Monday, 15 January 2007

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Globes preview: Leo battles himself

DiCaprio is up against himself for best actor, and Hollywood gets ready to party

It's ready, set, Globe! (Yes, we had to say that.) Hollywood's annual season of glitz and self-congratulation kicks off in earnest Monday night with the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards (8-11 p.m. ET on NBC), and the suspense starts with red carpet arrivals.

To wit: Sacha Baron Cohen is confirmed to be bringing his fiancée, actress Isla Fisher, but who is Fisher bringing: Cohen or his alter ego, Borat? Either (or both) is up for comedy/musical actor award, as is the Borat film. (See the complete list of nominees.)

In drama, Leonardo DiCaprio's big competition is ... Leonardo DiCaprio, as he's nominated for dramatic actor for both Blood Diamond and The Departed. Ditto Clint Eastwood, up against himself as director for Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, as well as seeking a foreign language Globe for Iwo Jima against Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.

Also, Helen Mirren in Elizabeth I dukes it out with Mirren in Prime Suspect: The Final Act for miniseries actress, and faces the likes of Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal and Kate Winslet from Little Children for movie actress.

Dreamgirls looks to score big, with Jennifer Hudson a strong favorite for supporting actress, and Eddie Murphy a good bet as supporting actor, and the movie hopes to ride a musical/comedy honor to Oscar glory. The drama category is a toss-up, with Babel and The Departed as front-runners.

It'll be family night with Warren Beatty, receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award while wife nominee Annette Bening vies for an actress award for Running with Scissors. Jack Nicholson, meanwhile, is seeking an actor award for The Departed while daughter Lorraine Nicholson hands out trophies as Miss Golden Globe.

Although the awards will attract the usual big names for champagne-guzzling and table-hopping, there will be one notable no-show this year: the presenter's gift bag, which in recent years was worth tens of thousands of dollars. Due to the IRS crackdown on swag, the Globes are doing away with that perk.