‘12 Years a Slave,’ ‘American Hustle’ win top Golden Globes

At the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, the film "12 Years a Slave" took the prize for best drama, and "American Hustle" won best musical or comedy, in a kick-off to the Hollywood award season that augurs a wide scattering of honors for a year crowded with high-quality movies. The Golden Globes are an important but not entirely accurate barometer for the film industry's highest honors, the Academy Awards, to be held this year on March 2.

"American Hustle," a romp through corruption in the 1970s directed by David O. Russell, was the top winner, converting three of its seven nominations. Director Steve McQueen's brutal "12 Years a Slave," based on the true story of a free black man sold into slavery, was shut out of the acting honors, and the drama award was the film's only win out of seven nominations.

The top drama acting awards went to Cate Blanchett for her turn as a riches-to-rags socialite in Woody Allen's tragicomedy "Blue Jasmine" and Matthew McConaughey for his performance as unlikely AIDS activist Ron Woodroof in "Dallas Buyers Club," for which he lost almost 50 pounds.

"Ron Woodroof's story was an underdog. For years it was an underdog. We couldn't get it made ... I'm so glad it got passed on so many times, or it wouldn't have come to me," said McConaughey, widely lauded for a string of strong performances recently.

His co-star Jared Leto took the best supporting actor award for his role as Rayon, a transsexual with AIDS.

Amy Adams won best actress in a musical or comedy for her role as the conniving partner of a con man played by Christian Bale in "American Hustle," and Jennifer Lawrence took best supporting actress for her turn as his loopy wife.

Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor in a musical or comedy for his role as a fast-living, drug-popping, swindling stockbroker in the "The Wolf of Wall Street," his fifth collaboration with director Martin Scorsese.

"As the history of cinema unfolds, you will be regarded as one of the great artists of all time," DiCaprio told Scorsese as he accepted the award.

Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron won best director for his existential space thriller, "Gravity," which stars Sandra Bullock as an astronaut tumbling through space and has won praise for its groundbreaking technical advances.

Director and writer Spike Jonze took home the best screenplay trophy for his quirky computer-age comedy "Her," starring Joaquin Phoenix.

The Golden Globes, under the purview of some 90 journalists in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), have outsize clout in the awards race, since buzz around these first honors influences members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in their voting for the Oscars.

Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, but voting has already concluded. The Golden Globes have a mixed record when it comes to predicting the Oscars' best picture winner, but the Globes' best drama last year, "Argo," went on to win the Academy Awards' top prize.

The show, telecast live on Comcast Corp.'s NBC, was hosted by comic actors Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The evening's assembled Hollywood A-listers and power brokers took playful pokes from the duo in their second straight gig at the Globes.

The HFPA honored Woody Allen with the Cecil B. DeMille award recognizing outstanding contribution to the entertainment field. Famously averse to awards shows, the 78-year-old Allen sent one of his favorite actresses, Diane Keaton, to accept for him.

Reuters