Jason Reitman's recession-era tale of efficient airline travel, Up in the Air, led Golden Globe film contenders this morning with six nominations, among them best drama and acting honors for George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.

Earning a pick in the Drama category alongside it were James Cameron's space fantasy Avatar, his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq War tale The Hurt Locker, Quentin Tarantino's World War II Jewish revenge saga Inglourious Basterds and Lee Daniels' Harlem drama Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire.

Rob Marshall's eagerly anticipated musical Nine ran second with five nominations, including best musical or comedy and acting slots for Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard.

Also competing for Musical or Comedy are the romance (500) Days of Summer, the bachelor-party bash The Hangover and two Meryl Streep films, It's Complicated and Julie & Julia. Streep is competing against herself as Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, as chef Julia Child in Julie & Julia and a woman in an affair with her ex-husband in It's Complicated.

Up in the Air also garnered best-director and screenplay nominations for Jason Reitman.

"I can't put into words how exciting it is to feel and to know that I'll be going to the Golden Globes with everyone I worked with on this film," Reitman said. "This was one of those ensembles that we really enjoyed working together. We're a tight-knit family. The idea that we're going together is just wonderful."

The directing category pits Cameron against his ex-wife Bigelow as well as Clint Eastwood for the South African rugby drama Invictus (which, surprisingly, did not get a Drama nomination) and Tarantino.

In the Dramatic Actor category, Clooney goes up against Jeff Bridges as a boozy country singer in Crazy Heart, Colin Firth as a grieving gay academic in A Single Man, Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Invictus and Tobey Maguire as a prisoner of war in Brothers.

"I suspect we will do a little bit of celebration, not a whole lot, you know. But it's wonderful news," said Freeman, who got the nomination news in South Africa, where he is appearing for the film's premiere.

Along with Streep, Sandra Bullock also had two nominations, as dramatic actress in the football story The Blind Side and as a dragon-lady boss forcing her assistant to pose as her fiance in The Proposal.

Matt Damon picked up two nominations, as well, as musical or comedy actor playing a whistleblower spinning wild fabrications in The Informant! and as supporting actor playing a South African rugby star in Invictus.

Other dramatic actress nominees were Emily Blunt as Britain's monarch in her early reign in The Young Victoria, Helen Mirren as the imperious wife of Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station, Carey Mulligan as a '60s British teen in an affair with an older man in An Education and Gabourey Sidibe as an illiterate, abused teen turning her life around in Precious.

Julia Roberts was a surprise nominee for musical or comedy actress as a corporate spy in Duplicity, a box-office underachiever that generally was not on the awards radar. Along with Roberts, Streep and Bullock, Cotillard rounded out the category as the wife of an unfaithful filmmaker in Nine.

Day-Lewis as the Nine filmmaker scored a nomination for musical or comedy actor, where he will compete with Robert Downey Jr. as the London detective in Sherlock Holmes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a lovesick man in (500) Days of Summer and Michael Stuhlbarg as a 1960s Jewish academic besieged by crises in "A Serious Man, the critically acclaimed, but criminally underappreciated Coen brothers film, which was mostly overlooked.

Up in the Air co-stars Farmiga, playing Clooney's frequent-flyer soul mate, and Kendrick, playing a smart but inexperienced efficiency expert, are competing against each other for supporting actress. Also nominated are Cruz as the filmmaker's insecure mistress in Nine, Mo'Nique as a hateful welfare mother in Precious and Julianne Moore as a grief-stricken professor's best pal in fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut, A Single Man, another movie mostly ignored by the Hollywood Foreign Press.

Damon and Inglourious Basterds' Christoph Waltz are joined in the supporting-actor category by Woody Harrelson as a military man delivering bad news to next of kin in The Messenger, Christopher Plummer as aging author Tolstoy in The Last Station and Stanley Tucci as a serial killer in The Lovely Bones.

Paul McCartney ("I Want to Come Home" from Everybody's Fine), U2 ("Winter" from Jim Sheridan's Brothers), Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett ("The Weary Kind [Theme from Crazy Heart]") and Grammy-nominated "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" writer/ producer Kuk Harrell ("I See You" from Avatar) are all represented in the Best Song category, while Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O and Carter Burwell are up for Best Score for Spike Jonze's otherwise unrecognized Where the Wild Things Are.

