'Social Network' big winner at Golden Globes (AP)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Host Ricky Gervas humorously insulted nearly every A-lister in the room at the Golden Globes, while the big winner was "The Social Network" — a movie about a guy who riles up everyone on campus with his new and invasive website.

It all seemed fitting Sunday night.

Besides best drama, "The Social Network," about the founding of Facebook, won for David Fincher's direction, Aaron Sorkin's script and the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. After receiving top honors from critics groups coast to coast, this resounding victory positions the film as the front-runner at the Academy Awards.

Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 25, with the ceremony itself set for Feb. 27.

Until then, we have the Globes to feast on. It's a loose, boozy dinner anyway, but Gervais, returning for the second straight year, infused it with an even more subversive vibe than usual. He took jabs at Charlie Sheen, Robert Downey Jr., Mel Gibson, Scientologists, several of the nominated films and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association itself, which hands out the Globes.

Last week, the HFPA was hit with a $2 million lawsuit from its former publicist, who alleged that the 90-member group engages in payola schemes for nominations and awards.

That was only the beginning of the fodder for Gervais, who also made fun of some of the flimsier nominees — like the critically savaged Angelina Jolie-Johnny Depp romp "The Tourist."

"It must be good 'cause it's nominated, so shut up," Gervais cracked in the show's opening monologue.

"I'd like to quash this ridiculous rumor going around that the only reason 'The Tourist' was nominated was so the Hollywood Foreign Press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie," he continued. "That is rubbish. That is not the only reason. They also accepted bribes."

The movie itself was shut out of honors despite receiving three nominations in musical or comedy categories.

Even Robert De Niro, recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement — and a notoriously reticent public speaker — got in on the act, joking about HFPA's reputation for shmoozing celebrities.

"The important thing is we are all in this together," De Niro said. "The filmmakers who make the movies and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association members who in turn pose for pictures with the movie stars. ...

"I'm sorry more members of the foreign press aren't with us tonight, but many of them were deported right before the show," he added. "Along with most of the waiters. And Javier Bardem."

But Sunday's show was full of predictable moments, too. The expected winners in the dramatic acting categories all walked away with statues: Colin Firth as the stammering King George VI in "The King's Speech," Natalie Portman as a ballerina teetering on the brink of madness in "Black Swan," and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for their supporting roles in the boxing drama "The Fighter."

"The King's Speech" went into the night with the most nominations, seven, but only won that one award.

On the musical or comedy side, the top film was "The Kids Are All Right," about a lesbian couple trying to keep their family together. Its star, Annette Bening, won best actress. Best actor in a musical or comedy went to Paul Giamatti as a curmudgeon in "Barney's Version."

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," said Portman, giggling and showing a baby bump under a billowing pink gown.

"Barney's Version" follows the many loves in Giamatti's 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," he said.

"Toy Story 3," the top-grossing film released last year and the second sequel to 1995's digital animation pioneer "Toy Story," won the Globe for animated films, making Disney's Pixar Animation unit five-for-five in the category since it was added in 2006. Past Pixar winners are "Up," "WALL-E," "Ratatouille" and "Cars."

"Wow, were you two even born when the first `Toy Story' came out?" "Toy Story 3" director Lee Unkrich said to his award's presenters, 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber and 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, co-star of the hit Western "True Grit."

Among TV winners, "Glee" won three prizes, best comedy and supporting-acting prizes for Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer. "Boardwalk Empire" won two prizes, for best drama and dramatic actor for Steve Buscemi.

The Globe ceremony traditionally had a strong track record as a forecast for what film would win best picture at the Oscars. But the two shows have split in recent times, with only one top Globe recipient — 2008's "Slumdog Millionaire" — also winning the main prize at the Oscars over the past six years.

A year ago, the sci-fi sensation "Avatar" won best drama at the Globes, but the Iraq War saga "The Hurt Locker" took best picture at the Oscars.

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David Germain and Beth Harris contributed to this report.

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Online:

http://www.goldenglobes.org

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' Social Network ' big winner at the Golden Globes (AP)

BEVERLY HILLS, California – it seems right that, in a Golden Globes ceremony where the host humorous insulted almost any A-lister in the room, the big winner was a movie about a guy who irritates up everyone on campus, with its new Web site and invasive.

And that's exactly what Ricky Gervais and "The Social Network," done Sunday night.

Of course, all of the winners provides that won all the prizes you figured they would have. In addition to drama, "The Social Network," about the founder of Facebook, won for the direction of David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin script and score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. After receiving the first honors from critics coast to coast, this resounding victory position the film as the front-runner at the Academy Awards.

Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 25, with the ceremony himself for 27 February.

Until then, we have the Globes to feast on. Is a loose, boozy dinner in normal years, but Gervais, returning for the second-straight year, infused with an atmosphere even more subversive than usual. He took jabs at Scientologists, many of the films nominated and Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which provides the Globes, Mel Gibson, Robert Downey Jr., Charlie Sheen. Last week, the HFPA was hit with a lawsuit for $ 2 million from his former publicist, who claimed that the 90-member group engages in payola schemes for nominations and awards.

That was just the beginning of fodder for Gervais, who made fun of some candidates vague — as the critically savaged romp Angelina Jolie-Johnny Depp "The Tourist" — at the same time.

"Okay, 'cause it is appointed, so shut up," Gervais cracking in the show's opening monologue.

"I want to cancel this ridiculous rumor going around that the only reason that has been named ' tourism ' was so the Hollywood Foreign Press could hang with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie," he continued. "That is junk. It is not the only reason. They also accepted bribes. " (The film itself, however, was closed despite receiving three nominations in the category Musicals or comedy.)

Robert De Niro, recipient of the Cecil b. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement — and a public speaker is notoriously secretive — put in place. Joked during his acceptance speech about HFPA's reputation for shmoozing celebs.

