OUT TO RULE THE GLOBE

ALTHOUGH only 82 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. vote on the Golden Globes, they have vast influence. Performances largely ignored early in awards season have emerged as major Oscar players after winning Globes (Angelina Jolie, “Girl, Interrupted”; Kathy Bates, “Misery”). And quite a few low-rated TV champs not only went on to Emmy glory later, but reaped huge Nielsen jackpots immediately after striking Globe gold (“Ally McBeal,” “The Shield”).

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA

“American Gangster”

“Atonement”

“Eastern Promises”

“The Great Debaters”

“Michael Clayton”

“No Country for Old Men”

“There Will Be Blood”

BEST PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

“Across the Universe”

“Charlie Wilson’s War”

“Hairspray”

“Juno”

“Sweeney Todd”

BEST DIRECTOR

Tim Burton, “Sweeney Todd”

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, “No Country for Old Men”

Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Ridley Scott, “American Gangster”

Joe Wright, “Atonement”

SPOTLIGHT: Only once in the last 20 years did a dramatic film win without its director being nominated: “Scent of a Woman” (1992). This year three dramas have nods in both categories -- “No Country for Old Men,” “American Gangster” and “Atonement” -- so it’s logical to assume that one of them will triumph. And since Tim Burton is the only nominated director whose film is up for best comedy/musical picture, that boosts the odds of “Sweeney Todd” in that category, which often favors successful musicals (“Dreamgirls,” “Chicago,” “Moulin Rouge!” and “Evita”).

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA

George Clooney, “Michael Clayton”

Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”

James McAvoy, “Atonement”

Viggo Mortensen, “Eastern Promises”

Denzel Washington, “American Gangster”

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA

Cate Blanchett, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”

Julie Christie, “Away From Her”

Jodie Foster, “The Brave One”

Angelina Jolie, “A Mighty Heart”

Keira Knightley, “Atonement”

SPOTLIGHT: The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. has a fondness for foreign actors, but somehow has managed to overlook Britain’s Julie Christie, who’s lost twice (“Shampoo,” “Darling”). Having French star Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) shuttled off to the separate actress race for musicals/comedies may help Christie’s bid for “Away From Her.”

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Johnny Depp, “Sweeney Todd”

Tom Hanks, “Charlie Wilson’s War”

Ryan Gosling, “Lars and the Real Girl”

Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Savages”

John C. Reilly, “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Amy Adams, “Enchanted”

Nikki Blonsky, “Hairspray”

Helena Bonham Carter, “Sweeney Todd”

Marion Cotillard, “La Vie en Rose”

Ellen Page, “Juno”

SPOTLIGHT: As part of their daily job, foreign journalists put a priority on hailing emerging new stars. They also like to spread movies’ wins around at the Globes. If they don’t choose “Juno” as best comedy/musical picture, voters may be all the more tempted to endorse its red-hot ingenue Ellen Page.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”

Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men”

Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War”

John Travolta, “Hairspray”

Tom Wilkinson, “Michael Clayton”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”

Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”

Julia Roberts, “Charlie Wilson’s War”

Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”

Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton”

SPOTLIGHT: Voters adore grandstanding roles in musicals (Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls”) and lead stars slumming it in supporting performances (Tom Cruise in “Magnolia”). John Travolta has never looked heftier (or more lovely) than he does in “Hairspray,” which could take this as a consolation prize if it loses best pic to “Sweeney Todd.”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Dario Marianelli, “Atonement”

Howard Shore, “Eastern Promises”

Clint Eastwood, “Grace Is Gone”

Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder, “Into the Wild”

Alberto Iglesias, “The Kite Runner”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Despedida” from “Love in the Time of Cholera”

“Grace Is Gone” from “Grace Is Gone”

“Guaranteed” from “Into the Wild”

“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”

“Walk Hard” from “Walk Hard”

SPOTLIGHT: Just like the Oscars, the Globes are crazy about Clint. With three, Eastwood has won the second most among directors (Elia Kazan holds the record with four). Last year he was nominated twice in the helmer’s category (“Flags of Our Fathers,” “Letters From Iwo Jima”) and now has two bids in the music races: one for scoring “Grace Is Gone,” the other for writing its title song.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Diablo Cody, “Juno”

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, “No Country for Old Men”

Christopher Hampton, “Atonement”

Ronald Harwood, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Aaron Sorkin, “Charlie Wilson’s War”

BEST ANIMATED FILM

“Bee Movie”

“Ratatouille”

“The Simpsons Movie”

BEST FOREIGN- LANGUAGE FILM

“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” (Romania)

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (France/USA)

“The Kite Runner” (USA)

“Lust, Caution” (Taiwan)

“Persepolis” (France)

SPOTLIGHT: While the Oscars limit contenders in the foreign-film race to those officially submitted by other nations, the Globes welcome any movie in a foreign tongue. If a nominee has a corresponding bid in the directors’ race, that increases its chance to win, especially if it’s a serious contender for the top best-picture race at the Oscars. Clang, clang for “Diving Bell.”

