THE 63RD ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

The Golden Globe winners have been announced, BAFTA nominations are due any day and its only a matter of weeks until the Oscars � award season is well and truly under way and so is speculation on who will take home some of the industry's most coveted statues.

Perhaps one of the most surprising, and some would say encouraging, aspects of this year's Golden Globe awards were that many of its nominees (and all of the best drama nominees) were films made for under $30 million by independent studios.

With Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain sweeping the drama movie awards for best film, best director, best screenplay and best song, its controversial love theme seems set to continue ruffling feathers through to the Oscars. This unlikely slow burner has already gained the respect of the American film industry with 8 out of 12 US critics' associations awarding it best film of the year.

Other films dealing with the controversial issues of writer Truman Capote's homosexuality and a man waiting for a sex change, won Phillip Seymour Hoffman best actor for Capote and 'Desperate Housewives' star Felicity Huffman best actress for Transamerica.

James Mangold's Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line also brushed many other nominees to one side in the musical/comedy categories, winning best motion picture and best actor and actress for leads Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

Supporting drama actor awards went to Rachel Weisz for Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardner, and to George Clooney for his examination of corruption in the oil industry in Syriana, a consolation for Clooney having lost out to Brokeback Mountain on best picture and director for his own bit of political controversy - Good Night, and Good Luck.

In a coup for the burgeoning Palestinian film industry Hany Abu-Assad's film Paradise Now, about the Palestine-Israeli conflict from the perspective of two Palestinian suicide bombers, won best foreign language film.

The Golden Globes are one of the few awards ceremonies that cover both film and television, and the TV awards were more evenly distributed over several different titles including Lost (best TV drama series), 'Desperate Housewives' (best comedy/musical TV series) and 'Empire Falls' (best miniseries), and to Geena Davis for best actress in a TV drama ('Commander and Chief') and to Hugh Laurie for best actor ('House').

Anthony Hopkins was presented with the Cecil B de Mille award for outstanding contribution to the entertainment field. Guest presenters were an eclectic mix, including Adrien Brody, Catherine Deneuve, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastward, Colin Firth, Jamie Foxx, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Denzil Washington, Hilary Swank, John Travolta and the cast of Will and Grace.

With their awards safely tucked under their well formed biceps, the Golden Globe movie winners must be hoping they hot foot it through the BAFTAs and on to the Oscars.

FULL LIST OF GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: George Clooney (Syriana).
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener).
Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Reese Witherspoon (Walk The Line).
Best Screenplay: Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana (Brokeback Mountain)
Best Foreign Language Film: Paradise Now (Palestine).
Best Score: John Williams (Memoirs of a Geisha).
Best Original Song: A Love That Will Never Grow Old by Emmylou Harris, Bernie Taupin and Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain).
Best Director: Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain).
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Joaquin Phoenix (Walk The Line).
Best Movie (Comedy/Musical): Walk The Line.
Best Actress (Drama): Felicity Huffman (Transamerica).
Best Actor (Drama): Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote).
Best Movie (Drama): Brokeback Mountain

BAFTA 2006

The BAFTAs have only been held before the Oscars since 2001 but it's a move that has worked well for them, and created additional pre-Oscar hype as opposed to being buried by post-Oscar glory. Last year's winners included The Aviator, My Summer of Love and Vera Drake and the event has often been regarded as an opportunity to fly the flag for UK talent that loses out at US awards ceremonies.

With the BAFTA nominations already announced this looks increasingly likely. The Constant Gardener heads up the list of titles with ten nominations, including film and screenplay, and to its leads Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz as well as director Fernando Meirelles.

This year's Golden Globes proved disappointing for British film, with only Rachel Weisz (best supporting actress The Constant Gardener) and Hugh Laurie (best actor 'House') receiving awards, so the BAFTAs could redress the balance with awards for Mrs Henderson Presents (up for four nominations including best actress for Judi Dench) , Pride and Prejudice (up for six awards including best British feature, best first time director and best supporting actress for Brenda Blethyn), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (nominated for three awards) and The Constant Gardener with its ten nominations, plus possible recognition for Judy Dench and Ralph Fiennes.

The Constant Gardener is closely followed by Brokeback Mountain and Crash who both have nine nominations. George Clooney will be seeing if he can get the director's prize this time for Good Night, and Good Luck. (up for six nominations including best film and best actor for David Strathairn) and whether he can repeat his Globe success for supporting actor in Syriana.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman is again nominated for best actor in a leading role, having won the Golden Globe for the lead in Capote, but providing tough competition are David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck.), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain), Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line) and Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener). With the exception of Phoenix, who won best lead in a musical for his role in Walk the Line, they all missed out to Hoffman at the Globes.

Reese Witherspoon and Rachel Weisz will be battling it out to see who walks away with the best lead actress title having both won a Globe for their respective roles in Walk the Line and The Constant Gardener. They are joined by other nominees Charlize Theron (North Country), Judi Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents) and Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha).

THE 78TH ACADEMY AWARDS

Oscar nominees will be announced on Tuesday 31st January. All eyes will be on whether more prizes will go to Brokeback Mountain and Capote, whether Peter Jackson will score further Oscar triumph with Lord of the Rings follow-up King Kong, and if Spielberg will register with Munich. Many predictions are already going to Dame Judy Dench (Mrs Henderson Presents) for best actress over Keira Knightley (Pride And Prejudice), and to Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain) for best actor after losing out to Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) at the Globes.

6 Degrees Film Oscar night predictions go to hoping that the smaller-budgeted independents continue to be acknowledged, and are rooting for the likes of Brokeback Mountain, Good Night, and Good Luck and Syriana. Hopefully King Kong will be awarded for its exceptional special effects as should War of the Worlds. Foreign language films and world titles deserving recognition are Paradise Now, Hidden and Memoirs of a Geisha. We should also not forget that the rise in popularity of the documentary should see an award somewhere for March of the Penguins.