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Golden Globes boost Oscar chances for films and actors

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Timothee Chalamet, Selena Gomez among stars vying for

acting

honors

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Globes winners chosen by 334 journalists from 85 countries

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Hollywood will kick off

its 2025 awards festivities on Sunday at the annual Golden

Globes ceremony where films such as "Wicked," "The Brutalist"

and "Emilia Perez" compete for trophies and attention ahead of

the Oscars.

Timothee Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Angelina

Jolie are among the stars in the running for acting honors at

the red-carpet ceremony that will be hosted for the first time

by comedian Nikki Glaser. The show will be broadcast live on CBS

and stream on Paramount+.

Spanish-language musical "Emilia Perez" and post-World War

Two epic "The Brutalist" lead the night's movie nominees.

"The Brutalist" stars Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor

who flees to the United States to chase the American dream. The

3-1/2 hour tale is considered a frontrunner for the night's top

prize, best film drama.

Competitors include "Conclave," about the selection of a

pope, and two movies starring Chalamet - Bob Dylan biopic "A

Complete Unknown" and sci-fi epic "Dune - Part II."

Unlike the Oscars, musical and comedy films compete in a

separate category at the Globes. Nominees in that field include

box office smash "Wicked" and dark romantic comedy "Anora."

Winning a Globe can help films in the run-up to the Academy

Awards in March. If a movie or actor takes home a Globe, "it

increases the likelihood a member of the film academy will check

out that project," said Scott Feinberg, executive editor for

awards at The Hollywood Reporter.

Feinberg predicted "The Brutalist" or "Conclave" would earn

the drama prize at the Globes. The musical or comedy category is

harder to gauge, he said, because the nominees are so different

from one another.

"Emilia Perez," a musical thriller, tells the story of a

Mexican drug lord who transitions from a man to a woman.

"Wicked," a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," was adapted from a

popular Broadway stage show.

"Anora," about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian

oligarch, is more of a traditional comedy while "The Substance"

starring Demi Moore as a fading celebrity seeking a fountain of

youth, is essentially a horror movie, Feinberg said.

"That (category) is just all over the place," Feinberg said.

Winners of the Globes are chosen by 334 entertainment

journalists from 85 countries, compared with roughly 9,000

voters who select the Academy Awards. The Globes voting body was

expanded in recent years and organizers instituted reforms after

being criticized for ethical lapses and a lack of diversity.

In TV categories, restaurant tale "The Bear" leads the

Globes nominees, followed by mystery comedy "Only Murders in the

Building" and historical epic "Shogun."