They’re Anybody’s Golden Globes

“Gladiator,” the computer-enhanced blockbuster that revived the Roman spectacle genre in Hollywood, and the soon-to-be-released “Traffic,” a journey through the underbelly of the modern drug trade, led with five nominations each as the 58th annual Golden Globe nominations for film and television were announced Thursday in Beverly Hills.

From megahits released by major studios to art-house fare struggling to find a larger audience, the Globe nominees reflect a wide-open award season, one in which even little-seen films could win major awards. Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars were nominated--Julia Roberts, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks and Jim Carrey--along with actors virtually unknown here, such as Spaniard Javier Bardem. This year’s contenders could herald Academy Award nominations, which will be announced in February.

Besides “Traffic” and “Gladiator,” the other best drama nominees are “Billy Elliot,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Sunshine” and “Wonder Boys.”

It was a big day for director Steven Soderbergh, who saw two of his movies--”Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich”--capture nominations for best drama. Soderbergh himself received dual nominations as director for both films, a feat that hasn’t been matched since Francis Ford Coppola in 1974 with “The Conversation” and “The Godfather Part II.”

“It’s beyond what any of us hoped for,” Soderbergh said. “I’m really proud of both films [and] couldn’t be much happier. It’ll be at least 12 to 18 months before I sort out what I feel emotionally.”

Both “Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich” examine political and social themes--one the war on drugs, the other a small California town’s fight against a major polluter.

“Our goal was to make them entertaining first and then work in the social issues underneath,” Soderbergh said. “That’s a good way in if you’re going to discuss social issues. So you don’t feel so lectured.”

“Gladiator” also flexed its muscles in the face of the stiff competition.

Ridley Scott, who was nominated for directing “Gladiator,” described the drama category as “bloody formidable.”

“You have two films just from Steven Soderbergh,” Scott noted. “And then there’s ‘Billy Elliot,’ which could easily sneak in. I think it’s an open field and I’m happy to be in such good company.”

Noticeably missing in the drama category were such films as “Cast Away,” “Thirteen Days,” “Finding Forrester,” “Quills,” “Remember the Titans” and “Pay It Forward.” All have received big marketing efforts on their behalf by the studios.

While no one film dominated the day, there were intriguing subplots.

Bardem, a virtual unknown in the U.S. but a heartthrob in his native land, was nominated in the drama category alongside such established stars as Michael Douglas, Hanks, Russell Crowe and Geoffrey Rush.

Bardem, who plays the late Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in “Before Night Falls,” said the Golden Globe nod felt like “a dream.”

“I could not have done anything in this film without [director] Julian [Schnabel],” he said. “In the end, what matters is that the film be seen and heard.”

Then there is young Kate Hudson, who received a best supporting actress nomination for her breakout role as a sexy rock groupie in “Almost Famous,” three decades after her mother, Goldie Hawn, won in this category for “Cactus Flower” in 1969.

Jeff Bridges, a true iconoclast, received his first Golden Globe nomination nearly 30 years ago for best supporting actor in “The Last Picture Show.” Now, he has returned with a similar nomination as a funny yet wise U.S. president in “The Contender.”

“I’m in bed with a cold and it was nice to wake up and roll over and have my wife smile at me and say I got nominated,” Bridges said Thursday. “It’s a wonderful role and what made it stand out was the great dialogue.”

Inside the Beverly Hilton, where hundreds of people, including the media, gathered before dawn to hear the nominations announced by actors Kelsey Grammer, Christine Lahti and Lara Flynn Boyle, there were gasps of surprise when Frankie Muniz was nominated for best actor in a TV comedy series for his role as the title character in the Fox sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.”

It was also a victory, of sorts, for Robert Downey Jr. Just days before his scheduled court hearing on recent drug charges, the new co-star of “Ally McBeal” received a best supporting actor nomination in a television series, miniseries or motion picture for his work in the Fox comedy.

Gasps of delight went up when Hungarian filmmaker Istvan Szabo was nominated as best director for “Sunshine,” the three-hour epic about a Hungarian Jewish family. When his name was announced, someone on the hotel staff dropped a tray, shattering the silence. “Sunshine” received three Globe nominations (best drama, director and original score).

In a rare occurrence, there were six nominees named in the best drama category instead of five. “It’s usually five, but it does happen occasionally that there are six,” said Chantal Dinnage, the association’s managing director. “I guess some of them might have had the same number of votes. I don’t think there can be any other reason.”

One of the day’s happier people wasn’t even nominated, but director Curtis Hanson could bask in the glow of four nominations given to his film, “Wonder Boys.”

In addition to best drama, “Wonder Boys,” which stars Michael Douglas as a college professor and novelist who nearly self-destructs in the face of writer’s block, picked up nominations for Douglas as best actor in a drama, best screenplay and best song, “Things Have Changed,” written by Bob Dylan.

“It’s like David and Goliath or the little train that could,” Hanson said, comparing “Wonder Boys” with its competition. “It’s not the kind of movie that studios want to see a big star like Michael Douglas make, but he put his heart and soul into it.”

