VARIOUS: Golden Globe nominees Inarritu, Kikuchi, Barraza, and Whitaker celebrate bright and early in Los Angeles

"Babel," a searing film drama about cultural gaps among people around the world, earned seven Golden Globe nominations on Thursday (December 14) to lead a surprising range of nominees for the widely watched movie honors. "It was funny I arrived from a party at 0530PST to my house I was arriving and I saw a little light arriving coming out from the TV room and said 'Who is watching TV at this time?" and it was my wife and suddenly I heard my name on the TV and she shouted and she hugged me. Suddenly I realized she was watching the Golden Globe nominations so it was funny and beautiful and joyful beginning of the day," Inarritu told Reuters on Thursday morning in Beverly Hills, California. "Babel" drew nominations for best drama, best director for Mexico's Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, supporting actor for Brad Pitt and two best supporting actress nods for Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi, among its nominees. "I left a message. I think he is travelling but I hope he will be happy with it," said Inarritu of the film's lead actor Brad Pitt. Director Martin Scorsese's crime thriller "The Departed," earned six nominations and was the second most nominated movie. Those two films were joined on the best drama list by British movie "The Queen," adultery film "Little Children" and surprise choice "Bobby," which looks at the day former U.S. presidential candidate Robert Kennedy was assassinated. A multi- cultural film like "Babel" is a good fit with the roughly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which gives out the Golden Globes. Nominees for best supporting actress in a motion picture are Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi for "Babel" , their co-star Cate Blanchett for "Notes on a Scandal", Emily Blunt for "The Devil Wears Prada", and Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls." "Yes it was very emotional role but I trusted Alejandro because I knew his work. I was just happy to be working him and I know that because he trusted me so much I was able to become literally and figuratively naked on screen and go full force," Kikuchi told Reuters. Nominees for best actor in a film drama were topped by Leonardo DiCaprio for two movies, "Blood Diamond" and "The Departed." He is joined by Peter O'Toole for "Venus," Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness" and Forest Whitaker for "The Last King of Scotland." "I worked last night so I was a sleep but then the phone rang then my wife turned on the TV and we watched and then more calls and celebrated for a little minute and the went back to sleep and got up and celebrated some more," Whitaker told Reuters. Dame Helen Mirren and The Queen were leading British Golden Globe hopes after UK actors bagged an impressive clutch of nominations. "Well to be nominated for three Golden Globes is the most extraordinary thing. It was announced on the set - I'm making a film here - and my Director said "Quiet Quiet every one quiet!. Listen up! Listen up!" and we thought "Ooh sorry we're talking on the set he's going to tell us what to do." and he said "I'd like to announce that Helen Mirren has just been nominated for three Golden Globes." Golden Globe winners will be named in a ceremony in Beverly Hills on January 15. The Oscars are given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and those winners will be named on February 25.

ITN Source | December 21, 2006

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