King's Speech leads Golden Globes race

The King's Speech, the monarchy drama about King George VI's private battle to overcome a stammer, leads the pack heading into the Golden Globe Awards.

The British film landed seven nominations when theywereannounced in Beverly Hills, Calif., Tuesday morning.

The movie, which was the People's Choice winner at the Toronto International Film Festival,was represented in a range of categories, including nominations for actors Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter as well as for best dramatic film.

Its rivals for the key top category include psychological ballet thriller Black Swan, boxing tale The Fighter, mind-bending sci-fi blockbuster Inception and the Facebook biopic The Social Network.

The category honouring film direction reflects the best dramatic picture nominees, with those behind the five titles nominated as best director: Tom Hooper (The King's Speech), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), David O. Russell (The Fighter), Christopher Nolan (Inception) and David Fincher (The Social Network).

Already tapped as the year's best film by a host of critics groups, The Social Networkwas tied for second in nominations. It will compete for six trophies, with actors Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield in the running for best actor and best supporting actor, respectively, and Aaron Sorkin nominated for his screenplay.

The Facebook story tied in nominations with The Fighter, whose main actors (Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo) will vie for Golden Globes in performance categories.

Depp competing against himself

Facing Firth, Eisenberg and Wahlberg in the race for best dramatic actor are James Franco, for the survival story 127 Hours, and Canadian Ryan Gosling, for the marital breakdown dramaBlue Valentine.

Gosling's Blue Valentine co-star Michelle Williams is among the accomplished performers in the running for best dramatic actress. Her rivals for the trophy include Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole) and Halle Berry (Frankie and Alice).

Vying for the Globes' other best picture category, comedy or musical, are:the fantasy film Alice in Wonderland, song-and-dance extravaganza Burlesque, contemporary family tale The Kids Are All Right, action filmRed and romantic thriller The Tourist.

Johnny Depp faces the unusual situation of competing against himself for best actor, comedy or musical, with nods both for The Tourist and Alice in Wonderland.

Also nominated are Jake Gyllenhaal, for the romantic comedy Love & Other Drugs, Kevin Spaceyfor thecrime and corruption comedyCasino Jack and Paul Giamatti for Barney's Version,based on Canadian literary icon Mordecai Richler's final novel.

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, who portray a lesbian couple in The Kids Are All Right, are both nominated for best actress in a comedy or musical.

Their competition includes The Tourist's Angelina Jolie,Love & Other Drugs' Anne Hathaway and Emma Stone for Easy A, the lauded, high school comedy adaptation of The Scarlet Letter.

Nominated for their supporting turns are:

• Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter; Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; Andrew Garfield, The Social Network; Jeremy Renner, The Town; Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech.
• Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter; Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech; Mila Kunis, Black Swan; Amy Adams, The Fighter; Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom.

Sylvain Chomet's melancholy film The Illusionist, based on an unproduced script by French mime, actor and filmmaker Jacques Tati, will face four blockbuster animated films that hit theatres this year: Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, Despicable Me and Tangled.

TV stalwarts nominated

In the television categories, music-infused high school comedy Glee lead the competition with five nominations, with Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer to vie in acting categories and the show competing as best musical or comedy series.

Overall, a few acclaimed newcomers will take a stab at pushing current stalwarts off their pedestals.

In the category of best dramatic series, Boardwalk Empire's Prohibition-era crime stories and the zombie apocalypse survivors of The Walking Dead will face off against 60s-set Mad Men, serial killer series Dexter and legal and politics drama The Good Wife.

The Big C, which debuted in 2010, and relative newcomer Modern Family will compete against several powerhouses for the best musical or comedy series trophy: 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Nurse Jackie and Glee.

Notable television nominees include:

• Actor, TV drama: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire; Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Hugh Laurie, House.
• Actress, TV drama: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men; Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs; Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy; Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer.
• Actress, TV comedy: Toni Collette, The United States of Tara; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Laura Linney, The Big C; Lea Michele, Glee.
• Actor, TV comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Steve Carell, The Office; Thomas Jane, Hung; Matthew Morrison, Glee; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory.
• TV miniseries or movie: Carlos; The Pacific; Temple Grandin; You Don't Know Jack; Pillars of the Earth.

The 68th annual Golden Globes gala, hosted once again by comedian and actor Ricky Gervais, will take place Jan. 16. The ceremony will include a tribute to actor Robert De Niro,the latest recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.

Presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Golden Globes are among severalprominent film world prizes handed out ahead of the prestigious Academy Awards.