Golden Globes give little clarity to Oscar race

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's Golden Globe nominations did little to define leaders in the Oscar race as experts on Friday said the sweepstakes for the world's top film honors remained confined to a narrow list of contenders.

Still, there were clear winners such as drama "Atonement," comedy "Charlie Wilson's War" and musical "Sweeney Todd," and one chief loser, "Into the Wild," from the nominations unveiled on Thursday by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

David Poland of Web site Movie City News was pointed when asked what the Golden Globe nods did to narrow the list of serious Oscar candidates.

"Nothing," he told Reuters. "Of the 15 or so contenders, they got 14. The only one left out was 'Into the Wild,' but given the recent history of the Golden Globes with 'Crash' or 'Munich,' that doesn't mean anything."

The Oscars are voted upon by roughly 6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and until very recently, members of the HFPA, who number about 90, enjoyed a reputation for picking winners that also competed for Oscars.

But in 2006, Golden Globe voters did not even nominate race relations movie "Crash" or Steven Spielberg's "Munich" for best drama, but both were nominated for Academy Awards. "Crash" eventually won the Oscar for best film.

Film critic Pete Hammond said the Golden Globe nominations did help solidify the list of movies Academy voters will likely watch before Oscar nod ballots are due on January 12.

THE OSCAR BLUEPRINT