BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) - The World War Two saga "Atonement" earned seven Golden Globe nominations on Thursday, including a bid for best film drama, to lead the pack of movies vying for a key Hollywood honor in the widely watched awards season.

"Atonement" was joined in the best film drama category by six other films -- "American Gangster," "Eastern Promises," "The Great Debaters," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will be Blood."

"Charlie Wilson's War" was the second most nominated movie, drawing five nods overall, including one for best film musical or comedy. It was joined in that category by the coming-of-age comedy "Juno" and three musicals -- "Hairspray," "Sweeney Todd" and "Across the Universe."

In other categories, "Atonement" stars James McAvoy and Keira Knightley earned best dramatic actor and actress nominations, respectively, for their work in the film playing two lovers torn apart by a family lies and war.

In the dramatic actor category, McAvoy was joined by George Clooney in "Michael Clayton," Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood," Denzel Washington in "American Gangster" and Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises."

Joining Knightley as best dramatic actress nominees were Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Julie Christie for "Away From Her," Angelina Jolie in "A Mighty Heart" and Jodie Foster for "The Brave One."

The Golden Globe Awards are presented by the roughly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and they help narrow the list of films regarded as leading contenders for the Oscars, the movie industry's highest honors.

The 2008 Golden Globe Awards will be given out on January 13 in Beverly Hills in a gala ceremony that will air on the U.S. television network NBC.

The main category nominations are as follows:

Best Motion Picture - Drama:
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Drama:
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture - Drama:
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster

Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical:
Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd

Nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page - Juno 

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical:
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars And The Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Best Animated Feature Film:
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

Best Foreign Language Film:
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France And Usa)
The Kite Runner (Usa)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture:
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Julia Roberts - Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture:
Casey Affleck - The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem -No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Best Director - Motion Picture:
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country For Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright - Atonement

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture:
Juno - Diablo Cody
No Country For Old Men - Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Atonement - Christopher Hampton
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly - Ronald Harwood
Charlie Wilson's War - Aaron Sorkin

Best Original Score - Motion Picture:
Into The Wild  - Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder
Grace Is Gone - Clint Eastwood
The Kite Runner - Alberto Iglesias
Atonement - Dario Marianelli
Eastern Promises  - Howard Shore

Best Original Song - Motion Picture:
Despedida - Love In The Time Of Cholera
Music By: Shakira, Antonio Pinto
Grace Is Gone - Grace Is Gone
Music By: Clint Eastwood
Guaranteed - Into The Wild
Music & Lyrics By: Eddie Vedder
That's How You Know - Enchanted
Music & Lyrics By: Alan Menken
Walk Hard - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Music & Lyrics By: Marshall Crenshaw, John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, Kasdan

Best Television Series - Drama:
Big Love (HBO)
Damages (Fx Networks)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
House (Fox)
Mad Men (AMC)
The Tudors (Showtime)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series - Drama:
Patricia Arquette - Medium
Glenn Close - Damages
Minnie Driver - The Riches
Edie Falco - The Sopranos
Sally Field - Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter - Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series - Drama :
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Jon Hamm - Mad Men
Hugh Laurie - House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers - The Tudors
Bill Paxton - Big Love

Best Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
30 Rock (NBC)
Californication (Showtime)
Entourage (HBO)
Extras (HBO)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series -Comedy Or Musical:
Christina Applegate - Samantha Who?
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Anna Friel - Pushing Daisies
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical:
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Steve Carell - The Office
David Duchovny - Californication
Ricky Gervais - Extras
Lee Pace - Pushing Daisies

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television:
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (Hbo)
The Company (Tnt)
Five Days (Hbo)
Longford (Hbo)
The State Within (Bbc America)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For
Television:
Bryce Dallas Howard - As You Like It
Debra Messing - The Starter Wife
Queen Latifah - Life Support
Sissy Spacek - Pictures Of Hollis Woods
Ruth Wilson - Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre)

Best Performance By An Actor In A Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For
Television:
Adam Beach - Bury My Heart At Wounded - Knee
Ernest Borgnine - A Grandpa For Christmas
Jim Broadbent - Longford
Jason Isaacs - The State Within
James Nesbitt - Jekyll

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television:
Rose Byrne - Damages
Rachel Griffiths - Brothers & Sisters
Katherine Heigl - Grey's Anatomy
Samantha Morton - Longford
Anna Paquin - Bury My Heart At Wounded - Knee Jaime Pressly - My Name Is Earl

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television:
Ted Danson - Damages
Kevin Dillon - Entourage
Jeremy Piven - Entourage
Andy Serkis - Longford
William Shatner - Boston Legal
Donald Sutherland - Dirty Sexy Money. (LR&TN/WN)

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