By Peter Bowes in Hollywood

Chicago has emerged as a front-runner in the Oscars race after topping the list of nominees for this year's Golden Globes.

The musical, based on the hit Broadway show, earned eight nominations, including best musical or comedy.

The film's stars, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger were all mentioned in the best actor and actress categories.

The Golden Globes, unlike the Oscars, have separate categories for dramas and musicals/comedies. The list of films nominated for best drama represent a particularly strong field.

Renee Zellweger stars with Richard Gere in Chicago

"It was a bad year until about November then we got a huge amount," said Katy Haber, managing director of Bafta LA. "This year they really saved the biggies till the end."

The Hours, which follows a day in the lives of three women, who are all profoundly affected by the works of Virginia Woolf, has seven nominations.

They include nods for its stars Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep and British director, Stephen Daldry.

The drama faces stiff competition from Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, About Schmidt, which stars Jacks Nicholson, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and Roman Polanski's Holocaust drama, The Pianist.

Daniel Day-Lewis is up for best actor

"The surprise for me was that About Schmidt came in the drama category - it's a very funny film and should have been in the comedy section," said Ms Haber.

"It's beautifully written, it's wonderfully performed, it's very nostalgic and it gives Jack Nicholson a chance to under-play rather than over-play because he's well known for over-playing," she added.

Critics' favourite

Nicholson will face stiff competition for best actor from Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs Of New York), Sir Michael Caine (The Quiet American), Adrien Brody (The Pianist) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Catch Me If You Can).

"He's just amazing," says Ms Haber of Day-Lewis's performance in Gangs of New York.

The British actor has emerged as the critics' favourite to win although Nicholson is tipped as the front-runner for the Oscars.

Film veteran Paul Newman is in the spotlight again

"I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get nominated and actually win, because he's a crowd pleaser and he's an old-time favourite," said Ms Haber.

Sir Michael Caine, who put pressure on the Miramax studio to release The Quiet American in time for Oscar consideration, acknowledged that he probably has an outside chance of winning best actor.

"The thing you first feel is happy to have been nominated at all - and then you have a look around and then you go 'oh dear', because you know you're not going to go any further," Sir Michael told US television.

Notable nods

Julianne Moore is emerging as a firm favourite amongst the actresses.

Jack Nicholson able to "under-play" his role

"She is the hot chick this year - she's got two brilliant performances," said Ms Haber.

The actress appears in both The Hours and Far From Heaven, in which she plays a 1950s housewife whose husband is gay.

Moore, nominated for Far from Heaven, is up against Diane Lane (Unfaithful), Salma Hayek (Frida), Nicole Kidman (The Hours) and Meryl Streep (The Hours).

Other notable nods include Adam Sandler, for the dark romantic comedy Punch Drunk Love.

Normally dismissed by serious-minded critics, Sandler is seen as having made a breakthrough performance in a relatively serious role.

Notable omissions

The film has received many positive reviews, although Ms Haber was not a fan.

"I thought it was just horrendous," she said.

Hugh Grant (About A Boy) is up against Sandler in the category for best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. They are joined by Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down), Nicolas Cage (Adaptation) and Richard Gere (Chicago).

Notable omissions include Far From Heaven's failure to make it into the best drama category - as did British director Sam Mendes' Road To Perdition, which stars Tom Hanks.

The drama about a hit man was released in July. Paul Newman is nominated for his supporting role in the film, but the movie was expected to do better.

"The whole idea of bringing films out at the end of the year worked - because it really got lost in the wash," added Ms Haber.