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'Titanic' cruises Golden Globes

Nicholson, Hunt 'as good as it got' in '97

Titanic
'Titanic'   
January 19, 1998
Web posted at: 7:04 a.m. EST (1204 GMT)

In this story:

BEVERLY HILLS, California (CNN) -- It was smooth sailing for box office champ "Titanic" Sunday night. The odds-on favorite won best drama and three other awards at the Golden Globes, commonly seen as an oracle for the Oscars.

"Does this mean that size counts?" quipped a beaming James Cameron, the director and driving force behind "Titanic."

The three-hour-plus film -- which cost more than $200 million, the most expensive ever made -- was widely ridiculed after delays and cost overruns. But it has not relinquished the top spot at the box office since its December 19 release.



A L S O :

The winners: a complete list



Sunday was payback time for the crew of "Titanic." Not only did it win best drama kudos, but Cameron won best motion picture director, James Horner won best score and the team of James Horner and Will Jennings won best original song for "My Heart Will Go On." "Titanic" led the nominations with eight.

"As Good As It Gets" dominated the musical/comedy categories, winning best motion picture, best actor for Jack Nicholson and best Aactress for Helen Hunt.

Hunt, who won last year for her TV work on "Mad About You," praised Nicholson: "They say, 'Never meet your idols,' and then you blow that out of the water. You're my hero as an actor."

Comeback trail leads to acting honors

Veterans dominated the motion picture dramatic acting awards. Peter Fonda won best actor in a motion picture drama for his portrayal of a beekeeper in "Ulee's Gold," and British stage veteran Dame Judi Dench, as best dramatic actress, won for playing Queen Victoria in "(Her Majesty) Mrs. Brown."

Reynolds
Reynolds arrives at the ceremony   

Burt Reynolds, who played a pornography impresario in "Boogie Nights," won the award for best supporting actor, while Kim Basinger , who portrayed a mob moll in "L.A. Confidential," won for best supporting actress.

Reynolds said he was "flabbergasted" by the award.

"Everybody's been saying things like 'comeback,'" Reynolds said. "I didn't go away; they did. I always felt like, 'Put me in the game. I'll score.'"

Basinger, whose box-office success has been mixed in recent years, said she was "overwhelmed" by the recognition she's received for her role in the critically acclaimed movie.

"From Cannes on, it's been a great ride," she said.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck , friends since childhood, won best screenplay for "Good Will Hunting," the story of a young prodigy. The two also star in the movie.

"There are so many writers, some of whose work we admire. I think it's real difficult to not feel like an impostor. We feel like the Milli Vanilli of screenwriting," Affleck said, referring to the late-'80s pop band that lip-synched its songs.

Television awards offer live TV moments

The television honorees offered poignant and embarrassing moments, a reminder of the dangers of live television.

Ving Rhames, winner of best actor in a TV movie or miniseries for his role in "Don King: Only in America," choked back tears as he stepped to the microphone. Rhames asked Hollywood veteran Jack Lemmon -- also nominated, for "12 Angry Men" -- to come on stage.

"I feel that being an artist is about giving, and I'd like to give this to you," a tearful Rhames said, handing the prize to Lemmon. The audience responded to the gesture first with stunned expressions, then with a standing ovation.

Rhames resisted Lemmon's efforts to hand the statuette back. Backstage, Lemmon still held the trophy, but insisted he wasn't keeping it.

"I've had some marvelous moments at these ceremonies over the years," Lemmon said. "This is the most memorable moment."

In a more awkward moment, Christine Lahti was nowhere to be found when her name was called as best actress in a TV drama for "Chicago Hope." After cameras panned the auditorium, members of her party revealed that she had gone to the bathroom.

Robin Williams, a supporting actor nominee for "Good Will Hunting," leaped to the stage to fill the gap by presenting the award for "best cloning." When Lahti arrived, Williams handed her a towel to dry her hands.

"I was just flushing the toilet, and somebody said, 'You won," Lahti said. "I thought, 'What a terrible joke.'"

'Other' networks make strong showing

The "big three" networks garnered only three of the 11 TV awards. Three went to the Fox network and the remainder to cable networks.

Fox took both series awards. Long-running favorite "The X-Files" took Best Drama, while "Ally McBeal," in its first season, took the comedy honors.

The comedy series acting awards went to veteran comic actor Michael J. Fox for his role in "Spin City" and newcomer Calista Flockhart , who has the title role in "Ally McBeal." The drama awards went to Lahti and to Anthony Edwards of "ER."

TNT's "George Wallace" took best miniseries or TV movie. Rhames and Alfre Woodard , who played the title role in "Miss Evers' Boys," took the acting honors.

Best supporting actress in a television show or movie went to Angelina Jolie for her work in "Wallace." The TV side's best supporting actor award went to George C. Scott for Showtime's "12 Angry Men."

The Golden Globes, broadcast live on NBC, are given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to honor work in both television and film. On the film side, they are considered a bellwether for the Academy Awards, which will be presented March 23.

In the last 15 years, 11 films that won best dramatic motion picture honors at the Golden Globes went on to take the same prize at the Oscars.

One award was announced before the ceremony. Shirley MacLaine was given the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contribution to the entertainment field.


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