CNN - Ed Harris, HBO pick up early awards at Golden Globes

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Ed Harris, HBO pick up early awards at Golden Globes

January 24, 1999
Web posted at: 10:00 p.m. EST (0300 GMT)

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Hollywood's biggest awards show before the Oscars began Sunday night with nods to veteran actors Ed Harris and Lynn Redgrave, and a trio of statuettes for HBO.

Harris picked up his award for his supporting role in "The Truman Show," while Redgrave won for her turn in "Gods and Monsters."

HBO won both the actor and actress categories in a miniseries or TV movie, with Angelina Jolie winning for her role in "Gia" and Stanley Tucci getting the nod for "Winchell."

The cable network also took home the Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television award for the Tom Hanks- produced NASA epic "From the Earth to the Moon."

Jenna Elfman won the award for best actress in a television series, musical or comedy for her work in "Dharma and Greg." Michael J. Fox won best actor in the same category for "Spin City."

Oscar looms large over Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony.

The Golden Globes, handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are traditionally seen as a bellwether for the Academy Awards held in March, with winners and contenders often riding a wave of promotion between the Golden Globes and the race for Oscar.

The Golden Globes "have a pattern for picking many of the Oscar nominees, and often they also name a winner," says Paul Clinton, film reviewer for Turner Entertainment Report. "But they have an advantage. They pick movies and actors for both comedy and drama, so they are twice as likely to honor someone who will go on and get either nominated or win an Academy Award."

This year's Golden Globe nominees for the silver screen include "Shakespeare In Love" and "The Truman Show." They set the pace in the movie categories, garnering six nominations each. "Saving Private Ryan" was nominated in five categories.

Meanwhile, NBC leads networks in Golden Globe TV nominations.

And the silver screen nominees are...

"Shakespeare," the tongue-in-cheek romance that stars Joseph Fiennes as the bard, was nominated for best musical or comedy, along with "Bulworth," Warren Beatty's slam on the political process; "The Mask of Zorro," the Anthony Quinn- Antonio Banderas adventure; "Patch Adams," in which Robin Williams plays a 1970s medical student who treats patients with humor; "Still Crazy," the yet-to-be-released film starring Stephen Rea and Billy Connolly; and "There's Something About Mary," the grotesque Farrelly brothers comedy starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz.

"The Truman Show," the Jim Carrey summer vehicle about a man who unwittingly lives in a Hollywood-created world, will vie for best dramatic movie nominee, along with "Saving Private Ryan," Steven Spielberg's hellish account of D-Day; "Elizabeth," the story of the virgin queen; "Gods and Monsters," a tale of "Frankenstein" director James Whale; and "The Horse Whisperer," the Robert Redford flick based on the book by the same name.

In the category of best actor in a drama, Ian McKellan explores the life of filmmaker James Whale in "Gods and Monsters," Stephen Fry takes on Oscar Wilde in "Wilde," Tom Hanks goes into battle for "Private Ryan," Nick Nolte battles his family history in "Affliction," and Jim Carrey longs for real life in "The Truman Show."

Three actresses who play characters facing illness earned Golden Globe nominations for best actress in a drama: Meryl Streep in "One True Thing," Susan Sarandon in "Stepmom," and Emily Watson in "Hilary and Jackie." Also competing in the category are Cate Blanchett for her work in "Elizabeth" and Fernanda Montenegro for "Central Station."

And the small screen...

The Golden Globes have given a confidence boost to NBC as the network fights its toughest ratings war in years. The Foreign Press handed NBC 20 nominations, by far the most of the television networks. ABC was a distant second with 12; HBO had nine, Fox had seven, and CBS had only one.

Drama nominees for TV are "ER," "Felicity," "Law & Order," "The Practice" and "The X-Files." Musical or comedy series nominees were "Ally McBeal," "Dharma and Greg," "Frasier," "Just Shoot Me" and "Spin City."

Miniseries and made-for-TV movie commendations went to "The Baby Dance," "Gia," "Merlin" and "The Temptations." "From the Earth to the Moon" won.

In the category honoring best actress in a drama, fresh-faced Keri Russell was picked for her work on "Felicity," which premiered earlier this year. Gillian Anderson ("The X- Files"), Kim Delaney ("NYPD Blue"), Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel") and Julianna Margulies ("ER") were also nominated.

Jimmy Smits, whose character on "NYPD Blue" died this season as Smits sought new acting horizons, was nominated for best actor in a drama. He'll face competition from David Duchovny ("The X-Files"), Anthony Edwards ("ER"), Lance Henriksen ("Millennium") and Dylan McDermott ("The Practice").

The Golden Globes are decided by the 92 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. NBC televises the awards for the fourth straight year, devoting three live hours of prime time to the event, beginning at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.

The 1996 show ended a 14-year absence of major network exposure for the Globes ceremony, triggered by accusations of corrupt voting practices by the Foreign Press Association. The association worked hard to regain respectability and lure network attention.