'ATONEMENT' LEADS FIELD WITH 7 NOMS 'CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR,' EARNS FIVE NODS, WHILE 'MICHAEL CLAYTON,' 'SWEENEY TODD' AND 'NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN' FOLLOW WITH FOUR EACH.

Byline: FRED SHUSTER

>LA.COM 

Hollywood's awards season kicked off Thursday when the skillfully made World War II drama "Atonement" received seven Golden Globe nominations, including a nod for best dramatic film, to lead the list of movies vying for honors at the closely watched televised ceremony.

On the small screen, the FX drama "Damages" led all TV shows with a total of four Golden Globe nominations, while the critically acclaimed "Mad Men," about ad execs in the '60s; "Californication," which deals with a struggling writer; and "The Tudors," about Henry VIII, all earned multiple nods. Established network hits "Heroes," "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" were shut out of the nominations, and "The Sopranos" received just one nod. But Hugh Laurie received another bid for his starring role in "House."

"I have to emphasize how much I owe to David Shore and all the writers on 'House,' said Laurie in a statement, alluding to the writers' strike. "Without them, I wouldn't even know how to finish this sentence without ... you know ..."

"Charlie Wilson's War," based on a Texas congressman's covert dealings in Afghanistan, was the second-most-nominated film, earning five nods, including best musical or comedy. It was joined in that category by the coming-of-age comedy "Juno" and the musicals "Hairspray," "Sweeney Todd" and "Across the Universe."

In other film categories, "Atonement" stars James McAvoy and Keira Knightley took best dramatic actor and actress nominations, respectively, for playing lovers torn apart by a child's lie and World War II.

The 65th annual Golden Globe Awards, given out by the 80-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association, many of whom are neither foreign nor members of the press, will be presented during a three-hour NBC telecast Jan. 13.

However, if the writers' strike is not over by that date, no waiver has been granted to have the show scripted, and many actors have said they would not cross the picket line.

Nominations in 25 categories covering film and TV were read aloud at the Beverly Hilton early Thursday by actress Hayden Panettiere, actor Ryan Reynolds and director Quentin Tarantino.

It was also announced Thursday that Steven Spielberg, whose Oscar-nominated "Munich" was snubbed by the Globes last year, would get the Cecil B. DeMille Award, a lifetime achievement honor, during the show.

In other Globe nominations, the dramatic film actor category saw McAvoy joined by George Clooney in "Michael Clayton," Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood," Denzel Washington in "American Gangster" and Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises."

Joining Knightley as best dramatic actress nominees were Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Julie Christie for "Away From Her," Angelina Jolie in "A Mighty Heart" and Jodie Foster for "The Brave One."

Films receiving four nods each were "Michael Clayton," "Sweeney Todd" and "No Country for Old Men." In the best film drama category, the Globes nominated an unprecedented seven films: "American Gangster," "Atonement," "Eastern Promises," "The Great Debaters," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will be Blood."

Among newer faces earning notice this year were Ellen Page for her turn in "Juno," Amy Adams for giving life to an animated princess in "Enchanted" and Nikki Blonsky, the former ice-cream scooper who turned heads in "Hairspray."

In music, Eddie Vedder received two nominations for his contributions to "Into the Wild," which was ignored in the acting and directing categories. And in the three-way animated race, "Ratatouille" battles Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie" and "The Simpsons Movie."

Also, in TV, newcomers "30 Rock" and "Pushing Daisies" each carried three nominations, while the best actress in a TV drama category included such former Oscar contenders as Glenn Close ("Damages"), Sally Field ("Brothers & Sisters") and Holly Hunter ("Saving Grace") among nominees.

Despite their high profile, the Golden Globes are an uneven predictor of Oscar gold. Neither of last year's best picture winners, "Babel" and "Dreamgirls," claimed the top Oscar.

Fred Shuster, [phone];

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Photo:

(1 -- 2) At left, Keira Knightley and James McAvoy snagged best acting nominations for "Atonement," which leads the Golden Globe race with seven nods, including best drama. Below Julia Roberts, in "Charlie Wilson's War," is up for best supporting actress, and the film earned five nominations, including best comedy.

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Golden Globes nominees (see text)