COLD MOUNTAIN, LOST IN TRANSLATION, MYSTIC RIVER DOMINATE GLOBES

Last season, the Globes were awarded Jan. 19. This time the live telecast is scheduled for Jan. 25 on NBC from the Beverly Hilton in L.A. The new date comes just two days before Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 27. Meanwhile, the main Oscar ceremony is set for Feb. 29, about three weeks earlier than usual.

Along with Cold Mountain, the other Best Drama contenders are Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Gary Ross’ Seabiscuit and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which had four total nominations, including Jackson for Best Director.

In the Best Musical/Comedy category, Tim Burton’s whimical Big Fish goes up against Lost in Translation, as well as Pixar’s animated blockbuster Finding Nemo, Bend it Like Beckham and the Brit romantic comedy Love Actually.

In the acting categories, the big news is Tom Cruise and his ex, Nicole Kidman, both earned nods. Cruise will pit his Last Samurai against Ben Kingsley in House of Sand and Fog, Russell Crowe in Master and Commander, Cold Mountain’s Jude Law and Sean Penn for Mystic River.

Kidman will face off in the Best Dramatic Actress category with Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. 1, Charlize Theron’s turn as a female serial killer in Monster, Evan Rachel Wood for thirteen, Cate Blanchett for her role as an investigative reporter in Veronica Guerin. and Scarlet Johansson for Girl With a Pearl Earring. Johansson also received a nod in the Lead Comedy Film Actress category for Lost in Translation with Diane Keaton (Something’s Gotta Give), Helen Mirren (Calendar Girls), Jamie Lee Curtis (Freaky Friday) and Diane Lane (Under the Tuscan Sun).

School of Rock’s Jack Black earned a well-deserved nomination for lead Comedy or Musical Film Actor. His competition includes Johnny Depp as Keith Richard in Pirates of the Caribbean, Billy Bob Thornton’s masterful Bad Santa, Oscar favorite Bill Murray for Lost in Translation and Jack Nicholson’s aging playboy lothario in Something’s Gotta Give.

Supporting actress nods went to Cold Mountain’s Renee Zellweger, Hope Davis in American Splendor, Patricia Clarkson for Pieces of April, Holly Hunter in thirteen and Maria Bello in The Cooler. In the supporting movie actor class, noms went to Albert Finney (Big Fish), Alec Baldwin (The Cooler), William H. Macy (Seabiscuit), Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai), Tim Robbins (Mystic River) and Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass).

Along with Jackson, Best Director nominees included Coppola, Eastwood, Minghella and Weir.

Some of the surprise omissions included the critically acclaimed 21 Grams and Naomi Watts, American Splendor’s Paul Giamatti, Quentin Tarantino for Kill Bill Vol. 1 and the failure of any cast members from Lord of the Rings or In America to receive acting nods.

Previously, The New York Film Critics named Lord of the Rings Best Movie, while the National Board of Review and Boston film critics tapped Mystic River.

In the music categories, Best Score nods went to Alexandre Desplat (Girl With a Pearl Earring), Danny Elfman, (Big Fish), Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), Gabriel Yared (Cold Mountain) and Hans Zimmer (The Last Samurai).

For Original Song, the nominees are Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s "The Heart of Every Girl" (Mona Lisa Smile), Annie Lennox’s "Into the West" (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam’s "Man of the Hour" (Big Fish), Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer’s "Time Enough for Tears" (In America) and Sting’s "You Will Be My Ain True Love" (Cold Mountain), sung in the movie by Alison Krauss.