Bale wins supporting-actor Globe for Fighter

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Christian Bale won the supporting-actor Golden Globe for his role as a former boxer whose career unraveled amid drugs and crime in The Fighter.

The first prize at the Globes, the win boosts the Academy Awards prospects for Bale, the star of Hollywood's current Batman franchise, who is favored to win supporting-actor at the Feb. 27 Oscars.

Bale thanked his collaborators on The Fighter, among them director David O. Russell and star and producer Mark Wahlberg, who plays boxer Micky Ward to Bale's Dicky Eklund, Ward's older half brother.

"I've really got to give a shout out to Mark, because he drove this whole movie," said Bale, noting that his co-star was the stoic anchor of the film. "I've played that one many times, and it never gets any notice."

Bale seems to be on the same awards track as his Batman co-star, the late Heath Ledger, was two years ago, when he won supporting actor at the Globes for The Dark Knight on the way to earning a posthumous Oscar.

The Fighter is also competing for best drama at the Globes, along with Black Swan, 'Inception, The King's Speech and The Social Network.

The regal 1930s saga The King's Speech and the contemporary Web tale The Social Network are considered the favorites for best drama. The King's Speech led the Globes with seven nominations and The Social Network dominated awards from top critics groups.

Early TV winners included Katey Sagal as best actress in a TV drama for Sons of Anarchy, Chris Colfer as supporting actor for Glee and Carlos for best miniseries or movie.

The buzz around town on Globes weekend was as much about likely winners as it was about a lawsuit filed late Thursday by a former longtime publicist for the Globes claiming the organization that runs the show, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, engages in payola schemes for nominations and awards. The allegations have been denied by the HFPA, a group of about 85 reporters covering show business for overseas outlets.

The lineup of presenters during the three-hour show includes Kevin Bacon, Sandra Bullock, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Lopez, LL Cool J, Helen Mirren, Robert Pattinson, Kevin Spacey and Bruce Willis.

Colin Firth is considered the likely winner for best dramatic actor for The King's Speech, in which he plays Queen Elizabeth II's father, George VI, amid his struggle to overcome a debilitating stammer.

Firth's competition includes The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Internet innovator Mark Zuckerberg as he founds Facebook then falls into legal tussles with former associates over the Web site's riches.

While Firth also is the front-runner for best actor at the Academy Awards on Feb. 27, the best-actress race could be a tossup between two Globe favorites. Natalie Portman has the edge for Globe dramatic actress as a ballerina coming unhinged in Black Swan, while Annette Bening is the probable winner for best actress in a musical or comedy for her role as a stern but loving lesbian mom in The Kids Are All Right.

The Globes ceremony also features such heavyweight nominees as Wahlberg, Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman in the dramatic acting categories and Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway in the musical or comedy ranks.

Robert De Niro will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement.

Ricky Gervais returns as Globes host for the second-straight year. Gervais joked that Globe nominees weren't picked just so that Globe voters could hang out with stars such as Depp.

"They also accepted bribes," Gervais said, referring to the publicist lawsuit.

Gervais had plenty of comedic fodder among the nominees, which include Depp and Jolie's The Tourist and Christina Aguilera's Burlesque. Both films were drubbed by critics but received Globe nominations.

On the red carpet, a sunglasses-clad Gervais told E! maestro Ryan Seacrest that he couldn't wait to go backstage after he opens the show and have his first drink. When asked what would be his alcohol of choice, Gervais' girlfriend, Jane Fallon, piped up and said, "Oh, whatever he can get his hands on."

Several stars kept it loose on the red carpet on their way to the swanky International Ballroom. After answering questions about her dress, Bullock joked that her interview with Carson Daly on the NBC pre-show was "really boring," while Glee nominee Matthew Morrison said he was excited to attend "a prom for adults."

It's not just a party. The ceremony traditionally had a strong track record as a forecast for what film would win best picture at the Oscars. But the two shows have split in recent times, with only one top Globe recipient -- 2008's Slumdog Millionaire -- also winning the main prize at the Oscars over the past six years.

A year ago, the sci-fi sensation Avatar won best drama at the Globes, but the Iraq War saga The Hurt Locker took best picture at the Oscars.

Nominations voting for the Feb. 27 Oscars closed Friday, and nominees will be announced Jan. 25.