Catherine Zeta Jones is nominated for her role in Traffic

Catherine Zeta Jones received a best supporting actress nomination for Traffic, along with a supporting actor nod for Benicio Del Toro.

Four films had four nominations each - 1970s rock movie Almost Famous, drama Wonder Boys, Erin Brockovich, and French romance Chocolat.

Awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Golden Globes, which will be held on 21 January in Los Angeles, are seen as an important indicator of which films will be nominated for the Oscars.

American actress Christine Lahti announces the nominations

But unlike the Academy Awards, the film prizes are divided into "dramatic" and "musical or comedy" segments.

Other than Traffic and Gladiator, the other nominees for best dramatic picture are Billy Elliot, Erin Brockovich, Sunshine and Wonder Boys.

The nominees for best musical or comedy picture are Almost Famous, Best In Show, Chicken Run, Chocolat, and O Brother Where Art Thou?

Competing against Russell Crowe for best actor in a dramatic movie are Michael Douglas for Wonder Boys, Tom Hanks for Cast Away, Javier Bardem for Before Night Falls and Geoffrey Rush for Quills.

Wonder performance: Michael Douglas is also nominated

Pop singer Björk has a best actress in a dramatic movie nomination for her role in Dancer In The Dark, which took the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

She is up against Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich, Laura Linney for You Can Count On Me, Joan Allen for The Contender, and Ellen Burstyn for Requiem For A Dream.

The best actor in a comedy or musical category sees a heavyweight scrap between Jim Carrey for How The Seuss Stole Christmas, George Clooney for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Robert De Niro for Meet the Parents, Mel Gibson for What Women Want, and John Cusack for High Fidelity.

Steven Soderbergh: Two chances to be best director

The female equivalent sees Juliette Binoche nominated for Chocolat, Brenda Blethyn for Saving Grace, Sandra Bullock for Miss Congeniality, Tracey Ullman for Small Time Crooks and Renee Zellweger for Nurse Betty.

Attempting to beat Stephen Soderbergh and Ridley Scott in the best director category are Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Istvan Szabo for Sunshine.

Dame Judi Dench in Chocolat

Jeff Bridges (The Contender), Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire) and Albert Finney line up against Joaquin Phoenix and Benicio Del Toro in the best supporting actor category, which covers all films.

Other than Zeta Jones, the other best supporting actress nominees were Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand for Almost Famous, Dame Judi Dench for Chocolat, and Julie Walters for Billy Elliot.

Dame Judi is also up for a television award - she is nominated be best actress in a mini-series or TV award for her part in the BBC's Last of the Blonde Bombshells.

Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar is a nominee

Other notable TV nominations include Robert Downey Jr, who gets a best supporting actor nod for Ally McBeal, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, up for best dramatic actress for cult hit Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.

The nominees are chosen by the association's 84 members, who cover Hollywood for foreign publications.

In the past 57 years, one of the best picture winners at the Globes has gone on to take the equivalent honour at the Oscars 41 times.