'Atonement' takes top Globe; 'Todd' wins
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The tragic romance "Atonement" was named best drama Sunday at a Golden Globes event that was deflated from star-studded revelry to dry, news conference-style awards announcement because of the Hollywood writers strike.
The bloody stage adaptation "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" was chosen as best musical or comedy. Its star, Johnny Depp, won for best actor in a musical or comedy for the title role, playing a vengeful barber who slits the throats of his customers in the adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's stage musical.
Also winning two awards was the crime saga "No Country for Old Men," which earned the screenplay Globe for writer-directors Ethan and Joel Coen and the supporting actor honor for Javier Bardem as a merciless killer tracking a fortune in crime cash poached by an innocent bystander who stumbles onto a drug deal gone bad.
"Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press!" said Bardem in a written statement after his win. "It is a great honor to have been recognized with this award in a time when there are so many outstanding performances in this category."
"Atonement," which led contenders with seven nominees, also won for best score. The film stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, both losers in the best dramatic acting categories, in a period drama that traces the dire consequences that follows a jealous teen's false criminal accusation against her sister's new lover.
Daniel-Day Lewis was named best dramatic actor for the historical epic "There Will Be Blood," in which he plays a baron of California's oil boom in the early 20th century whose commercial interests put him at odds with a young preacher.
Julie Christie won best dramatic actress for the gloomy drama "Away From Her," starring as a woman succumbing to Alzheimer's who forms a new attachment to a fellow patient that causes heartache for her steadfast husband.
Cate Blanchett won the first award of the night, taking the supporting actress Globe for the Bob Dylan tale "I'm Not There." And like Blanchett, who took the honor for the gender-bending role as one of six actors playing incarnations of Dylan, no other winners were there, either.
Actors and filmmakers skipped the Golden Globes because of the two-month-old strike by the Writers Guild of America, which had planned pickets outside the show if organizers had tried to do their usual televised ceremony. Globe planners and NBC canceled the three-hour star-studded bash in favor of an hour-long news conference at which clips of film and TV nominees were shown and reporters from entertainment news shows announced winners.
Marion Cotillard won for best actress in a musical or comedy for a remarkable personification of singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose," playing the French icon from youth through middle age and into her ailing final years.
The rodent tale "Ratatouille" — directed by the Brad Bird, who made Academy Award winner "The Incredibles" — was named best animated film.
Among TV recipients, Jeremy Piven won for his supporting role as an acerbic agent in HBO's "Entourage," his first win after three previous nominations. Samantha Morton supporting actress for "Longford."
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder won the prize for best original song in a movie for "Guaranteed," featured in director Sean Penn's road drama "Into the Wild."
"We all hope that the writers strike will be over soon so that everyone can go back to making good movies and television programs which is what the Golden Globes were designed to celebrate," said Jorge Camara, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that hands out the Globes, said at the start of the news conference.
"Rest assured that next year, the Golden Globe awards will be back bigger and better than ever," Camara said at the close of the news conference, which had been announced as an hour-long event but lasted just 30 minutes.
On strike since Nov. 5, the Writers Guild of America refused to let union members work on the star-studded banquet-style show, prompting actors to boycott the ceremony rather than cross picket lines.
Although the guild called off pickets it had planned outside the news conference, the strike left one of Hollywood's brightest and giddiest nights in shambles. Despite the gowns and formal wear, the Globes are known as a freewheeling cousin of the Academy Awards, a place where stars can have a few drinks and cut loose as they celebrate the year's achievements in film and television.
The Beverly Hilton hotel, normally awash with celebrities, was so barren of stars that "Entertainment Tonight" host Mary Hart was surrounded by photographers and TV cameras as she entered the ballroom where the Globes were announced.
The fate of Hollywood's biggest night, the Feb. 24 Oscars, remains uncertain. Guild leader Patric Verrone has said writers would not be allowed to work on that show, either, which could force stars to make an even tougher choice on whether to stay away or cross the picket line.
Oscar organizers insist their show will come off as planned, with or without the writers.
