HOLLYWOOD 'Cold Mountain' tops list of Golden Globes nominees

A surprise nominee is Jack Black, star of 'The School of Rock.'
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- The Civil War epic "Cold Mountain" collected a leading eight Golden Globe nominations Thursday, including best drama, as Hollywood marked the start of its annual trophy-giving season.
"Lost in Translation," starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, and "Mystic River," the story of three adult friends linked by tragic crimes, received five nominations each.
Along with "Cold Mountain" and "Mystic River," best movie drama contenders were the seafaring epic "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," the true-life horse racing story "Seabiscuit" and the fantasy saga "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
"The Return of the King," the third film in a hugely successful trilogy, had four nominations including Peter Jackson for best director.
"Big Fish," director Tim Burton's offbeat story of a charismatic father and his repressed son, also got four nominations including best musical or comedy. It competes against the year's highest-grossing movie, the computer-animated "Finding Nemo," and three smaller films: "Lost in Translation," the soccer coming-of-age story "Bend it Like Beckham" and the British holiday romance anthology "Love Actually."
Dropped and picked up
"The Reagans," which CBS dropped after Reagan admirers complained that it dwelled on the negative, got made-for-TV movie nominations for James Brolin and Judy Davis -- who played former President Reagan and first lady Nancy. The Showtime cable channel eventually picked up the movie.
Ben Kingsley's performance as a desperate Iranian immigrant in "House of Sand and Fog" joined with Russell Crowe's hardscrabble sea captain in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" in the lead dramatic movie actor category. Other contenders were Tom Cruise for "The Last Samurai," Jude Law for "Cold Mountain" and Sean Penn for "Mystic River."
Nicole Kidman's role as a prim Southerner in "Cold Mountain" earned her a nomination for lead dramatic actress in a movie, along with Uma Thurman for "Kill Bill: Vol. 1," Charlize Theron for "Monster," Evan Rachel Wood for "Thirteen," and Cate Blanchett for "Veronica Guerin."
Johansson had two lead performance nominations -- one for the drama "Girl With a Pearl Earring" and one in the comedy class for "Lost in Translation."
Also nominated with Johansson in the lead comedy film actress category were Diane Keaton for "Something's Gotta Give" and Helen Mirren for "Calendar Girls," two films about beauty and romance among older women. Jamie Lee Curtis was also recognized in the category for playing a mom who switches bodies with her teenage daughter in the remake "Freaky Friday," while Diane Lane received a bid for the romance "Under the Tuscan Sun."
Jack Black was a surprise nominee for lead comedy or musical film actor for his role as a phony music teacher in "The School of Rock," while Johnny Depp was nominated for playing a wobbly buccaneer in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." Other nominees in the category: Murray for "Lost in Translation," Jack Nicholson for "Something's Gotta Give" and Billy Bob Thornton for "Bad Santa."
Director nominees
Along with Jackson for "The Return of the King," the best movie director nominees were Sofia Coppola for "Lost in Translation," Clint Eastwood for "Mystic River," Anthony Minghella for "Cold Mountain" and Peter Weir for "Master and Commander."
The Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have a history of honoring future Oscar winners.
Last season, the Globes were awarded Jan. 19 -- and this time the live telecast is scheduled for Jan. 25. The new date comes just two days before Oscar nominations are announced Jan. 27.
Meanwhile, the main Oscar ceremony is set for Feb. 29, about four weeks earlier than usual.