Avatar and The Hangover win best picture Golden Globes

Heading into the ceremony Up In The Air was the overall favourite, yet it only converted one of its six nominations as Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner walked off with best screenplay honours for their adaptation of Walter Kirn’s novel. Rob Marshall’s Nine had five nominations and was completely shut out.

The popular Jeff Bridges from Crazy Heart and Sandra Bullock from The Blind Side won top acting honours in the dramatic category, while best musical or comedy prizes went to Robert Downey Jr for Sherlock Holmes and Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia.

Supporting actors Mo’Nique for Precious: Based On The Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphireand Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds were the most predictable winners of the night and would appear to be shoo-ins for the Academy Award. Mo’Nique was the first recipient of the night and gave a heartfelt speech that set the tone for a classy and good-humoured night.

The night’s only real upset came when James Cameron stepped up to collect the best director trophy for Avatar. Cameron’s former wife Kathryn Bigelow had been expected to prevail for the much admired The Hurt Locker and the winner graciously noted this in his speech.

Given Avatar’s astonishing box office run - it will soon overtake Cameron’s 1997 epic Titanic to seal its status as the biggest global release in history - it would seem no challenge is too great. Nominated for four awards prior to the ceremony, Avatar ended up with two of the biggest prizes and must now be regarded as the Oscar frontrunner.

Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon was named best foreign film and Up took best animated feature as well as score. Crazy Heart earned a second award when T-Bone Burnett took to the stage to collect the statuette for best song The Weary Kind, co-written with Ryan Bingham.

The 67th Golden Globe winners in full (winners highlighted in bold):

Best motion picture – drama
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based On The Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire
Up In The Air

Best motion picture - musical or comedy
500 Days Of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

Best director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up In The Air
Quentin Taratino, Inglourious Basterds 

Best animated feature
Coraline
Fantastic Mr Fox
Up
Cloudy With A chance Of Meatballs
The Frog And The Princess

Best actor in a motion picture, drama
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up In The Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Tobey Maguire, Brothers

Best actress in a motion picture, drama
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe, Precious

Best performance by an actor in a musical or comedy
Matt Damon, The Informant!
Daniel Day Lewis, Nine
Robert Downey Jr, Sherlock Holmes
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 500 Days Of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man

Best performance by an actress in a musical or comedy
Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
Marion Cottillard, Nine
Julia Roberts, Duplicity
Meryl Streep, It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Best supporting actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Best supporting actress
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up In The Air
Anna Kendrick, Up In The Air
Mo’Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man

Best foreign film
Broken Embraces
The White Ribbon
The Maid
A Prophet
Baaria

Best screenplay - Motion Picture
District 9, Neil Blomkap, Terri Tatchell
The Hurt Locker, Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino
It’s Complicated, Nancy Meyers
Up In The Air, Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Best original song - Motion Picture
The Weary Kind, T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham (Crazy Heart)
I Want To Come Home, Paul McCartney, (Everybody’s Fine)
Cinema Italiano, Maury Yeston, (Nine)
Winter, U2, Bono (Brothers)
I Will See You, James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell (Avatar)

Best original score - Motion Picture
The Informant!, Marvin Hamlisch
Up, Michael Giacchino
Where The Wild Things Are, Carter Burwell, Karen Orzolek
Avatar, James Horner
A Single Man, Abel Korzeniowski

Best Television Series - Drama
Big Love (HBO)
Dexter (Showtime)
House (Fox)
Mad Men (AMC)
True Blood (HBO)

Best performance by an actress in a television series - drama
Glenn Close, Damage
January Jones, Mad Men
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Anna Paquin, True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best performance by an actor in a television series - drama
Simon Baker, The Mentalist
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Bill Paxton, Big Love

Best Television Series - Comedy Of Musical
30 Rock (NBC)
Entourage (HBO)
Glee (Fox)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Toni Collette, United States Of Tara
Courteney Cox, Cougar Town
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Lea Michele, Glee

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
David Duchovny, Californication
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matthew Morrison, Glee

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Georgia O’Keeffe (Lifetime Television)
Grey Gardens (HBO)
Into The Storm (HBO
Little Dorrit (PBS)
Taking Chance (HBO)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television
Joan Allen, Georgia O’ Keeffe
Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens
Anna Paquin, The Courageous Heart Of Irena Sendler
Sigourney Weaver, Prayers For Bobby

Best Performance By An Actor In A Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
Kenneth Branagh, Wallender: One Step Behind
Chiwetel Ejiorfor, Endgame
Brendan Gleeson, Into The Storm
Jeremy Irons, Georgia O’Keeffe

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television
Jane Adams, Hung
Rose Byrne, Damages
Jane Lynch, Glee
Janet McTeer, Into The Storm
Chloe Sevigny, Big Love

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In a Series, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Michael Emerson, Lost
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
William Hurt, Damages
John Lithgow, Dexter
Jeremy Piven, Entourage