New Line Cinema, the studio that courageously greenlighted Peter Jackson‘s idea for a $300 million, 7-year Lord of the Rings trilogy, finally saw some heavenly rewards at the 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the third and final installment in the Rings trilogy, with four awards, including best drama and best director for Jackson.
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Besides the all-important best dramatic picture and director awards, Return of the King was lauded for best original song for a motion picture (“Into the West,” performed by Annie Lennox) and best original score for Howard Shore. Return of the King‘s musical prizes cemented New Line’s victory for the most Golden Globe wins for a studio.
Very close behind New Line’s four wins was Focus Features, the independent film arm of Universal Pictures, with three victories. Focus, of course, got the push it needed from the comedy Lost In Translation, which won best comedy; best screenplay for the film’s writer, producer and director, Sofia Coppola; and best actor in a comedy for Bill Murray.
Warner Bros. Came in third with two wins thanks to its Clint Eastwood-directed drama Mystic River. Star Sean Penn took the best actor in a drama prize, while co-star Tim Robbins walked away with a best supporting actor trophy.
Sony Pictures, Miramax and Newmarket Films, meanwhile, all received one Golden Globe each.
Veteran actress Diane Keaton was awarded best actress in a comedy for Sony’s Something’s Gotta Give, while Renee Zellweger won best supporting actress in a drama for the Miramax Civil War drama Cold Mountain. Charlize Theron beat out heavyweights Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Uma Thurman to take the best actress in a drama for Newmarket’s biopic Monster.
In TV land, the critically acclaimed miniseries Angels in America helped propel HBO to victory–the show won seven of the 11 Golden Globe categories.
Angels in America, based on Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, interweaves AIDS-related stories about a bisexual Mormon and his inconsolable wife and an AIDS patient and his lover. The two-part miniseries won five of HBO’s seven trophies, including best miniseries and all the acting awards in that genre: best actor for Al Pacino; best actress for Meryl Streep, best supporting actor for Jeffrey Wright; and best supporting actress for Mary-Louise Parker.
Other HBO triumphs included Frances Conroy‘s win for best actress for her role in the funeral drama Six Feet Under and Sarah Jessica Parker‘s trophy for best actress in a comedy for Sex and the City, now in its final season.
Trailing far behind HBO was BBC America, which won what probably were the two most surprising victories of the night for its comedy The Office. The show, now in its second season in the U.S., is a look at the inner workings of a paper merchant company through the company’s self-aggrandizing manager, played by Ricky Gervais. The Office beat out favorites such as Will & Grace and Sex and the City to take best comedy, while Gervais beat out Matt LeBlanc, Eric McCormack, Bernie Mac and Tony Shalhoub for best actor in a comedy.
Fox and CBS, meanwhile, walked away with one win each. Fox’s against-the-clock crime series 24 won a trophy for best drama and Anthony Lapaglia walked away with best actor in a drama series for his role in the CBS drama Without a Trace.