Hollywood's second biggest film honors after the Academy Awards, the Globes are a key ceremony that sort out the prospects leading up to the Oscar nominations Feb. 2.

The 67th annual Globes will be handed out Jan. 17, six days before nomination voting closes for the Oscars, and carried live on NBC, with Ricky Gervais as host. Last year's best drama winner at the Globes, Slumdog Millionaire, went on to win best picture and dominate at the Oscars. Other Globe recipients who followed with Oscar wins included the late Heath Ledger as supporting actor for The Dark Knight and Kate Winslet, who won supporting actress at the Globes for The Reader and best actress for that film at the Oscars.

BEST MOTION PICTURE DRAMA

a. AVATAR

Lightstorm Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox

b. THE HURT LOCKER

Voltage Pictures C/O 42West; Summit Entertainment

c. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

The Weinstein Company; The Weinstein Company

d. PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

A Lee Daniels Entertainment / Smokewood Entertainment Group Production; Lionsgate

e. UP IN THE AIR

Paramount Pictures; Paramount Pictures

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE DRAMA

a. EMILY BLUNT THE YOUNG VICTORIA

b. SANDRA BULLOCK THE BLIND SIDE

c. HELEN MIRREN THE LAST STATION

d. CAREY MULLIGAN AN EDUCATION

e. GABOUREY SIDIBE PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE DRAMA

a. JEFF BRIDGES CRAZY HEART

b. GEORGE CLOONEY UP IN THE AIR

c. COLIN FIRTH A SINGLE MAN

d. MORGAN FREEMAN INVICTUS

e. TOBEY MAGUIRE BROTHERS

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER

Watermark Pictures; Fox Searchlight Pictures

b. THE HANGOVER

Warner Bros. Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures

c. IT’S COMPLICATED

Relativity Media, Scott Rudin Productions; Universal Pictures

d. JULIE & JULIA

Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing

e. NINE

The Weinstein Company; The Weinstein Company

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE COMEDY OR

MUSICAL

a. SANDRA BULLOCK THE PROPOSAL

b. MARION COTILLARD NINE

c. JULIA ROBERTS DUPLICITY

d. MERYL STREEP IT’S COMPLICATED

e. MERYL STREEP JULIE & JULIA

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE COMEDY

OR MUSICAL

a. MATT DAMON THE INFORMANT!

b. DANIEL DAY-LEWIS NINE

c. ROBERT DOWNEY JR. SHERLOCK HOLMES

d. JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT (500) DAYS OF SUMMER

e. MICHAEL STUHLBARG A SERIOUS MAN

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

a. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS

Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing

b. CORALINE

Laika, Inc.; Focus Features

c. FANTASTIC MR. FOX

American Empirical Picture; Twentieth Century Fox

d. THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

e. UP

Walt Disney Pictures/PIXAR Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

a. BAARIA (ITALY)

Medusa Film; Summit Entertainment

b. BROKEN EMBRACES (SPAIN)

El Deseo SA; Sony Pictures Classics

c. THE MAID (CHILE)

(LA NANA)

Forastero; Elephant Eye Films

d. A PROPHET (FRANCE)
(UN PROPHETE)

Chic Films; Sony Pictures Classics

e. THE WHITE RIBBON (GERMANY)

(DAS WEISSE BAND EINE DEUTSCHE KINDERGESCHICHTE)

Wega Films; Sony Pictures Classics

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A

MOTION PICTURE

a. PENÉLOPE CRUZ NINE

b. VERA FARMIGA UP IN THE AIR

c. ANNA KENDRICK UP IN THE AIR

d. MO’NIQUE PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

e. JULIANNE MOORE A SINGLE MAN

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A

MOTION PICTURE

a. MATT DAMON INVICTUS

b. WOODY HARRELSON THE MESSENGER

c. CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER THE LAST STATION

d. STANLEY TUCCI THE LOVELY BONES

e. CHRISTOPH WALTZ INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

11. BEST DIRECTOR MOTION PICTURE

a. KATHRYN BIGELOW THE HURT LOCKER

b. JAMES CAMERON AVATAR

c. CLINT EASTWOOD INVICTUS

d. JASON REITMAN UP IN THE AIR

e. QUENTIN TARANTINO INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

12. BEST SCREENPLAY MOTION PICTURE

a. NEILL BLOMKAMP, DISTRICT 9

TERRI TATCHELL

b. MARK BOAL THE HURT LOCKER

c. NANCY MEYERS IT'S COMPLICATED

d. JASON REITMAN, UP IN THE AIR

SHELDON TURNER

e. QUENTIN TARANTINO INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE MOTION PICTURE

a. MICHAEL GIACCHINO UP

b. MARVIN HAMLISCH THE INFORMANT!

