The 69th annual Golden Globe Awards spread the love around far and wide on Sunday night. But there were two clear winners that emerged triumphant.

The Artist took three Golden Globes, including one for best film (comedy or musical). The film is now obviously headed toward success in the Oscar nominations, although that was also obvious even before the Globes were announced.

The Descendants took two Golden Globes, including best film (drama). It is also a slam-dunk candidate for major Oscar action when those nominations are announced on Jan. 24.

The lead actors of both The Artist and The Descendants won in their categories. French star Jean Dujardin took best actor (comedy-musical) for The Artist, and American superstar George Clooney took best actor (drama) for The Descendants.

The Artist is much loved, partly because it is the most unlikely of candidates. This French-made romantic charmer is a near-silent film set in Hollywood in the 1920s; it was shot in black-and-white in the old-fashioned 1.37:1 screen ratio. As well, it has only a couple of lines of dialogue, at the end. Yet audiences love it.

Dujardin, the matinee idol lead of The Artist, thrilled the star-studded audience in the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles by winning, and then amusing in his acceptance speech. While his English is still awkward and halting, Dujardin explained how he was once told he would never make it in the movies because his face is “too expressive, too big.”

Laughing, Dujardin said: “It’s not my fault my eyebrows are independent!” But his expressiveness is exactly what carries The Artist.

Clooney provided his own thrills, singling out his pal Brad Pitt for special praise, both for his on-screen work and for his humanitarian efforts. Pitt, who stars in Moneyball, was one of the men Clooney beat in his acting category — and the Oscar race should also feature the two going against one another. Dujardin should make it in there, too.

Michelle Williams won as best actress (comedy-musical). Her acceptance speech ranked as one of the most moving of the night. She earned it for My Week With Marilyn, a film in which she plays legendary Marilyn Monroe.

“Oh hear, gosh,” Williams said sweetly. “I consider myself a mother first, and an actress second.” She apologized to her six-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger, for reading her bedtime stories for six weeks “with a Marilyn Monroe accent.”

Williams also said she was delighted that she won the same award as Monroe did 52 years ago for her stunning performance in Some Like It Hot.

As expected, the best actress (drama) award went to Meryl Streep, who plays former British prime minister Maggie Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Expect her to dominate in the Oscars, too. Streep fumbled in trying to explain her why she was flummoxed. “It is really, really embarrassing in a year that saw so many extraordinary performances.”

Films with single Golden Globe wins were The Beginners, My Week With Marilyn, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Hugo, The Iron Lady and The Adventures of Tintin.

The biggest surprise was Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, which edged favourite Rango as best animated feature.

In a non-shocker, Woody Allen did not show up to accept his best-screenplay prize for Midnight in Paris. He never shows up at awards shows — not for the Golden Globes, not for the Oscars.

“Come and get it, Woody,” presenter Nicole Kidman teased when she announced that Allen was not on hand to accept.

Allen then lost to Martin Scorsese in the best-director category. Scorsese took the coveted award for Hugo, which he joked was made at his wife’s request because — finally — their 12-year-old daughter could watch one of his (normally violent and swearing-filled) movies. His joke was warmly received.

At the awkward end of the scale, Madonna was rendered speechless after winning the best original song award for her film W.E.. Madonna stammered and faltered before finally giving some credit to her song’s co-writers, Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry.

Morgan Freeman outshone her and most of the others in the speech-giving category, with his graceful acceptance of the honourary Cecil B. DeMille award for career achievement.

The night started with a Canadian flourish.

The first winner was Christopher Plummer, the 82-year-old, Toronto-born legend of stage and screen.

In the film section, he scored the supporting-actor award for his coming-out role in the gay-themed movie The Beginners. Eloquent and intelligent — as always — Plummer went poetic with his acceptance speech.

“What a wonderful welcome-back to the home of King Kong, Rin Tin Tin and all our childhood fantasies,” he said of being honoured in Hollywood.

