Damages and Longford Take Most TV Nominations

If the Golden Globes are still to be considered a harbinger of Oscars to come, consider this morning's announcement of nominees by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association an indication of many future plaudits for Atonement. The World War II-era period drama directed by Joe Wright led the field with seven Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Director (Motion Picture).
Instead of five nominees for Best Motion Picture (Drama), the Association chose seven this year. In addition to Atonement they were American Gangster, Eastern Promises, Denzel Washington's directorial debut The Great Debaters, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. Nominated in the separate category for best comedy or musical were Across the Universe, Charlie Wilson's War, Hairspray, Juno, and Sweeney Todd.

Directors vying for honors are Tim Burton for Sweeney Todd, the Coen Brothers for No Country for Old Men, Julian Schnabel for his French-language The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Ridley Scott for American Gangster and Wright for Atonement. The Globes don't honor work in craft categories like cinematography, editing, visual effects or sound.

Contenders for Best Television Series (Drama) are HBO's Big Love, FX's Damages, ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Fox's House, AMC's Mad Men, and Showtime's The Tudors. Nominated in the TV comedy/musical category are NBC's 30 Rock, Showtime's Californication, HBO's Entourage and Extras, and ABC's Pushing Daisies. Damages and HBO's Longford led the television nominations with four each.

The actual awards show – which may be challenged this year by ramifications of the ongoing writers' strike, including potential no-shows by nominees who refuse to cross any potential picket lines – is slated for Sunday, January 13.