'King's Speech' leads contenders for Golden Globes

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The British monarchy tale

The King's Speech

led Golden Globe contenders Tuesday with seven nominations, including best drama and acting honors for Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush.

Other best-drama nominees were the psychosexual dance thriller Black Swan, the boxing saga The Fighter, the sci-fi blockbuster Inception and the Facebook chronicle The Social Network.

Nominees in the Globes' other best-picture category, for musical or comedy, are the Lewis Carroll fantasy Alice in Wonderland, the song-and-dance extravaganza Burlesque, the lesbian-family tale The Kids Are All Right, the action romp Red, and the romantic thriller The Tourist.

Among TV contenders, Glee leads with five nominations, including comedy series and acting honors for Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, and Matthew Morrison. Other TV comedy-series picks were 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, The Big C, Modern Family, and Nurse Jackie. Drama series nominees were Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, The Good Wife, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead.

Hollywood's second-highest film honors, the Globes traditionally were a solid weather vane for predicting which film might triumph at the Academy Awards. But the Globes have provided murky forecasts in recent times. In the last six years, just one recipient of a Globe best-film prize has gone on to win best picture at the Oscars - 2008's Slumdog Millionaire.

Bonham Carter, a supporting-actress nominee as Queen Elizabeth II's mother in the 1930s-era The King's Speech, was uncertain if the Globe nomination might help secure her the same honor at the Academy Awards, whose nominations come out Jan. 25. But she had stronger expectations for costar Firth, a best-actor nominee as King George VI, the reluctant monarch struggling with a lifelong stammer.

The Social Network and The Fighter tied for second with six nominations each. Among nominations for The Social Network were Jesse Eisenberg as best dramatic actor, Andrew Garfield as supporting actor, and David Fincher as director.

The Fighter earned four acting nominations, best actor for Mark Wahlberg and supporting honors for Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. Its nominations also included a directing slot for David O. Russell.

Johnny Depp earned two nominations, as best musical or comedy actor for Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist. Along with Eisenberg, Firth and Wahlberg, best dramatic actor contenders are James Franco for 127 Hours and Ryan Gosling for the marital tale Blue Valentine.

Nominees for best dramatic actress are Halle Berry for the multiple-personality drama Frankie and Alice, Nicole Kidman for the grieving-parent tale Rabbit Hole, Jennifer Lawrence for the Ozarks crime yarn Winter's Bone, Natalie Portman for Black Swan and Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine.

Joining Depp in the musical or comedy actor race are Paul Giamatti in the curmudgeon chronicle Barney's Version, Jake Gyllenhaal in the romance Love and Other Drugs, and Kevin Spacey in the Jack Abramoff saga Casino Jack.

Depp's The Tourist costar Angelina Jolie is among musical or comedy actress nominees. Also competing are Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a lesbian couple in The Kids Are All Right, Anne Hathaway in Love and Other Drugs and Emma Stone in the high school romp Easy A.

The animation category is filled with blockbusters, led by Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon and Despicable Me. The current hit Tangled also made the cut, along with the forthcoming French tale The Illusionist.

The Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of about 85 critics and reporters for overseas outlets. Ricky Gervais is returning as host of the ceremony, which will air live Jan. 16 on NBC10.

The Oscar nominations will be announced nine days later, on Jan. 25.