With two best-picture categories, drama and musical or comedy, the Globes traditionally have had a good shot for one of its movie winners to come away with the top prize at the Oscars. But the Globes have not correctly forecast an Oscar best-picture winner in four years, the last one being "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Writers walked off the job over their share of potential profits from programming on the Internet and other new media.
As a result of their strike, films may not get quite the same box-office bounce they typically receive after winning high-profile prizes, which can add tens of millions of dollars to their haul during the long awards season. Yet actors and writers say tough action is needed to make sure creative people get their fair financial share for the long haul.
List of Golden Globe Award winners
Here is the complete list of winners of the 65th annual Golden Globes announced Sunday at a news conference held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, California:
MOTION PICTURES:
Picture, Drama: "Atonement."
Actress, Drama: Julie Christie, "Away From Her."
Actor, Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood."
Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Sweeney Todd."
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose."
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd."
Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There."
Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men."
Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."
Screenplay: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men."
Foreign Language: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," France and U.S.
Animated Film: "Ratatouille."
Original Score: Dario Marianelli, "Atonement."
Original Song: "Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild."
TELEVISION:
Series, Drama: "Mad Men," AMC.
Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, "Damages."
Actor, Drama: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men."
Series, Musical or Comedy: "Extras," HBO.
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Actor, Musical or Comedy: David Duchovny, "Californication."
Miniseries or Movie: "Longford," HBO.
Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Queen Latifah, "Life Support."
Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Jim Broadbent, "Longford."
Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Samantha Morton, "Longford."
Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jeremy Piven, "Entourage."
Jackson Pens 'Bullet-Proof' Tunes For New Album
Joe Jackson says that working in a trio format for his forthcoming album, "Rain," is part of a long-held desire "to see ... how big a sound can you get from the absolute minimum resources, and just how much can you do with that. It turns out to be quite a lot, actually."
"Rain" features 10 new songs, the oldest of which are "Too Tough" and "Citizen Sane," with Jackson on piano and the original Joe Jackson Band rhythm section of bassist Graham Maby and drummer Dave Houghton. He recorded it in Berlin, where Jackson now resides (with places in London and New York as well), and he tells Billboard.com that the smaller ensemble put more pressure on his songwriting.
"I felt like I had to write songs that are sort of bullet-proof in the sense you could play them with just a piano and they still work," explains Jackson, who recorded one of the "Rain" songs -- the aptly titled "Solo (So Low)" -- himself. "That's just become intriguing to me in the last few years. Working with three people, the arrangements were just as demanding if not moreso than when (he had more players). When you strip things down to, in this case, just three players, I think that space actually makes a bigger sound. I've started to really feel like this is a big band."
Fans will get a chance to hear that on the DVD that accompanies "Rain," which features live footage of the Jackson trio in Europe. He kicks off a tour to support the album on Feb. 27 in Cardiff, Scotland, and comes to North America for a 25-show run on April 1 in Toronto.
Meanwhile, Jackson is also continuing to work on "Stoker," a musical about "Dracula" author Bram Stoker that's being directed by Tony Award winner Judith Dolan and written by her husband, Raymond Hardie.
"It's a very cool piece," Jackson says of the production, which is currently being shopped for financing. "It's very unconventional. I always liked the idea of doing something in theater, but the kinds of things people approached me with in the past always made me cringe. This is really original. I'm very excited about it."
Janet Jackson hopes new album ends sales slide
NEW YORK (Billboard) - After failing to crack the million mark with her last two albums, Janet Jackson is wary of using the "c" word to describe her upcoming release, "Discipline," which hits stores on February 26.
"I think a comeback is when you leave and then you ... come back," Jackson said with a laugh during a recent interview. "People are always quick to use that word 'comeback,' but I never went anywhere, really."
"Discipline" marks her 10th studio disc, and her debut release for Island Def Jam after more than a decade at Virgin Records. Her last album, 2006's "20 Y.O.," stalled at 648,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, while 2004's "Damita Jo" moved 999,000.
After a round of underwhelming singles from those albums, the lead single "Feedback" has been gaining momentum at urban and pop radio formats, thanks to its robotic bassline and voice-modulated effect tailor-made for the clubs. It jumped 32 places to No. 52 on the latest Billboard Hot 100.
