Golden Globes Nominate LGBT Films, Madonna

LGBT-themed films such as Albert Nobbs, Beginners, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and J. Edgar will compete for top honors at the 69th annual Golden Globes next month.

The nominees for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama include Glenn Close as the cross-dressing butler in Albert Nobbs and Rooney Mara as the bisexual computer hacker in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Viola Davis is also nominated in this category for her performance as the stoic maid in The Help, from gay director Tate Taylor, and Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady by out director Phyllida Lloyd.

Leonardo DiCaprio's acclaimed turn as the founder of the F.B.I. in J. Edgar is among the nominees for best performance by an actor in a motion picture, drama. Also nominated in this category is Michael Fassbender as the reckless sex addict who indulges in a same-sex encounter in Shame.

Janet McTeer, Close's costar in Albert Nobbs, will compete for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture. Among her competitors is Octavia Spencer as the spirited maid in Taylor's The Help.

Veteran actor Christopher Plummer's performance as an elderly man coming out as gay in Beginners is among the nominees for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture.

Madonna's latest directorial effort, the sweeping romance W.E., scored two nominations -- one for best original score for composer Abel Korzeniowski and another for the song "Masterpiece," written by Madonna, Julie Frost, and Jimmy Harry. Also competing for best song in a motion picture is Elton John, who, with Bernie Taupin, cowrote "Hello, Hello" for the animated Gnomeo and Juliet.

Nominees for best foreign language film include Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, the harrowing Bosnian war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey, and Pedro Almodovar's haunting The Skin I Live In.

Both of Ryan Murphy's hit series received nominations. American Horror Story is in the running for best television series - drama, and standout star Jessica Lange is up for best performance by an actress in a series - drama. Glee will compete for best television series - comedy or musical opposite another LGBT-inclusive sitcom Modern Family, which also scored a nomination for Eric Stonestreet as best performance by an actor in a supporting role. Notable exclusions this year are Glee stars Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch.

Competing for best miniseries or motion picture made for television are HBO's Cinema Verite, a true story that documented Lance Loud's coming out to his parents on camera in the early 1970s, and the Todd Haynes-directed Mildred Pierce.

The Golden Globes are voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The ceremony will be broadcast live on January 15 and will again be hosted by Ricky Gervais, who shocked many last year with his no-holds-barred humor.