Cate Blancett an Oscar favourite after winning best actress for Blue Jasmine at Golden Globes

THE Golden Globes have sent Hollywood's awards season into full swing with a night that was big on A-list stars and full of suprises.

IN A a room so star-packed that Matt Damon could be considered a "garbage man" and on a night considered second only to the Oscars, the Golden Globes have sent Hollywood's awards season into full swing.

Cate Blanchett can now lay claim to being an unbackable Oscar favourite, winning Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her role in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine.

The Australian star admitted to having "a few vodkas under my belt" as she grasped her award on stage and thanked her director for calling her and not one of many other very talented women in the audience.

The Globes did not give a clear Oscar bump to any particular film, however, sharing the love between Gravity (Best Director), American Hustle (Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy) and 12 Years a Slave (Best Motion Picture - Drama).

News_Image_File: Matthew McConaughey accepts the award for Best Actor in a drama for Dallas Buyers Club. The much buzzed-about 12 Years a Slave, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a free man kidnapped and sold into slavery, looked as thought it might be the night's big loser, missing out in six nominated categories before sweeping in at the very last moment to take out the big Globe.

American Hustle picked up three Golden Globes in the Musical or Comedy categories, including

News_Image_File: Director Steve McQueen (centre) with 12 Years A Slave stars Lupita Nyong'o, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah Paulson and Michael Fassbender.

Best Actress and Supporting Actress for Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence, respectively.

Leonardo DiCaprio moved into the Oscar conversation by taking out Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for The Wolf of Wall Street, while Matthew McConaughey's recent slew of quality work was crowned with a Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama win for Dallas Buyers Club.

News_Image_File: The unstoppable Jennifer Lawrence won for her supporting role in American Hustle. And Breaking Bad said farewell by putting yet another trophy on the mantelpiece of Bryan Cranston.

While the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler-hosted Golden Globes ceremony was largely devoid of the shocks or controversies of recent years, Jacqueline Bisset provided early awkwardness when she took the stage to accept her Best Supporting Actress in a Series gong.

The 69-year-old outlasted the play-off music in a rambling acceptance speech that included a salute to "the people who have given me s--- … go to hell and don't come back".

News_Image_File: Jacqueline Bisset's blistering acceptance speech will go down as one of the most unusual in the history of awards show. Fey and Poehler began the festivities by taking pot-shots at the assembled glitterati, from that Damon zinger to having TV-versus-film fun with good sport Julia Louis Dreyfus and declaring George Clooney's role in Gravity was proof he "would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age".

Later on, the pair warmly welcomed renowned ladykiller DiCaprio to the stage as a presenter with a reference to a supermodel's private parts.

News_Image_File: Leonardo DiCaprio is shaping up to be an Oscar contender after winning for a Golden Globe for The Wolf of Wall Street. U2 brought some gravitas to the occasion, frontman Bono paying tribute to Nelson Mandela as he picked up the band's award for Best Original Song - Motion Picture: "This man turned our world upside down, right side up … (Mandela) refused to hate, not because he didn't feel anger but he thought love would do a better job."

Diane Keaton sang during her rather batty tribute to Woody Allen, who was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award for his 72 movies in 48 years. The man himself didn't turn up.

And his ex, Mia Farrow, tweeted "Nite all" as the tribute aired.

Like Blanchett, Keaton particularly praised the roles Allen has created for females - "women who can't be compartmentalised".

News_Image_File: Emma Thompson did her best to upstage everyone by taking her shoes off and pretending to be tipsy.The first winner of the evening, Jennifer Lawrence, was shaking so much she asked from the podium that those who give out awards "don't ever do this again". As a winner at last year's Oscars and a red hot favourite again this year, it seems unlikely Lawrence's wish will be granted.

Emma Thompson did her best to upstage the hosts, turning up on stage to introduce the Best Screenplay award with her shoes in one hand and a martini in the other.

Fey wrapped up proceedings by saying, "This was the beautiful mess we hoped it would be". To which Poehler added, "…and I got to make out with Bono".

The full list

Best Motion Picture - Drama

12 Years a Slave

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

American Hustle

Best Director - Motion Picture

Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Amy Adams for American Hustle

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Spike Jonze for Her

Best Animated Film

Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film

The Great Beauty (Italy)

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Alex Ebert for All is Lost

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

U2 & Brian Burton - Ordinary Love for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jacqueline Bisset for Dancing on the Edge

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jon Voight for Ray Donovan

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Behind the Candelabra

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Michael Douglas for Behind the Candelabra

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Elisabeth Moss for Top of the Lake

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad

Best Television Series - Drama

Breaking Bad

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Andy Samberg for Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Amy Poehler for Parks and Recreation

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

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