Best Picture, Drama With seven nominations (three more than its nearest competitors), Brokeback Mountain will easily ride off with the night's biggest prize, setting the cowboy drama up as the Oscar front-runner.

Best Picture, Comedy/Musical Barring a spread-the-wealth gesture that results in an upset for Pride & Prejudice, Walk the Line will ride that train all the way to victory.

Best Actor, Drama Capote's Philip Seymour Hoffman has racked up the critics' prizes (15 so far, including a high-profile win from the broadcast critics), but the movie's shutout in all other categories hints at a lack of support. Expect Brokeback's Heath Ledger to lasso the statuette.

Best Actress, Drama Brokeba...er, sorry. We're getting a little too used to typing that one. Actually, we're guessing Felicity Huffman's turn in Transamerica will prove irresistible.

Best Actor, Comedy/Musical If Jamie Foxx could lip-synch his way to victory in this category last year, then Joaquin Phoenix, who did his own singing in Walk the Line, is a lock.

Best Actress, Comedy/Musical Again, there's a slight chance of a Pride & Prejudice upset (Keira Knightley), but Walk the Line's Reese Witherspoon should pick up another of what will be many awards over the next two months.

Best Supporting Actor The toughest race to call. Our guess is that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will make up for past snubs and recognize Cinderella Man's Paul Giamatti.

Best Supporting Actress With A History of Violence's Maria Bello misplaced in the lead category, Michelle Williams will add another trophy to Brokeback's count.

Best Screenplay This is the best chance of victory for triple nominee George Clooney, who co-wrote Good Night, and Good Luck with Grant Heslov.

Best Director Given all that momentum, it's hard to see how Brokeback's Ang Lee could be overlooked here. The Golden Globes just can't quit him.

BEST DRAMA PICTURE - "Brokeback Mountain"

My best spies tell me there's surprising voter strength behind "Good Night," but not enough to win. This is "Brokeback's" big victory, of course, but the mountain's cliffhanger: will it be upset in the categories for director, actor and/or screenplay?


BEST MUSICAL OR COMEDY PICTURE - "Pride & Prejudice"

Filmgoers admired and liked "Walk the Line," but loved "Pride & Prejudice." That must be true, too, for Globers. The only glitch might be the expectation that "P&P" will not be nommed at the Oscars. Globe voters don't want to look out of "Line," but they're probably going to give it their top two acting laurels. Enough. Unlike Oscar voters, Globers like to spread the gold around and I think this is where they do it. Besides, voters proved they're Jane Austen fans back in 1995 by sticking by "Sense and Sensibility"as best drama pic.


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE - "Tsotsi" (South Africa)

Most pundits predict this will go to "Kung Fu Hustle" or "Paradise Now," but "Tsotsi" delivered the most powerful emotional wallop.


BEST DIRECTOR - George Clooney, "Good Night, and Good Luck"

Here's where the race gets interesting. Lee won a few years ago for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," so I think voters will feel they've got permission to stray and indulge their whim to hail Clooney. If so, that's when Oscar storm clouds gather over Brokeback Mt.


BEST DRAMA ACTOR - Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"

Usually, the film that wins best pic takes a top acting category, just like the dual victories last year for "The Aviator" and Leonardo DiCaprio. But I think Globers will do their art-house turn here. You know, like when they went for Peter Fonda in "Ulee's Gold" or even for relative unknowns like Geoffrey Rush ("Shine") and Brenda Blethyn ("Secrets and Lies"). They missed hailing "Capote" for best pic. That was a major oversight. Here's where they can fix that, or at least address it, by backing Philip Seymour Hoffman. Besides, Globers like to forecast the Oscars and everybody knows that studs like Heath Ledger get slapped by the jealous geezers in the academy.


BEST DRAMA ACTRESS - Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica"

Maria Bello has her admirers, but Felicity Huffman has the buzz and really gives the year's best performance in one of the year's finest films.


BEST COMEDY OR MUSICAL ACTOR - Joaquin Phoenix, "Walk the Line"

Watch out for a possible upset by Pierce Brosnan. Globers love his daredevil departure as a bisexual hitman. But Joaquin Phoenix is what last year's winner was: an A List star nailing the portrayal of a music legend. Jamie Foxx won for "Ray" and he didn't even sing the film tunes like Joaquin does. Joaquin wins.


BEST COMEDY OR MUSICAL ACTRESS - Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line"

Reese Witherspoon should win easily, considering she's already swept up kudos from the National Society of Film Critics, New York Film Critics Circle and Broadcast Film Critics Association — even the People's Choice Award! An upset is possible, though, from either the radiant Keira Knightley or the defiant Judi Dench.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - George Clooney, "Syriana"

I'm not very confident of this prediction. I can see scenarios where Matt Dillon, Paul Giamatti and even Bob Hoskins can win. But Clooney will win at least one Globe, so, if I predict him here, too, my bases are (mostly) covered.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Shirley MacLaine, "In Her Shoes"

Poor Scarlett Johansson. She's lost three Globe races in the past and is sooooo overdue, so, originally I picked her in this race. But then I noticed she's faced off against two similar rivals: lovely ingenues who impressively prove their acting chops. All three have a real shot at winning. But then consider Shirley MacLaine, an ole Globe fave. She's won 4 times — 5, if you count the Best Newcomer Award, which isn't technically an acting prize. Globers love veteran showbiz dames. Look at the list of past winners in this category: Meryl Streep ("Adaptation"), Lauren Bacall ("Titanic"), Lynn Redgrave ("Gods and Monsters"), Joan Plowright ("Enchanted April"), etc. I have a hunch that Shirley will win a fifth acting award, tying the record for most film acting Globes held by Rosalind Russell.


BEST SCREENPLAY - Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, "Brokeback Mountain"

If "Crash" or "Good Night" pull off upsets here, that may tell us what strong challenges they could pose to "Brokeback" at the Oscars. But for now I'll bet on "Brokeback" here.


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - Gustavo Santaolalla, "Brokeback Mountain"

"Geisha" or "Kong" really deserve this prize, but "Brokeback's" score is pretty darn good, too, so I think it triumphs here as part of its best pic sweep.


BEST SONG - "Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica," music and lyrics by Dolly Parton

Look at this category historically and it seems that the nominee with the most recognizable star name usually wins. That's why I'm betting on Dolly Parton, but Mel Brooks could win for the tune he added to "The Producers" just so he'd be eligible for an Oscar.

LOL Did Tom O'Neill just say that Lauren Bacall won for Titanic???

I noticed that LATELY there has been a talk of a Pride and Prejudice upset. It's noticeable disappearance from the Costume guild but inclusion in the Editing guild seem that the movie is one of those that could pull off an upset.