Also receiving four nominations, but in the separate comedy category, was “Chocolat,” director Lasse Hallstrom’s Godiva-of-a-fable about a woman and her young daughter who set up a chocolate shop in a small French village and the impact that has on the tradition-bound citizenry.

The Chinese fable “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” received three nominations: best foreign-language film, best director (Ang Lee) and original score (Tan Dun). (It was ineligible for the main drama category because the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.’s bylaws state that a non-English-language film can only qualify in the foreign film category.)

Reached at his acupuncturist, Lee admitted he was dealing with a midlife crisis when he made the movie. “For a very long time, I never knew where it was going,” he said. “I kept apologizing to the crew all the time.”

Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes have a special category for comedy and musicals. This year’s best picture nominees in that category were the coming-of-age rock tale “Almost Famous,” the canine comedy “Best in Show,” the clay-animated “Chicken Run,” “Chocolat” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” a quirky Southern tale about three ex-convicts from the Coen brothers.

“It’s not often that chick flicks get into these kind of prestigious awards,” joked British director Nick Park, who co-directed the henhouse comedy with Peter Lord. “We’ll probably turn up [at the Golden Globes] in chicken outfits.”

Besides Bardem and Douglas, nominees for best actor in a drama include Crowe for “Gladiator,” Hanks for “Cast Away” and Rush for “Quills.”

Best actress in a drama nominees include Joan Allen for “The Contender,” Bjork for “Dancer in the Dark” (the pop singer also received a best song nomination), Ellen Burstyn for “Requiem for a Dream,” Laura Linney for “You Can Count on Me” and Roberts for “Erin Brockovich.”

Linney, who plays a single mom who tries to help her troubled younger brother in the comedy-drama “You Can Count on Me,” has already won the New York Film Critics Circle Award.

“None of us expected the film to get to this level,” she said. “I love the film because of the range in the role. It’s the biggest part I’ve ever had.”

Competing for best actress in a musical or comedy are Juliette Binoche for “Chocolat,” Brenda Blethyn for “Saving Grace,” Sandra Bullock for “Miss Congeniality,” Tracey Ullman for “Small Time Crooks” and Renee Zellweger for “Nurse Betty.”

Best actor in a musical or comedy are Jim Carrey for “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” George Clooney for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” John Cusack for “High Fidelity,” Robert De Niro for “Meet the Parents” and Mel Gibson for “What Women Want.”

The 89-member Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which votes on the Golden Globes, will announce the winners live on NBC during a glitzy black-tie ceremony Jan. 21 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. (This year there are only 84 voting members; five of the members are new and don’t get to vote until next year.)

Gibson, nominated for his role as a chauvinist who can hear women’s thoughts in “What Women Want,” was previously nominated for best actor for “Ransom” and best director for “Braveheart.”

Asked what is special about this nomination, he quipped: “Mascara stings, actually; that is really suffering for your art.”

Reached in Colorado, where he is vacationing “on top of a snowy mountain,” Gibson said, “Comedies are tough” and added, “There is a great deal of effort in looking effortless.”

Binoche, an Oscar winner for best supporting actress in “The English Patient” four years ago, also received her first nomination in a comedy.

Having been nominated in this category “means a lot to me,” she said. “People were always saying, ‘Why don’t you do a comedy? You are always doing dramas.’ So this is really quite an honor.”

Supporting actress nominees include Hudson, Judi Dench for “Chocolat,” Frances McDormand for “Almost Famous,” Julie Walters for “Billy Elliot” and Catherine Zeta-Jones for “Traffic.”

Supporting actor nominees include Bridges, Willem Dafoe for “Shadow of the Vampire,” Benicio Del Toro for “Traffic,” Albert Finney for “Erin Brockovich” and Joaquin Phoenix for “Gladiator.”

On the television front, there was one newcomer in the best drama series category, “CSI,” along with some familiar favorites: “ER,” “The Practice,” “The Sopranos” and “The West Wing.” “Ally McBeal,” “Frasier,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Sex and the City” and “Will & Grace” received nominations for musical or comedy series.

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Contributing to this story were Lorenza Munoz and Richard Natale.

Here is a list of the nominees:

Best Picture--Drama

“Billy Elliot”

“Erin Brockovich”

“Gladiator”

“Sunshine”

“Traffic”

“Wonder Boys”

Best Picture--Musical or

Comedy

“Almost Famous”

“Best in Show”

“Chicken Run”

“Chocolat”

“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Best Actress--Drama

Joan Allen, “The Contender”

Bjork, “Dancer in the Dark”

Ellen Burstyn, “Requiem for a Dream”

Laura Linney, “You Can Count on Me”

Julia Roberts, “Erin Brockovich”

Best Actor--Drama

Javier Bardem, “Before Night Falls”

Russell Crowe, “Gladiator”

Michael Douglas, “Wonder Boys”

Tom Hanks, “Cast Away”

Geoffrey Rush, “Quills”

Best Actress--Musical or

Comedy

Juliette Binoche, “Chocolat”

