As the awards season approaches in Hollywood, pundits are already predicting who will end up with an Oscar on their mantle in 2010.

And with the release of this year's Golden Globe nominees, the tea leaves are beginning to point to the most likely contenders, such as Canadian director Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air," which leads with six nominations.

"I can't put into words how exciting it is to feel and to know that I'll be going to the Golden Globes with everyone I worked with on this film," the Montreal-born Reitman said. "This was one of those ensembles that we really enjoyed working together. We're a tight-knit family. The idea that we're going together is just wonderful."

But as always, there were some surprises when it came to the 67th annual Golden Globe nominations.

The long-expected and James Cameron-directed "Avatar" snagged some Golden Globe nominations Tuesday, even though the movie has yet to open at the box office.

But Los Angeles Times reporter Pete Hammond said "Avatar" "was one of the last movies shown to the Hollywood foreign press just last week and it came in big, they loved it."

"It's not the kind of movie you normally see nominated in these type of things, it's a popcorn movie, but it's so well done, so well done that they just went for it," Hammond told CTV's Canada AM during an interview from Los Angeles.

Maclean's magazine film critic Brian D. Johnson said he thought Jeff Bridges' nomination for best actor for his role in "Crazy Heart" represented a surprising choice by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

"He is being named actually by the major U.S. film critic organizations as the best actor of the year," Johnson told Â鶹´«Ã½ Channel during an interview in Toronto. "And that's a pretty small movie up against George Clooney, who would have been considered a front-runner for 'Up in the Air.'"

Here are a few of the major nominations that were announced in Beverley Hills on Tuesday:

Five well-known actors are up for best performance in a dramatic motion picture, with Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman and Tobey Maguire vying for the pre-Oscar prize.

Meanwhile, two young actresses are among those up for the prize in the same category alongside veteran actresses Sandra Bullock and Helen Mirren, as well as Emily Blunt. Gabourey Sidibe, who made her debut in the Oprah-produced "Precious," and Carey Mulligan, who starred alongside Peter Sarsgaard in the well-received "An Education," are the newcomers competing for best performance in a dramatic motion picture.

For the best supporting actress in a motion picture, Penelope Cruz, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Mo'Nique and Julianne Moore are up for the honour.

In the best supporting actor category, Amercian actors Matt Damon, Woody Harrelson and Stanley Tucci are up against veteran Canadian actor Christopher Plummer and Austrian actor Christoph Waltz.

For best dramatic motion picture of the year, the still-to-be-released "Avatar" is up against "The Hurt Locker," Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious" and the Jason Reitman-directed "Up in the Air."

As for the best musical or comedy motion picture, "(500) Days of Summer," "The Hangover," "Julie & Julia," "It's Complicated" and "Nine" make up the nominees.

Up for best animated feature are the Tim Burton-directed "Coraline," Wes Anderson's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel of the same name, Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," Pixar's "Up" and the Sony/Columbia release "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

The Golden Globes, Hollywood's second-biggest film honours after the Oscars, will be presented Jan. 17 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, televised live on CTV and hosted by comic actor Ricky Gervais.

MOTION PICTURES

  • Picture, Drama: "Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," "Up in the Air."
  • Picture, Musical or Comedy: "(500) Days of Summer," "The Hangover," "It's Complicated," "Julie&Julia," "Nine."
  • Actor, Drama: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"; George Clooney, "Up in the Air"; Colin Firth, "A Single Man"; Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"; Tobey Maguire, "Brothers."
  • Actress, Drama: Emily Blunt, "The Young Victoria"; Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"; Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"; Carey Mulligan, "An Education"; Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."
  • Director: Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"; James Cameron, "Avatar"; Clint Eastwood, "Invictus"; Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"; Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds."
  • * Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt Damon, "The Informant!"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "Nine"; Robert Downey Jr., "Sherlock Holmes"; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "(500) Days of Summer"; Michael Stuhlbarg, "A Serious Man."
  • Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sandra Bullock, "The Proposal"; Marion Cotillard, "Nine"; Julia Roberts, "Duplicity"; Meryl Streep, "It's Complicated"; Meryl Streep, "Julie&Julia."
  • Supporting Actor: Matt Damon, "Invictus"; Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"; Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"; Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"; Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds."
  • Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Nine"; Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"; Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"; Mo'Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"; Julianne Moore, "A Single Man."
  • Foreign Language: "Baaria," "Broken Embraces," "The Maid (La Nana)," "A Prophet," "The White Ribbon."
  • Animated Film: "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog," "Up."
  • Screenplay: Neill Blomkamp, "District 9"; Mark Boal, "The Hurt Locker"; Nancy Meyers, "It's Complicated"; Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"; Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds."
  • Original Score: Michael Giacchino, "Up"; Marvin Hamlisch, "The Informant!"; James Horner, "Avatar"; Abel Korzeniowski, "A Single Man"; Karen O, Carter Burwell, "Where the Wild Things Are."
  • Original Song: "Cinema Italiano" (written by Maury Yeston), "Nine"; "I Want to Come Home" (written by Paul McCartney); "Everybody's Fine"; "I Will See You" (written by James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell); "Avatar"; "The Weary Kind (Theme from 'Crazy Heart')" (written by Ryan Bingham, T Bone Burnett); "Crazy Heart"; "Winter" (written by U2), "Brothers."

TELEVISION

  • Series, Drama: "Big Love;" "Dexter;" "House;" "Mad Men;" "True Blood."
  • Actor, Drama: Simon Baker, "The Mentalist"; Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"; Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"; Hugh Laurie, "House"; Bill Paxton, "Big Love"
  • Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, "Damages"; January Jones, "Mad Men"; Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"; Anna Paquin, "True Blood"; Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer."
  • Series, Musical or Comedy: "30 Rock," "Entourage," "Glee," "Modern Family," "The Office."
  • Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"; Steve Carell, "The Office"; David Duchovny, "Californication"; Thomas Jane, "Hung"; Matthew Morrison, "Glee."
  • Actress, Musical or Comedy: Toni Collette, "United States of Tara"; Courteney Cox, "Cougar Town"; Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"; Tina Fey, "30 Rock"; Lea Michele, "Glee."
  • Miniseries or Movie: "Georgia O'Keeffe," "Grey Gardens," "Into the Storm," "Little Dorrit," "Taking Chance."
  • Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Joan Allen, "Georgia O'Keeffe"; Drew Barrymore, "Grey Gardens"; Jessica Lange, "Grey Gardens"; Anna Paquin, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler"; Sigourney Weaver, "Prayers for Bobby."
  • Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Kevin Bacon, "Taking Chance"; Kenneth Branagh, "Wallander: One Step Behind"; Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Endgame"; Brendan Gleeson, "Into the Storm"; Jeremy Irons, "Georgia O'Keeffe."
  • Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jane Adams, "Hung"; Rose Byrne, "Damages"; Jane Lynch, "Glee"; Janet McTeer, "Into the Storm"; Chloe Sevigny, "Big Love,"
  • Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Michael Emerson, "Lost"; Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"; William Hurt, "Damages"; John Lithgow, "Dexter"; Jeremy Piven, "Entourage."

With files from The Associated Press