Golden Globe nominations are announced; Bardem and Cruz on top

This is what the Oscar’s might look like as the nominations for the Golden Globes were unveiled:

“Doubt,” which tied with “Frost/Nixon” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” for the most nominations with five, earned nods for all four of its main actors — Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis — but none for either best director or best drama. “Milk’s” Sean Penn received a best actor nomination, but the film — which the New York Film Critics Circle named the year’s best — was shut out of the best director and best drama categories as well.

“Frost/Nixon” earned a nomination for Nixon (Frank Langella) but not Frost (Michael Sheen). Both Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. earned supporting actor nominations for “Tropic Thunder,” but the film itself couldn’t find its way onto the best comedy or musical list. “Gran Torino,” the just-out Clint Eastwood flick that’s again earning the director critical plaudits, received its sole nomination for best song, which he co-wrote. (Eastwood also received a nomination for his “Changeling” score.)

“The Dark Knight,” the year’s top box-office success and the runner-up for best picture among the Los Angeles Film Critics, earned just one nomination, a supporting actor nod for Heath Ledger‘s performance as the Joker.

Then again, the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the Globes, showed some love toward movies that were generally overlooked by the general public.

“In Bruges,” a comedy that earned mixed reviews and had a quiet box-office run in late winter, earned nominations for best comedy or musical and actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. And Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” cleaned up — the film earned nominations for best comedy or musical and its stars Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz. Allen, however, didn’t get a nomination for either screenplay or director.

The nominees for best drama are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “The Reader,” “Revolutionary Road” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”

The nominees for best comedy or musical are “Burn After Reading,” “Happy-Go-Lucky,” “In Bruges,” “Mamma Mia!” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

The nominees for best director are Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Stephen Daldry (“The Reader”), David Fincher (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), Ron Howard (“Frost/Nixon”) and Sam Mendes (“Revolutionary Road”).

The nominees for best actor in a drama are Leonardo DiCaprio (“Revolutionary Road”), Langella (“Frost/Nixon”), Penn (“Milk”), Brad Pitt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) and Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”).

The nominees for best actress in a drama are Anne Hathaway (“Rachel Getting Married”), Angelina Jolie (“Changeling”), Streep (“Doubt”), Kristin Scott Thomas (“I’ve Loved You So Long”) and Kate Winslet (“Revolutionary Road”).

The nominees for best actor in a comedy or musical are Bardem (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Farrell (“In Bruges”), James Franco (“Pineapple Express”), Gleeson (“In Bruges”) and Dustin Hoffman (“Last Chance Harvey”).

The nominees for best actress in a comedy or musical are Hall (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Sally Hawkins (“Happy-Go-Lucky”), Frances McDormand (“Burn After Reading”), Streep (“Mamma Mia!”) and Emma Thompson (“Last Chance Harvey”).

The nominees for best supporting actor are Cruise (“Tropic Thunder”), Downey (“Tropic Thunder”), Ralph Fiennes (“The Duchess”), Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Doubt”) and Ledger (“The Dark Knight”).

The nominees for best supporting actress are Adams (“Doubt”), Cruz (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Davis (“Doubt”), Marisa Tomei (“The Wrestler”) and Winslet (“The Reader”).

Screenplay nominations went to Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”), David Hare (“The Reader”), Peter Morgan (“Frost/Nixon”), Eric Roth (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) and John Patrick Shanley (“Doubt”).

The nominees for best animated film are “Bolt,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “Wall-E.”

The Globes also give out awards for TV series. Nominees for best comedy series are “30 Rock,” “Californication,” “Entourage,” “The Office” and “Weeds.”

Nominees for best drama series are “Dexter,” “House,” “In Treatment,” “Mad Men” and “True Blood.”

The awards will be presented on January 11. The show will air on NBC.