c. JAMES HORNER AVATAR

d. ABEL KORZENIOWSKI A SINGLE MAN

e. KAREN O, CARTER BURWELL WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG MOTION PICTURE

a. “CINEMA ITALIANO” — NINE

Music & Lyrics by: Maury Yeston

b. “I WANT TO COME HOME” — EVERYBODY'S FINE

Music & Lyrics by: Paul McCartney

c. “I WILL SEE YOU” — AVATAR

Music by: James Horner, Simon Franglen

Lyrics by: James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell

d. “THE WEARY KIND (THEME FROM CRAZY HEART)” — CRAZY

HEART

Music & Lyrics by: Ryan Bingham, T Bone Burnett

e. “WINTER” — BROTHERS

Music by: U2

Lyrics by: Bono

15. BEST TELEVISION SERIES DRAMA

a. BIG LOVE (HBO)

Anima Sola and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment

b. DEXTER (SHOWTIME)

Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions

c. HOUSE (FOX)

Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry

d. MAD MEN (AMC)

AMC

e. TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

Your Face Goes Here Entertainment in association with HBO Entertainment

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES

DRAMA

a. GLENN CLOSE DAMAGES

b. JANUARY JONES MAD MEN

c. JULIANNA MARGULIES THE GOOD WIFE

d. ANNA PAQUIN TRUE BLOOD

e. KYRA SEDGWICK THE CLOSER

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES DRAMA

a. SIMON BAKER THE MENTALIST

b. MICHAEL C. HALL DEXTER

c. JON HAMM MAD MEN

d. HUGH LAURIE HOUSE

e. BILL PAXTON BIG LOVE

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. 30 ROCK (NBC)

Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.

b. ENTOURAGE (HBO)

Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

c. GLEE (FOX)

Twentieth Century Fox Television

d. MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

Twentieth Century Fox Television

e. THE OFFICE (NBC)

Universal Media Studios, Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES

COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. TONI COLLETTE UNITED STATES OF TARA

b. COURTENEY COX COUGAR TOWN

c. EDIE FALCO NURSE JACKIE

d. TINA FEY 30 ROCK

e. LEA MICHELE GLEE

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES

COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. ALEC BALDWIN 30 ROCK

b. STEVE CARELL THE OFFICE

c. DAVID DUCHOVNY CALIFORNICATION

d. THOMAS JANE HUNG

e. MATTHEW MORRISON GLEE

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

a. GEORGIA O'KEEFFE (LIFETIME TELEVISION)

Sony Pictures Television

b. GREY GARDENS (HBO)

Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO Films

c. INTO THE STORM (HBO)

Scott Free and Rainmark Films Production in association with the BBC and HBO Films

d. LITTLE DORRIT (PBS)

Masterpiece/BBC Co-production

e. TAKING CHANCE (HBO)

Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures in association with HBO Films

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

a. JOAN ALLEN GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

b. DREW BARRYMORE GREY GARDENS

c. JESSICA LANGE GREY GARDENS

d. ANNA PAQUIN THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENASENDLER

e. SIGOURNEY WEAVER PRAYERS FOR BOBBY

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION

PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

a. KEVIN BACON TAKING CHANCE

b. KENNETH BRANAGH WALLANDER: ONE STEP BEHIND

c. CHIWETEL EJIOFOR ENDGAME

d. BRENDAN GLEESON INTO THE STORM

e. JEREMY IRONS GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A

SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

a. JANE ADAMS HUNG

b. ROSE BYRNE DAMAGES

c. JANE LYNCH GLEE

d. JANET McTEER INTO THE STORM

e. CHLOË SEVIGNY BIG LOVE

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

a. MICHAEL EMERSON LOST

b. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

c. WILLIAM HURT DAMAGES

d. JOHN LITHGOW DEXTER

e. JEREMY PIVEN ENTOURAGE