HippoPress -- The Hippo -- Guide to Manchester and Nashua NH

Whereas nominees and honored guests at the Academy Awards sit in theater-style seating, at the Golden Globes everyone is seated around tables. Tables laden with booze. Which is how you get Christine Lahti’s infamous run to accept her award from the ladies room. It’s also how you get recognition for movies that have almost no chance at getting any Oscar attention (sorry The Constant Gardner, The Squid and the Whale and Kung Fu Hustle, your fun likely ends here).

Sure, the nominees for the 63rd annual Golden Globes (which are handed down by members of Hollywood’s foreign press — do with that information what you will), are fairly predictable (the multiple-nominee Brokeback Mountain is already the movie to beat for Oscar’s top honors). But it’s nice to see an early-in-the-year film like The Constant Gardener and the cupcake-sweet performance of Keira Knightley in Pride & Prejudice get some recognition.

Over on the TV side, was it truly necessary to nominate every major cast member from Desperate Housewives? Also, seriously, Commander in Chief for best drama? Veronica Mars or 24 could easily kick Geena Davis’ ass. The Globes make up for its overkill of praise for ABC by shooting a best show nod the way of UPN’s Everybody Hates Chris and the surprising fun of The Closer with Kyra Sedgewick.

How will it all play out? Watch all the drunken, alterna-cool fun on Sunday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Here are the contenders:

Movies

Best drama: Brokeback Mountain; The Constant Gardener; Good Night, And Good Luck; A History of Violence; Matchpoint.

Best actress, drama: Maria Bello, A History of Violence; Felicity Huffman, TransAmerica; Gwyneth Paltrow, Proof; Charlize Theron, North Country; Ziyi Zhang, Memoirs of a Geisha.

Best actor, drama: Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote; Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow; Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain; David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck.

Best musical or comedy: Mrs. Henderson Presents; Pride & Prejudice; The Producers; The Squid and the Whale; Walk the Line.

Best actress, musical or comedy: Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents; Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice; Laura Linney, The Squid and the Whale; Sarah Jessica Parker, The Family Stone; Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line.

Best actor, musical or comedy: Pierce Brosnan, The Matador; Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale; Johnny Depp, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Nathan Lane, The Producers; Cillian Murphy, Breakfast on Pluto; Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line.

Best foreign language film: Joyeux Noel, France; Kung Fu Hustle, China; Master of the Crimson Armor, China; Paradise Now, Palestine; Tsotsi, South Africa.

Best supporting actress: Scarlett Johansson, Match Point; Shirley MacLaine, In Her Shoes; Frances McDormand, North Country; Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener; Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain.

Best supporting actor: George Clooney, Syriana; Matt Dillon, Crash; Will Ferrell, The Producers; Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man; Bob Hoskins, Mrs. Henderson Presents.

Best director: Woody Allen, Match Point; George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck; Peter Jackson, King Kong; Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain; Fernando Meirelles, The Constant Gardener; Steven Spielberg, Munich.

Best screenplay: Woody Allen, Match Point; George Clooney & Grant Heslov, Good Night, And Good Luck; Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco, Crash; Tony Kushner & Eric Roth, Munich; Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain.

Best drama: Commander in Chief, ABC; Grey’s Anatomy, ABC; Lost, ABC; Prison Break, FOX; Rome, HBO.

Best actress, drama: Patricia Arquette, Medium; Glenn Close, The Shield; Geena Davis, Commander in Chief; Kyra Sedgewick, The Closer; Polly Walker, Rome.

Best actor, drama: Patrick Dempsey, Grey’s Anatomy; Matthew Fox, Lost; Hugh Laurie, House; Wentworth Miller, Prison Break; Kiefer Sutherland, 24.

Best comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; Desperate Housewives, ABC; Entourage, HBO; Everybody Hates Chris, UPN; My Name is Earl, NBC; Weeds, Showtime.

Best actress, comedy or musical: Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives; Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives; Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives; Eva Longoria, Desperate Housewives; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds.

Best actor, musical or comedy: Zach Braff, Scrubs; Steve Carell, The Office; Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Jason Lee, My Name Is Earl; Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men.

Best supporting actress: Candice Bergen, Boston Legal; Camryn Manheim, Elvis; Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy; Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds; Joanne Woodward, Empire Falls;

Best supporting actor: Naveen Andrews, Lost; Paul Newman, Empire Falls; Jeremy Piven, Entourage; Randy Quaid, Elvis; Donald Sutherland, Commander in Chief.