T TV SERIES, DRAMA

“Big Love”

“Damages”

“Grey’s Anatomy”

“House”

“Mad Men”

“The Tudors”

BEST TV SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

“Californication”

“Entourage”

“Extras”

“30 Rock”

“Pushing Daisies”

BEST TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE

“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”

“The Company”

“Five Days”

“The State Within”

“Longford”

SPOTLIGHT: Globe voters often embrace frisky TV shows (“Ally McBeal,” “Sex and the City,” “Desperate Housewives”), programs starring David Duchovny (“The X Files” won best drama series three times) and anything on premium cable TV. Showtime’s “Californication” might muster a hot night at the Globes.

BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA SERIES

Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”

Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Hugh Laurie, “House”

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors”

Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA SERIES

Patricia Arquette, “Medium”

Glenn Close, “Damages”

Minnie Driver, “The Riches”

Edie Falco, “The Sopranos”

Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters”

Holly Hunter, “Saving Grace”

Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

SPOTLIGHT: Globe voters better watch their backs. Why nominate Edie Falco, but not her “Sopranos” costar famed for stalking folks across the Meadowlands? Obviously, they like Falco more. She’s won twice, James Gandolfini only once.

BEST ACTOR, TV COMEDY OR MUSICAL SERIES

Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Steve Carell, “The Office”

David Duchovny, “Californication”

Ricky Gervais, “Extras”

Lee Pace, “Pushing Daisies”

BEST ACTRESS, TV COMEDY OR MUSICAL SERIES

Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?”

America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”

Tina Fey, “30 Rock”

Anna Friel, “Pushing Daisies”

Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”

SPOTLIGHT: Voters often reward big TV comebacks (ex-”Lois & Clark” star Teri Hatcher in “Desperate Housewives”) and film actors crossing over (Mary-Louise Parker in “Weeds”). Perhaps Christina Applegate hopes they’ll have amnesia about her slapstick sitcom “Married . . . With Children” (she wasn’t nominated) and film bombs (“Surviving Christmas,” “The Sweetest Thing”), but not the critics’ raves she’s received for “Samantha Who?”

BEST ACTRESS, TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Bryce Dallas Howard, “As You Like It”

Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife”

Queen Latifah, “Life Support”

Sissy Spacek, “Pictures of Hollis Woods”

Ruth Wilson, “Jane Eyre”

BEST ACTOR, TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Adam Beach, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”

Ernest Borgnine, “A Grandpa for Christmas”

Jim Broadbent, “Longford”

James Isaacs, “The State Within”

James Nesbitt, “Jekyll”

SPOTLIGHT: At age 90, Ernest Borgnine would become the oldest winner of a Golden Globe for acting if he prevails for “A Grandpa for Christmas,” besting Jessica Tandy, who was merely 80 when she won best film actress for “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989). Borgnine triumphed with his only previous Globe nomination (best actor, drama, “Marty,” 1955).

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, TV SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Rose Byrne, “Damages”

Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters”

Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s Anatomy”

Samantha Morton, “Longford”

Anna Paquin, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee “

Jaime Pressly, “My Name Is Earl”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Ted Danson, “Damages”

Kevin Dillon, “Entourage”

Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”

Andy Serkis, “Longford”

William Shatner, “Boston Legal”

Donald Sutherland, “Dirty Sexy Money”

SPOTLIGHT: Unlike the lead acting races, the TV supporting categories pit performances from movies and minis against those on regular series. Usually film snobbism prevails; only four male series actors have won here over the past 20 years. But can the Globes’ preference for big-name movie stars help Donald Sutherland now? He won in 2003 as U.S. Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford in the TV movie “Path to War” and competes this year as a conniving tycoon in the new series “Dirty Sexy Money.”