10:34AM, Jan 12, 2009
An emotional Kate Winslet led the triumphant British charge at the 66th Golden Globes with a double dose of glory.
Having come away empty handed five times in the past, her brace of nominatons for Best Actress and Supporting Actress meant she became only the third person to win two awards in one night at the ceremony. The awards were given for Revolutionary Road and The Reader, respectively.
On a sensational night for homegrown stars, Slumdog Millionaire scored four out of four, picking up orbs for Best Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Director for Danny Boyle, and the most coveted prize of the night, Best Picture (Drama).
"Your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated," gushed first time Golden Globe nominee Boyle about a film that beat out stiff competition from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Frost/Nixon, amongst others.
Winslet was joined by fellow Brit Sally Hawkins, who picked up Best Actress (Comedy or Musical) for her chirpy turn in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky.
Also keeping our end up on this side of The Pond was Dublin born Colin Farrell, winning Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) for his acerbic turn in jet black comedy In Bruges.
Clearly surprised to have won, Farrell claimed, "They must have done the count in Florida", and dedicated half the award to his co-star Brendan Gleeson, promising him a hemisphere after the show.
On a more sombre note, the late Heath Ledger was unsurprisingly named Best Supporting Actor for his diabolically fiendish performance as the Joker in the darker, reinvigorated Batman franchise.
"All of us who worked with Heath accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride, " said director Christopher Nolan, who picked up the award on behalf of his deceased star.
A Hollywood ending was provided by Mickey Rourke, continuing his unstoppable comeback by receiving the Best Actor (Drama) award for his emotional and personal portrayal of a has-been in The Wrestler.
An unlikely fellow traveller on the comeback trail was Hollywood icon Woody Allen with a surprise win in the Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) for Spanish sex, sun and Scarlett Johansson movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
On an evening of American disappointment, its biggest award hope The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - nominated for five awards - failed to win in any category.
Nor were the Americans tickled by presenter Sacha Baron Cohen's close-to-the-bone quip about a credit crunch hit Madonna being forced to lay off one of her PAs - "and our hearts go out to Guy Ritchie".
On a lighter note, presenter and previous Brit-winner Ricky Gervais told Kate Winslet, who won for her performance as an SS guard in The Reader, "I told you, do a Holocaust movie and the awards will come".
He also complained about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association after his comedy Ghost Town failed to get a nomination, despite his claim of sleeping with over 200 middle-aged journalists.
Another casualty of the night was Mamma Mia!, the biggest box office film of all time in the UK, which went home with Abba-solutely nothing.
Steven Spielberg was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to him by fellow 1970s movie brat Martin Scorsese.
This award was particularly apt for the Indiana Jones director who was first inspired to pick up the camera after seeing his first movie, DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth.
Wall.E won Best Animated Feature and Waltz with Bashir was awarded Best Foreign Language Film.
Unlike the Oscars or BAFTAs, the Golden Globes has two categories for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress - Drama and Comedy/Musical.
The awards also recognise excellence in television, and there were British and Irish successes here too - with Tom Wilkinson winning Best Supporting Actor for the TV mini-series John Adams, and Dublin born Gabriel Byrne picking up Best Actor for TV drama In Treatment.
For a run-down of who won what in the TV awards, click here.
For a full list of movie winners and nominations, click here.
