Golden Globes 2015: Birdman leads with 7 nominations

Alejandro Gonzalez IrritusBirdmanis flying high with seven nominations for the 72ndannual Golden GlobeAwards.

The list of contenders for the industry awards in television and film were announced Thursday morning inBeverly Hills, Calif.

Irritus Hollywood satire picked up nods in major categories including best picture in the comedy or musical category.It also earned nominationsfor its star, Michael Keaton, supporting actressEmma Stone and supporting actor Edward Norton.

• VIDEO| Birdmana 'tour de force,' says CBC's film critic

The dark comedy, abouta fading action hero trying to reclaim his fame onBroadway, alsodominated the Screen Actors Guild nominationsannounced Wednesday.

The Golden Globes'controlling body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA),also recognized Richard Linklater's experimental coming-of-age storyBoyhoodand the Alan Turing biopicThe Imitation Game withfive nominations each.

Canadians shut out

Canada's hope in the best foreign language film category, Mommy, directed by Quebec wunderkind Xavier Dolan, was shut out, as was Regina actor Tatiana Maslany, who was overlooked for her role in the critically acclaimed TV drama Orphan Black.

Montreal'sJean-MarcVallewas overlooked for his acclaimed new film,Wild. But itsstar, Reese Witherspoon, received a best-actress nomination for her role as a recovering heroinaddict.

Canadians fared best in the animated feature categorywith nominations for the high-flying adventureHow to Train Your Dragon 2 (directed by Quebec's DeanDeBlois and starring Jay Baruchel), and the quirky stop-motion featureThe Boxtrolls (withOntario-born co-director GrahamAnnable).

Nominees in other main categories are:

Best motionpicture, comedy or musical:

• Birdman
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Into the Woods
• Pride
• St. Vincent

Best screenplay, motionpicture:

• Wes AndersonThe Grand Budapest Hotel
• Gillian FlynnGone Girl
• Alejandro GonzlezIrritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr.Birdman
• Richard LinklaterBoyhood
• Graham Moore The Imitation Game

Best performance by an actress TV drama:

• Claire Danes Homeland
• Viola Davis How to Get Away with Murder
• Julianna Margulies The Good Wife
• Ruth Wilson The Affair
• Robin Wright House of Cards

Best actress in a TV comedy or musical:

• Lena Dunham Girls
• Edie Falco Nurse Jackie
• Gina Rodriguez Jane the Virgin
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus Veep

Best supporting actress in a series, mini-seriesor TV movie:

• Uzo Aduba Orange is the New Black
• Kathy Bates American Horror Story: Freak Show
• Joanne Froggatt Downton Abbey
• Allison Janney Mom
• Michelle Monaghan True Detective

One of the surprise winners of the day was Grand Budapest Hotel.Along with a best picture nod in comedy, it earned nominations for Ralph Fiennes as best actor, and Wes Anderson for screenplay and director.

Fiennes and Keaton were joined in best actor, comedy or musical, by Bill Murray (St. Vincent) and bya few less expected choices, Joaquin Phoenix for Inherent Viceand Christoph Waltz for Big Eyes.

A full list of the nominations can be found here:

Awards season heats up

The HFPA'sGolden Globes, handed out annually, are one of the biggest events of the awards season.

The race helps set up the competition for the Academy Awards.

Comicduo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will return to host the 72ndGolden Globes ceremony on Jan. 11th.

It willbe the popularpair'sthird and final time emceeing the glitzy eveningwhich has a reputation for being a looser, and frequently morelubricatedevent than the Oscars, thanks to the open bar.Last year's awards drew 20.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched Globes since 2004.

This year's ceremony will be broadcast live on NBC from the Beverly Hilton Hotel.