Sony Pictures

GLADIATOR

DreamWorks Pictures / Universal Pictures ; DreamWorks Pictures / Universal Pictures

SUNSHINE

Alliance Atlantis / Serendipity Point Films / Kinowelt; Paramount Classics

TRAFFIC

Bedford Falls Company / Laura Bickford Production; USA Films

WONDER BOYS

Paramount Pictures / Mutual Film; Paramount Pictures

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

JOAN ALLEN
The Contender

BJ