Plummer apologized to his competitors, for besting them, and sent a shout-out to his Beginners co-star, Ewan McGregor, who beamed when Plummer referred to him as “the wily Scot.” McGregor then burst out laughing seconds later when Plummer expanded his tribute, calling him “that scene-stealing swine from the Outer Hebrides.”

It was no surprise, then, that Plummer also thanked the friend who had kept his martini glass full. He set the proper tone for the entire evening.

In the television categories, established movie stars won a clutch of the acting awards.

Laura Dern, star of Enlightened, took the best-actress prize for a TV comedy/musical. Oscar-winner Kate Winslet, star of the TV remake of Mildred Pierce, won as best actress in a mini-series or TV movie.

But Kelsey Grammer reminded the audience that TV superstars are still relevant. Thanks to his riveting performance in Boss, he won best actor for a TV series (drama). That had him beating out Jeremy Irons for The Borgias and even Steve Buscemi for the hugely popular Boardwalk Empire.

Boardwalk Empire, which is at home with HBO, also got hammered by Homeland as best TV series (drama). Homeland is at home with Showtime so there are bragging rights there.

The Globes went British when picking the best mini-series or TV movie winner. It was Downtown Abbey, a glorious entry from the Masterpiece Classic series. It chronicles the upstairs-downstairs lives at a British mansion in the years before and during the First World War. Downtown Abbey beat out Mildred Pierce, among others.

Film and TV nominations for the 69th Golden Globe Awards (Winner in RED):

FILM

BEST DRAMA

The Descendants

The Help

Hugo

The Ides of March

Moneyball

War Horse

BEST COMEDY OR MUSICAL

50/50

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Midnight in Paris

My Week with Marilyn

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA

George Clooney, The Descendants

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Michael Fassbender, Shame

Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis, The Help

Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Brendan Gleeson, The Guard

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50

Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love

Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Jodie Foster, Carnage

Charlize Theron, Young Adult

Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Kate Winslet, Carnage

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Albert Brooks, Drive

Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer, The Help

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST ANIMATED FILM

The Adventures of Tintin

Arthur Christmas

Cars 2

Puss In Boots

Rango

BEST DIRECTOR

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

George Clooney, The Ides of March

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

BEST SCREENPLAY

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, The Ides of March

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants

Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin Moneyball

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

The Flowers of War (China)

In The Land of Blood and Honey (USA)

The Kid with a Bike (Belgium)

A Separation (Iran)

The Skin I Live In (Spain)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Abel Korzeniowski, W.E.

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Howard Shore, Hugo

John Williams, War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Hello Hello from Gnomeo & Juliet (Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

The Keeper from Machine Gun Preacher (Chris Cornell)

Lay Your Head Down from Albert Nobbs (Brian Byrne, Glenn Close)

The Living Proof from The Help (Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas)

Masterpiece from W.E. (Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry)

TELEVISION

BEST SERIES, DRAMA

American Horror Story

Boardwalk Empire

Boss

Game of Thrones

Homeland

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA

Claire Danes, Homeland

Mireille Enos, The Killing

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Madeleine Stowe, Revenge

Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Kelsey Grammer, Boss

Jeremy Irons, The Borgias

Damian Lewis, Homeland

BEST SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Enlightened

Episodes

Glee

Modern Family

New Girl

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Laura Dern, Enlightened

Zooey Deschanel, New Girl

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Laura Linney, The Big C

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

David Duchovny, Californication

Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory

Thomas Jane, Hung

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

BEST MINI-SERIES OR TV FILM

Downton Abbey

The Hour

Mildred Pierce

Too Big to Fail

BEST ACTRESS, MINI-SERIES OR TV FILM

Romola Garai, The Hour

Diane Lane, Cinema Verite

Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey

Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult

Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

BEST ACTOR, MINI-SERIES OR TV FILM

Hugh Bonneville, Downtown Abbey

Idris Elba, Luther

William Hurt, Too Big to Fail

Bill Nighy, Page Eight

Dominic West, The Hour

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, SERIES OR MINI-SERIES OR TV FILM

Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire

Maggie Smith, Downtown Abbey

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, SERIES OR MINI-SERIES OR TV FILM

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail

Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce

Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family