"This song is definitely one of those feel-good, make-you-get-up-out-your-seat, maybe dance-on-the-table-a-little-bit type songs," said Deon Cole, music director of urban WPEG Charlotte, N.C.
If "Feedback" keeps rising, it could become Jackson's first top-10 hit since 2001's "Someone to Call My Lover," which peaked at No. 3.
CLASSIC JANET
Heavier on dance tracks than seductive jams (Jackson's other forte), "Discipline" is classic Janet. The title track is one of her typical frisky bedroom cuts, featuring lyrics like, "I need some discipline tonight/I've been very bad" and "Daddy, make me cry."
Yet, there is an air of newness to the album that is partly the result of Jackson creatively straying from her longtime go-to production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
"I was hoping we could do something together, but sometimes you have to explore and kind of kick yourself out of the nest," Jackson said of her decision to escape her production comfort zone. "It was something that I needed to do for myself, but I think (Jam and Lewis) felt it coming, too, 'cause I kept working with a different producer here or there."
In addition to production by Jackson's longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, Island's head of urban music, "Discipline" also features tracks by newcomers the-Dream and Tricky Stewart ("Umbrella," "Bed"), Lil Jon, Stargate and songwriters Ne-Yo and Johnta Austin. Rodney Jerkins produced and wrote "Feedback" with Dernst Emile. The beats and lyrics that these contributors initially presented to Jackson were, serendipitously, true to her choreography-based roots.
"I never had to tell them, 'No, this is what it should be,"' said Jackson. "I felt like they really did their homework and whatever they felt a Janet song was -- rock, pop or urban -- they hit it right on the nose."
With "Discipline," the aim was to innovate without totally reinventing the wheel. "There are some things that maybe I'll try for right now and some things I'll wait later on to try. It's (about) sticking to who I am. Even lyrically, something that I've experienced or someone that I know has experienced, it has to relate to my life and myself."
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
Starting her musical career at age 16, Jackson released her first five albums through A&M, including her self-titled 1982 debut and her 1986 breakthrough "Control," on which she first started collaborating with Jam and Lewis. But it wasn't until 1989's "Rhythm Nation 1814" that multiplatinum sales started becoming a norm. For 1993's "janet.," which has sold more than 7 million copies, Jackson relocated to Virgin and revealed a sexier image, with more sensual music to boot. The reinvention yielded her most successful single, "That's the Way Love Goes."
Christina Aguilera gives birth to boy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop singer Christina Aguilera has given birth to a son in Los Angeles, her label said on Sunday.
Max Liron Bratman was born on Saturday night. He is the first-born for Aguilera, 27, and music executive Jordan Bratman, 30, who were married two years ago. RCA Records said mother and son were doing well.
Aguilera, a four-time Grammy winner famed for such tunes as "Beautiful" and "Ain't No Other Man," did not confirm growing speculation about her pregnancy until November. She was forced to cancel the last few shows of her "Back to Basics" world tour in Australia and New Zealand in August, blaming the flu.
'Bucket List' kicks off with $19.5M take
LOS ANGELES - Score one for the geezers. "The Bucket List," the tale of two cancer patients who decide to travel the world before they die, bested movies about treasure hunting, bumbling crooks and pirates to top the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"This was definitely a win for the older audience," Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers, said of the movie, which stars 70-year-old actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. "The conventional wisdom is the younger audience drives the box office."
The Warner Bros. release directed by Rob Reiner "skews to older audiences, but I think the star power is what brought the audience," Dergarabedian said. "Never underestimate the clout of the older movie audience."
In its first week in national distribution, "The Bucket List" brought in $19.5 million at more than 2,900 theaters. It initially had opened on Christmas Day in limited release.
The film was closely followed by the comedy "First Sunday," featuring Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan as hapless petty criminals who scheme to rob a church but end up being rewarded with a lesson about second chances. The Sony Screen Gems film banked $19 million at 2,200 theaters.
"These two films appealed to different audiences and both did very well," Dergarabedian said. "January is not known as a hot month for box office."
