GOLDEN GLOBES 'Sideways,' Foxx lead Golden Globe nominees

Three actresses from 'Desperate Housewives' are also vying against one another.
By ROGER MOORE
KNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association loves its California wines, loves Howard Hughes, and is pretty keen on the guy who played Ray Charles, if the 62nd Golden Globe nominations announced Monday are any indication.
"Sideways," Alexander Payne's offbeat comic romance set in California's wine country, led the field with seven nominations. "The Aviator," the Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio epic on the life of Howard Hughes, scored six nominations.
But any way you look at it, Jamie Foxx was on the association's mind. Foxx, the former comic star of such B-pictures as "Booty Call," broke out with three nominations for different works, a first for the Golden Globes. He's up for best supporting actor for playing a kidnapped taxi driver in "Collateral," best actor in a TV movie or miniseries for "Redemption," and best actor for his impersonation of the late soul singer Ray Charles in "Ray."
The ceremony
The Globes, given out by the 90-member press group, feature awards in 13 film categories and 11 TV categories. The ceremony will be broadcast on NBC Jan. 16 at 8 p.m.
On the TV side, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" made out like a desperate housewife, with stars Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross competing against one another in the best actress, musical or comedy category. It is also up for best comedy or musical series.
But TV is not where the Globes' true influence lies. Historically, these awards have been a good early indicator for the Academy Awards. The Globes split the dramatic and comic best-picture and best-actor/-actress awards, giving the association 10 chances to pick five best picture and five best actress or actor nominees. What the Globes traditionally do is narrow the field and figure out, with a few exceptions, who is out of the running for an Oscar a month before Oscar nominations are announced. Among those left out this year: Jeff Bridges' ballyhooed performance in "The Door in the Floor."
Foxx will be up against a former "In Living Color" cast-mate in the best-actor musical or comedy category. Jim Carrey's subdued work as a man trying to cling to the memory of a love that's been erased in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" also was nominated, along with Paul Giamatti ("Sideways"), Kevin Kline as Cole Porter in "De-Lovely" and Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin in "Beyond the Sea."
Top actors
Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Aviator"), Don Cheadle ("Hotel Rwanda"), Liam Neeson ("Kinsey"), Johnny Depp ("Finding Neverland") and Javier Bardem ("The Sea Inside") will compete for the best actor in a film drama category.
"It is an extraordinary honor to be nominated in the company of all these tremendous actors," Bardem said Monday. Bardem, who plays a real-life Spanish quadriplegic who fought for the right to die, also said "none of this would be possible without Ramon Sampedro's great struggle and sacrifice. He remains my greatest inspiration."
Scarlett Johansson ("A Love Song for Bobby Long"), Nicole Kidman ("Birth"), Imelda Staunton ("Vera Drake"), Hilary Swank ("Million Dollar Baby") and Uma Thurman ("Kill Bill Vol. 2") are up for best actress in a drama.
"This film means so much to me," said Staunton. "To be a part of it and the Golden Globes is a great honor, particularly amongst these extraordinary nominees."