"The important thing is that they are all in this together," said De Niro. "Filmmakers who make movies and members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which in turn pose for pictures with movie stars. ...

"I'm sorry most foreign press members are not with us tonight, but many of them were deported right before the show," he added. "With most waiters. And Javier Bardem.

But the show on Sunday was full of predictable moments, too. The projected winners in the categories of drama dramatic all walked away with statues: Colin Firth as King George VI stammering in "the King's Speech," Natalie Portman as a dancer teetering on the brink of madness "Black Swan" and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for their roles in support of the boxing drama "The hunt". "Speech by the King "went late into the night with seven more nominations, but only for a prize.

Musical or comedy side, top movie was "the kids are all right," a lesbian couple trying to keep their family together, who was also the front-runner in its category. Its star, Annette Bening, won best actress. Best actor in a musical or comedy went to Paul Giamatti as a curmudgeon in "version of Barney."

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

"He is the best actor! It is not true, that he wants to sleep with me, "said Portman, giggling and showing a bump baby despite wearing a pink dress billowing.

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

"I got to smoke and drink and get mentioned in this film and I paid for it. An amazing thing, amazing, "he said.

"Toy Story 3," the top-grossing films released last year and the second sequel digital animation pioneer of 1995 "Toy Story", won the globe for animated films, making Disney Pixar Animation unit-to-five in five categories, since it was added in 2006. Past winners have Pixar "Up" "WALL-E", "Ratatouille" and "Cars".

"Wow, were two even born when the first" Toy Story "?" Director of "Toy Story 3" Lee Unkrich said announcers of his prize, 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber and 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, co-star of the hit Western "True Grit".

Among the winners of TV, "Joy" has won three awards, Best Comedy and acting awards-support for Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer. "Boardwalk Empire" has won two awards, for best drama and dramatic actor for Steve Buscemi.

The ceremony of the globe was traditionally a strong track record as a baseline for what movies would have won the Oscar for best picture. But the two shows are divided in recent times, with only one recipient upper globe — "The Millionaire of 2008" — also won the main prize at Oscars over the past six years.

A year ago, the Sci-Fi sensation "Avatar" won best drama at the Globes, but the war in Iraq saga "The Hurt Locker" took the best picture Oscar.

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David Germain and Beth Harris has contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://www.goldenglobes.org

View the original article here

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Mark Wahlberg comes up a winner with "The Fighter" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – After more than four years of working tirelessly to make his movie, "The Fighter," and more than four years of training in a boxing ring to fit the lead role, Mark Wahlberg has changed routines in life.

"My new regimen consists of a bottle of red wine and a lot of food," the actor jokes, "and I'm enjoying myself, but my wife is, like, 'you're starting to look really bad.'"

It has been a rare event when, as an adult, Mark Wahlberg has looked bad. And as "The Fighter" debuts on Friday in major U.S. cities, it is looking very good with Oscar buzz and solid reviews working in its corner.

A troubled teenager who landed in jail, Wahlberg turned around his life as an entertainer, first as a rapper with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, then as a Calvin Klein model when his rock-hard abdomen became the envy of both men and women.

He broke through the ranks of Hollywood actors in the 1990s in films like "Boogie Nights," became a box office sensation in "The Perfect Storm" and moved on to producing hits like HBO's "Entourage," which mirrors his own early years in Hollywood.

Yet "The Fighter," which will expand around the United States in weeks to come, marks something new for the 39-year-old. It is a labor of love that he struggled to get made because, as much as anything, it was about a man -- boxer "Irish" Micky Ward -- with whom Wahlberg had much in common.

"I can't find a reason why I wouldn't be passionate about (the movie)," Wahlberg told Reuters. "And there are so many similarities between Micky's life and his journey and mine."

The two grew up in the Boston area in families with nine children. Both were tough kids, and Wahlberg followed the career of Ward, who is about six years older than the actor.

OUTSIDE THE RING

"The Fighter" charts the ups-and-downs of Ward's boxing. He eventually became a welterweight champion and his three fights with Arturo Gatti are considered legendary.

But what has movie audiences raving are less the fights and more the tale of two brothers, Ward and older sibling Dickie Eklund, who was a strong fighter in his own heyday and the family's favorite son before turning to crack cocaine.

Micky Ward (Wahlberg) must overcome not just obstacles in the ring, but the overshadowing presence of Dickie (Christian Bale) and the overbearing management of his mother (Melissa Leo). He is confused by his family's eagerness to overlook Dickie's drug abuse, and his desire not to disappoint his mom by losing bouts eventually drives Micky from the ring.

But Micky never gives up. He builds his self-confidence through the love of girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) and is finally able to stand up for himself -- outside the ring.

When that happens, his career turns around.

"The Fighter" has scored an 84 percent positive rating at review website Rottentomatoes.com, and movie fans on companion website Flixster give it a 79 percent positive rating.

In Friday's Los Angeles Times, critic Kenneth Turan writes that "the rousing 'The Fighter' tries a number of risky maneuvers and manages to make them pay off in the end."

Oscar watchers in Hollywood put Bale as a strong contender for a supporting actor Academy Award. Wahlberg, Leo, Adams and the movie itself, all figure prominently in this year's race for Hollywood film honors.

By now, after appearing on TV news magazine "60 Minutes" and numerous stories about him, Wahlberg's journey to get "The Fighter" made is well known.

Financing proved difficult for a movie that touched on a dark theme of drug abuse, yet Wahlberg continued to train in a boxing gym he had built at his home. He hired full-time coaches who, when Wahlberg traveled for other movies, went with him. Like Micky Ward, he never threw in the towel.

"I figured if I stopped, I would be giving up on the movie, and I never wanted to do that," he said.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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