The No. 1 box office draw for three consecutive weeks — Disney's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" with Nicolas Cage — dropped to fourth place, with $11.5 million in tickets at 3,400 theaters. It has banked more than $187 million in domestic receipts.
The independent film "Juno," featuring Ellen Page as a whip-smart pregnant teen, locked up third position, continuing its commercial and critical run and building momentum as Hollywood's awards season progresses. The film had three nominations for Sunday's Golden Globes, among them best musical or comedy and an acting honor for Page.
With $71.2 million already in the bank, "Juno" is on its way to becoming Fox Searchlight's biggest hit ever, approaching "Sideways" at $71.5 million.
Paramount Vantage's "There Will Be Blood," starring Daniel Day-Lewis in a tale of greed and violence during California's oil boom in the early 20th century, continued to turn in impressive numbers in limited release. It took in nearly $2 million at 129 theaters, and its $15,000 per theater average easily outdistanced other movies in the marketplace.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Bucket List," $19.5 million.
2. "First Sunday," $19 million.
3. "Juno," $14 million.
4. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," $11.5 million.
5. "Alvin and the Chipmunks," $9.1 million.
6. "I Am Legend," $8.1 million.
7. "One Missed Call," $6.1 million.
8. "P.S. I Love You," $5 million.
9. "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie," $4.4 million
10. "Atonement," $4.3 million.
Golden Globes glitz gone amid strike
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - In case anyone's still keeping count amid the writers strike that has hobbled Hollywood's awards season, the tragic romance "Atonement" led the pack for Sunday's Golden Globes with seven nominations.
Films and performances have taken a back seat to the business side of show business — intractable management and unyielding writers, the latter taking a hardball stance that forced Globe organizers to scrap their swanky telecast for a humdrum news conference to announce winners.
On strike since Nov. 5, the Writers Guild of America refused to let union members work on the star-studded banquet-style show, prompting actors to boycott the ceremony rather than cross picket lines.
Although the guild called off pickets it had planned outside the news conference, the strike left one of Hollywood's brightest and giddiest nights in shambles. Despite the gowns and formal wear, the Globes are known as a freewheeling cousin of the Academy Awards, a place where stars can have a few drinks and cut loose as they celebrate the year's achievements in film and television.
Sunday's event was recast as an hour-long announcement that would feature TV news personalities disclosing the winners in between clips of nominated movies and shows. The news conference format was a far cry from a ceremony whose star wattage would have been powered by the likes of Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, who all had acting nominations.
The nods for "Atonement" included best drama, plus honors for lead actors Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, director Joe Wright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton.
Some nominees were relieved at the thought of avoiding scrutiny by TV audiences.
"Frankly, for me, the prospect of being on television is what's so frightening about it," said Hampton, an Oscar winner for the screenplay of 1988's "Dangerous Liaisons." "It was terrifying, the Oscars, with 1 billion people watching them. I didn't want to think about that. It paralyzes you, sitting there for three hours terrified, waiting to find out whether you've won."
The fate of Hollywood's biggest night, the Feb. 24 Oscars, remains uncertain. Guild leader Patric Verrone has said writers would not be allowed to work on that show, either, which could force stars to make an even tougher choice on whether to stay away or cross the picket line.
Oscar organizers insist their show will come off as planned, with or without the writers.
With two best-picture categories, drama and musical or comedy, the Globes traditionally have had a good shot for one of its movie winners to come away with the top prize at the Oscars. But the Globes have not correctly forecast an Oscar best-picture winner in four years, the last one being "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Writers walked off the job over their share of potential profits from programming on the Internet and other new media.
As a result of their strike, films may not get quite the same box-office bounce they typically receive after winning high-profile prizes, which can add tens of millions of dollars to their haul during the long awards season. Yet actors and writers say tough action is needed to make sure creative people get their fair financial share for the long haul.
"I feel bad for my friends who have movies that would get a lift from a Globe or an Oscar," said Don Cheadle, a past Globe winner and Oscar nominee. "But the Oscar ratings have gone down steadily for the last 10 years. Fewer and fewer people are interested in seeing Hollywood fete itself. For what we're fighting for and what we're trying to achieve, these are the necessary sacrifices."