Golden Globes shows love to ‘The Social Network’

“The Social Network” has a lot of friends in Hollywood.

The drama about the creation of Facebook continued its winning ways Sunday, taking home four trophies at the 68th Golden Globes, including dramatic feature, director for David Fincher, screenplay for Aaron Sorkin and original score for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The drama has been cleaning up this awards season, most recently dominating the Critics Choice Movie Awards on Friday night.

Another front-runner, “The Kids Are All Right,” about a lesbian couple trying to keep their family together, earned the Golden Globe for musical or comedy feature while one of its stars, Annette Bening, won for lead actress.

In all, there were few surprises in the top movie categories. As many had predicted, mother-to-be Natalie Portman won her first Golden Globe, for lead actress in a drama for her performance as a ballerina descending into madness in “Black Swan.” The role earned more than critical acclaim this awards season: She met her fiancé on set, and the two are now engaged and expecting their first child. Colin Firth won for lead actor in a dramatic feature playing King George VI in “The King’s Speech,” and “Toy Story 3” won animated feature.

The Golden Globes are often considered an indicator as to what will win an Academy Award, and “The Social Network”’s big night solidifies its position as front-runner for Oscar gold. But the HFPA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences don’t always agree. Last year, the Globes awarded the dramatic film to “Avatar” with James Cameron winning for directing, while the academy gave best picture to “The Hurt Locker” and director to Kathryn Bigelow.

Still, the Golden Globes also managed to spread the wealth around. Sure, there were plenty of awards handed out to industry favorites. But many of the trophies went to first-timers, many of whom were absolutely “Glee”-ful to find themselves at the star-studded event held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and telecast on NBC.

Fox’s sophomore series “Glee” won three Golden Globes, including its first in the comedy or musical series category. A visibly moved and emotional Chris Colfer won for supporting actor for his role as an openly gay high school student on the hit comedy, and Jane Lynch -- the track-suit wearing cheerleading coach on “Glee” -- won for supporting actress.

HBO’s freshman 1920s gangster series, “Boardwalk Empire,” laid waste to the competition, winning drama series as well as a trophy for Steve Buscemi for lead actor and beating such faves as “Mad Men” and “Dexter” and Jon Hamm and Michael C. Hall. Katey Sagal won for actress in a TV drama for “Sons of Anarchy.” TV miniseries or movie went to the French miniseries “Carlos,” which beat out such HBO movies and miniseries as “The Pacific,” “Temple Grandin” and “You Don’t Know Jack,” and Jim Parsons won his first Golden Globe trophy, for lead actor in a comedy or musical TV series for “The Big Bang Theory.”

On the film side, a jubilant Melissa Leo won for supporting actress -- her first Golden Globe ever -- that she won for playing the mother-manager of two boxers in “The Fighter”: “Look, Ma, I got a Golden Globe!” she said as she hoisting the honor. Christian Bale also won his first Golden Globe for playing her drug addicted son. Diane Warren also won her first Golden Globe for the song “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from “Burlesque.”

Other winners included Al Pacino, who picked up his fourth Golden Globe, for lead actor in a miniseries or TV movie for playing Jack Kevorkian in “You Don’t Know Jack.” “It’s a great honor for me to portray such an extraordinary person,” Pacino said. Claire Danes won her second Golden Globe, as lead actress in a miniseries or TV movie for “Temple Grandin.” Laura Linney picked up a Golden Globe for lead actress in a comedy or musical TV series for “The Big C.” Other film honors went to Denmark’s “In a Better World” won for foreign language film and Paul Giamatti for lead actor in a comedy or musical motion picture for “Barney’s Version.” He was frequently bleeped during his speech.

Host Ricky Gervais spent the night insulting seemingly everybody.

“I warned them,” Gervais cracked after an opening monologue that made fun of “The Tourist,” Cher, the airbrushing that went into the movie poster for “Sex and the City 2,” referred to Hugh Hefner as “the walking dead,” brought up Mel Gibson’s allegedly anti-Semitic leanings and, for good measure, questioned the sexual orientation of some of Hollywood’s high-profile scientologists. He even alluded to allegations that the evening’s host -- the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. -- had taken bribes.

Later, Gervais introduced Robert Downey Jr., saying he was best known for his “work” at the Betty Ford Clinic and with law enforcement. Downey took it all in stride -- although he noted the meanspiritedness of it all as well as its dark undertone. (That said, Downey went on to give an innuendo-filled introduction to the nominees for lead actress in a motion picture comedy or musical category.)

Though the audience seemed uncomfortable with Gervais, several in the audience were laughing so hard they were wiping tears of laughter from their eyes, including actor Alec Baldwin.

As previously announced, Robert De Niro received the Cecil B. DeMille Award. While he was honored for such classics as “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver,” he also poked fun of those films that did not meet with critical acclaim, including his most recent film, “Little Fockers.”

susan.king@latimes.com