Third time's the charm for 'Rings'

There were no surprises -- and no disappointments -- when it came to the movie awards at last night's Golden Globes ceremony. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was annointed best drama, after its two predecesors lost in previous years, and "Lost in Translation" was found to be the best comedy. Diane Keaton, Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Charlize Theron, "Rings" director Peter Jackson, they were the odds-on favorites going in, and they came out winners. Clearly, all of these names will be in contention next month on Oscar night. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is their name; stealing thunder from the Oscars is their game.

But there were surprises aplenty in the Golden Globes TV portion, which seemed to be celebrating an entirely different medium from the Emmys. Few could have predicted that "The Office" would win best comedy over popular favorites such as the departing "Sex and the City" and "Will & Grace," which has never taken a Globe. And when the BBC America show's co-creator and star, Ricky Gervais, was named best comedy actor, there was a ripple of surprise in the audience. Brilliant as the self-deluded boss, the unknown Gervais won over more familiar and beloved actors such as Matt LeBlanc and Tony Shalhoub.

Other unanticipated TV honorees included Anthony LaPaglia for his quietly intense work in "Without a Trace" and Frances Conroy for her touching portrayal of the flustered mother on "Six Feet Under." The only TV business that was foretold was the "Angels in America" mini-sweep, which brought the HBO miniseries best TV miniseries and acting awards for Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jeffrey Wright, the only actor to have been in both the movie and the stage version of Tony Kushner's work.

Ultimately, of course, it almost doesn't matter whether the Golden Globe winners are surprising or not. This is Hollywood's easy-going awards ceremony, with none of the pomp and self-importance of the Oscars. The audience is well-lit at their casual tables, and they are increasingly well-lit by alcohol. And because it's early in the awards season, we're not tired of Hollywood self-love yet, and the talent's acceptance speeches are fresher, as they proved to be last night.

Winning best supporting actor at the start of the ceremony, Tim Robbins joked, "The good thing about this coming early is that I get to drink now." A minute later, LaPaglia won and announced that now he could now drink with Robbins.

Mary-Louise Parker made a bosom joke, thanking her newborn son for helping her low-cut dress fit properly. Streep, holding her legs together at the podium, said, "I just realized you can see completely through my dress," then went on to refer briefly to gay marriage and President Bush's State of the Union Address last week. "I just want to say that I don't think the two biggest problems in America are that too many people want to commit their lives to one another until death do us part, and steroids and sports. I don't think those are our two biggest problems."

Winning her first Globe since "Annie Hall," an ebullient Diane Keaton noted that she never expected to play a romantic character at age 57 and that she and her "Something's Gotta Give" costar, Jack Nicholson, are "two people whose combined age is 125." Bill Murray was appreciative for winning what he has been calling his "favorite movie," but he was also typically wry as he joked about the difference between drama and comedy actors. The bearded Murray may have been making a veiled goof on the Hollywood Foreign Press, for putting the moody "Lost in Translation" in the wrong category. Gervais, meanwhile, hem-and-hawed on stage and said, "I'm from a little place called England. . . . We used to run the world before you."

The most interesting podium moment was averted, as most viewers probably noted. Among the names read by presenter Nicole Kidman for the best dramatic actor category was that of Tom Cruise, for "The Last Samurai." Cruise lost to Sean Penn in "Mystic River," sparing the couple an awkward public moment and denying People magazine its next cover photo. Throughout, Cruise kept his white smile glued on tight.

It was a little breezy on the red carpet last night, which must have been torturous for the delicately coiffed ladies in precisely positioned dresses, not to mention their thinning-haired men. But it was clear skied and in the mid-60s, so we couldn't feel too badly for them. Squinting into the sun, they shmoozed confidently about their successes, twirling and modeling their dazzling jewelry. "My husband has threatened to mug me," an earring-heavy Hope Davis told Melissa Rivers of E!.

It seemed, last night, as though a few famous clothes designers discovered something called color. Amid the ocean of black ties and black evening gowns, Ellen Burstyn was burstin' with orange. David Cross, the sickly brilliant comedian from "Arrested Development," was a vision of green velvet. Elisha Cuthbert of "24" was just peachy, and Uma Thurman was jaw-droppingly purple. Cate Blanchett was stunning in red. And Keaton was happy -- and made us happy -- in bright white.

The carpet interviews, as always, fell somewhere between self-promotion, movie promotion, and inane nervous chatter. "I just think it's so fabulous to wear things that are beautiful," Stockard Channing told Joan Rivers, who kept her new eye job a secret behind her sunglasses.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com.