Brenda Blethyn, “Saving Grace”

Sandra Bullock, “Miss Congeniality”

Tracey Ullman, “Small Time Crooks”

Renee Zellweger, “Nurse Betty”

Best Actor--Musical or

Comedy

Jim Carrey, “The Grinch”

George Clooney, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

John Cusack, “High Fidelity”

Robert De Niro, “Meet the Parents”

Mel Gibson “What Women Want”

Best Foreign-Language

Film

“Amores Perros,” Mexico

“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” Taiwan

“The Hundred Steps,” Italy

“Malena,” Italy

“The Widow of St. Pierre,” France

Best Director

Ang Lee, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”

Ridley Scott, “Gladiator”

Steven Soderbergh, “Erin Brockovich”

Steven Soderbergh, “Traffic”

Istvan Szabo, “Sunshine”

Best Supporting Actress

Judi Dench, “Chocolat”

Kate Hudson, “Almost Famous”

Frances McDormand, “Almost Famous”

Julie Walters, “Billy Elliot”

Catherine Zeta-Jones, “Traffic”

Best Supporting Actor

Jeff Bridges, “The Contender”

Willem Dafoe, “Shadow of the Vampire”

Benicio Del Toro, “Traffic”

Albert Finney, “Erin Brockovich”

Joaquin Phoenix, “Gladiator”

Best Screenplay

Cameron Crowe, “Almost Famous”

Stephen Gaghan, “Traffic”

Steve Kloves, “Wonder Boys”

Kenneth Lonergan, “You Can Count on Me”

Doug Wright, “Quills”

Best Original Score

Tan Dun, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”

Maurice Jarre, “Sunshine”

Ennio Morricone, “Malena”

Rachel Portman, “Chocolat”

Marty Stuart, Kristin Wilkinson, Larry Paxton, “All The Pretty Horses”

Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard,

“Gladiator”

Best Original Song

“I’ve Seen It All”--”Dancer in the Dark”

“My Funny Friend and Me”--”The Emperor’s New Groove”

“One in a Million”--”Miss Congeniality”

“Things Have Changed’--”Wonder Boys”

“When You Come Back to Me Again”--”Frequency”

Best Television Series--

Drama

“CSI,” CBS

“ER,” NBC

“The Practice,” ABC

“The Sopranos,” HBO

“The West Wing,” NBC

Best TV Series--Musical or

Comedy

“Ally McBeal,” Fox

“Frasier,” NBC

“Malcolm in the Middle,” Fox

“Sex and the City,” HBO

“Will & Grace,” NBC

Best Actress TV Series--

Drama

Jessica Alba, “Dark Angel”

Lorraine Bracco, “The Sopranos”

Amy Brenneman, “Judging Amy”

Edie Falco, “The Sopranos”

Sarah Michelle Gellar, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

Sela Ward, “Once and Again”

Best Actor TV Series--

Drama

Andre Braugher, “Gideon’s Crossing”

James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos”

Rob Lowe, “The West Wing”

Dylan McDermott, “The Practice”

Martin Sheen, “The West Wing”

Best Actress TV Series--

Musical or Comedy

Calista Flockhart, “Ally McBeal”

Jane Kaczmarek, “Malcolm in the Middle”

Debra Messing, “Will & Grace”

Bette Midler, “Bette”

Sarah Jessica Parker, “Sex and the City”

Best Actor TV Series--

Musical or Comedy

Ted Danson, “Becker”

Kelsey Grammer, “Frasier”

Eric McCormack, “Will & Grace”

Frankie Muniz, “Malcolm in the Middle”

Ray Romano, “Everybody Loves

Raymond”

Best Miniseries or

TV Movie

“Dirty Pictures,” Showtime

“Fail Safe,” CBS

“For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story,” HBO

“Nuremberg,” TNT

“On the Beach,” Showtime

Best Actress--Miniseries or

TV Movie

Judi Dench, “Last of the Blond Bombshells”

Holly Hunter, “Harlan County War”

Christine Lahti, “An American Daughter”

Frances O’Connor, “Madame Bovary”

Rachel Ward, “On the Beach”

Alfre Woodard, “Holiday Heart”

Best Actor--Miniseries or

TV Movie

Alec Baldwin, “Nuremberg”

Brian Cox, “Nuremberg”

Brian Dennehy, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”

Andy Garcia, “For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story”

James Woods, “Dirty Pictures”

Best Supporting Actress--

TV Series, Miniseries or

Movie

Kim Cattrall, “Sex and the City”

Faye Dunaway, “Running Mates”

Allison Janney, “The West Wing”

Megan Mullaly, “Will & Grace”

Cynthia Nixon, “Sex and the City”

Vanessa Redgrave, “If These Walls Could Talk II”

Best Supporting Actor--

TV Series, Miniseries or

Movie

Robert Downey Jr., “Ally McBeal”

Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace”

John Mahoney, “Frasier”

David Hyde Pierce, “Frasier”

Christopher Plummer, “American Tragedy”

Bradley Whitford, “The West Wing”