'Social Network' leads the pack of Golden Globe honorees

BEVERLY HILLS. - The Facebook tale The Social Network won top honors Sunday at the Golden Globes with four prizes, including best drama and director, solidifying its prospects as an Academy Awards favorite.

Winning the dramatic lead-acting prizes were Colin Firth for the British monarchy saga The King's Speech and Natalie Portman for the psychosexual thriller Black Swan.

Lead-acting honors for the Globes' musical or comedy categories went to Annette Bening for the lesbian-family story The Kids Are All Right and Paul Giamatti for the curmudgeon tale Barney's Version.

The boxing drama The Fighter earned both supporting acting Globes, for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo.

David Fincher, directing winner for The Social Network, said he thought it was strange when script came to him, since he usually makes dark character studies about misanthropes or films about serial killers. His films include the murder tales Seven and Zodiac.

"I'm personally loath to acknowledge the kind of wonderful response this film has received for fear of becoming addicted to it, so suffice it to say, it's been really nice," said Fincher, whose film also won the Globes for screenplay for Aaron Sorkin and musical score for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Sorkin, creator of TV's The West Wing, had kind words for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network.

"Mark Zuckerberg, if you're watching, Rooney Mara makes a prediction at the beginning of the movie. She was wrong. You turned out to be a great entrepreneur, a great visionary and an incredible altruist," Sorkin said.

While The Social Network dominated, it was a night with something for almost everybody, as most key films came away with prizes. The main snub was for the sci-fi blockbuster Inception, a best-drama contender that had four nominations but lost them all. Johnny Depp, who had two nominations for best musical or comedy actor, also left empty-handed.

The win by Portman as a ballerina coming unhinged amid a production of Swan Lake sets her up for a two-woman showdown for best actress at the Feb. 27 Oscars with Bening, who won for her role as a stern lesbian mom in The Kids Are All Right, which also was named best musical or comedy film.

Portman thanked the film's choreographer, her fiance Benjamin Millepied, with whom she's expecting a child. He also appears in the movie, and his character doesn't want to sleep with hers.

"He's the best actor! It's not true, he totally wants to sleep with me," Portman said, giggling.

Barney's Version follows the many loves in his life: his three wives, played by Rachelle Lefevre, Minnie Driver and Rosamund Pike, whom Giamatti described as "a trifecta of hotties."

"I got to smoke and drink and get laid in this movie, and I got paid for it. An amazing, amazing thing," Giamatti said.

Bening won the musical or comedy actress prize in a field that included The Kids Are All Right co-star Julianne Moore. The film stars Bening and Moore as a couple whose family falls into turmoil after their teenage children seek out the sperm donor who fathered them.

"I'm very proud to be a part of this very special film about two women who are deeply in love and try to keep their family together," Bening said. "My partner, Julianne Moore, I have to thank first. She asked me to do the picture with her. She made it possible for us to shoot it where we shot it, when we did, so Julianne - you are a class act, thank you."

Inquirer movie critic Carrie Rickey and Inquirer fashion columnist Elizabeth Wellington offer their insights on the awards and on the stars and what they're wearing.

Read Rickey's comments at "Flickgrrl"

at www.philly.com/philly/blogs/flickgrrl

and read Wellington's at www.philly.com/philly/blogs/mirrorimage.

EndText