Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field were nominated for "Lincoln."
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, NBC News
There were few surprises in the Golden Globe nominations, announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Thursday morning. Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," which tells the story of the famed president's final days in office, earned seven nominations, including best movie in the drama category, best director for Spielberg, best actor for Daniel Day-Lewis and best supporting actress for Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.
On the movie side, "Lincoln," "Argo," "Les Miserables" and "Django Unchained" were among those nominated, while TV nominees included "Boardwalk Empire," "Breaking Bad," and "Mad Men."
The movies nominated for best drama were pretty much as critics predicted, with "Argo," "Django Unchained," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln" and "Zero Dark Thirty" earning nominations.
Lesser-seen films dominated the film comedy and musical category. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," "Les Miserables," "Moonrise Kingdom," "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" and "Silver Linings Playbook."
Major names filled the best director category. Ben Affleck was nominated for "Argo," Kathryn Bigelow for "Zero Dark Thirty," Ang Lee for "Life of Pi," Steven Spielberg for "Lincoln" and Quentin Tarantino for "Django Unchained."
On the television side, "Breaking Bad," "Boardwalk Empire," "Downton Abbey," "Homeland" and "The Newsroom" were drama nominees.
After the nominations were announced, Christoph Waltz, nominated for best supporting actor for his role as a dentist-turned-bounty hunter in Tarantino's "Django Unchained," talked to TODAY's Savannah Guthrie about his reaction.
Waltz noted that his name was the last of the five to be read, saying that by that point, he'd thought to himself "I kinda know what I need to do in January anyway," only to be surprised by his inclusion.
"Django Unchained" opens Dec. 25, which Waltz noted is very late in the awards season. "I see it picking up steam," he told Guthrie.
Waltz also said he felt lucky to be able to help develop his character along with Tarantino.
"I was allowed to kind of follow the genesis," he told Guthrie. "I saw this character come to existence ... become a personage."
Naomi Watts was nominated in the best actress category for her movie "The Impossible," which focuses on a family's experience during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She told the TODAY anchors she was celebrating her son's birthday with pancakes when she received word she was nominated.
"I did a little yelp and my son got worried," she said.
There was little dialogue in "The Impossible," much of which was shot in water, not exactly a favorite substance for Watts.
"I had a bad experience with riptides like when I was a teenager," she said, telling of a time in Bali when her family was trapped in waters rougher than expected. Her mother, she said, "miraculously" found solid footing and pulled her daughter to safety.
"I've had a fear of water ever since," she said.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host the Golden Globes, which air on NBC Jan. 13.
List of nominees:
Best movie, drama
"Argo"
"Django Unchained"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Best movie, comedy or musical
"Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
"Les Miserables"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
Best director
Ben Affleck, "Argo"
Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"
Best actor, movie drama
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Richard Gere, "Arbitrage"
John Hawkes, "The Sessions"
Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"
Denzel Washington, "Flight"
Best actress, movie drama
Marion Cotillard, "Rust and Bone"
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"
Rachel Weisz, "The Deep Blue Sea"
Helen Mirren, "Hitchcock"
Best TV drama
"Breaking Bad"
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Downton Abbey"
"Homeland"
"The Newsroom"
Related content:
- 'Lincoln,' 'Les Mis' among SAG nominees
- 'Argo' offers tight political thriller
- 'Lincoln' forces moviegoers to care about politics
- Video: CIA agent in bin Laden film passed over for promotion
