'Chicago,' 'Hours' Top Golden Globes

The smash Broadway musical-turned-movie "Chicago" won three major awards to top the 60th annual Golden Globes ceremony Sunday night in Los Angeles, including Best Picture for a Musical or Comedy and top acting honors.

Richard Gere won the Best Actor Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for the film -- a first for the veteran actor.

"I'm literary, totally shocked. I don't win anything -- I never win," Gere said while accepting his award. "And I didn't even want to do this movie -- that's what I know."

Following his lead was Renee Zellweger, who beat out her "Chicago" co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones for the Best Actress Musical or Comedy Golden Globe. Zellweger appeared equally as shocked as Gere when taking the podium.

"I don't believe this -- probably not as much as my brother doesn't believe this. He used to yell 'Shut up' down the hall and slam the door when I tried to sing Paul McCartney," enthused Zellweger, who did her own singing in the film.

The Viginia Woolf-themed drama "The Hours" took home the Golden Globe for Best Film Drama.

"If you want to win one of these, these are the three people you want to work with," beamed producer Scott Rudin, as he invited stars Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore to the podium to help him accept the award. "(They're) three astonishing women, great friends and great partners.

Kidman beat Streep for the Best Actress Drama Globe, as she did Moore -- who was nominated for "Far From Heaven."

"I just want to say that this year, I think you really see there is an enormous amount of good performances by women in television and in cinema," Kidman said.

"I say to the writers, please keep writing because we're interesting, and to the directors, please keep taking chances because you're giving us rich and complicated characters to play," she said.

Jack Nicholson won the Best Actor Drama Globe for the bittersweet road-trip movie "About Schmidt," but questioned in his acceptance speech whether he should have won the award at all.

"I don't know whether I should be happy or ashamed because I thought we made a comedy," Nicholson chirped. Writers Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor also won the Globe for the film's screenplay.

Nicholson now holds the record for most Golden Globe wins with a total of six.

"Gangs of New York" filmmaker Martin Scorsese won the Best Director Golden Globe, his first award in five tries starting with "Raging Bull" in 1980. But his desire to make "Gangs" went much farther back than that.

"I was 7-years-old when I first heard the first stories about this time," said Scorsese of the period crime drama about the struggles of Irish immigrants in 19th century New York." "And it's taken some 40 odd years to get (the film) done."

"Gangs of New York" also won the Best Original Song Globe for rockers U2 for "The Hands That Built America," and the occasion found an excited lead singer Bono slipping an F-word past the censors for the live East Coast telecast.

"This is really, really (expletive) brilliant," Bono said at the beginning of his speech.

His bandmate, The Edge, however, was a little more subdued.

"The films of Martin Scorsese made such of a massive impact on us growing up in Dublin in the '70s," The Edge said. "It's such a privilege to be a small part in one of his movies."

Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman couldn't have written a better start to the ceremony, as his quirky film about himself, "Adaptation," won Best Supporting Actress and Actor Globes for Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper, respectively.

"My thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press -- you've given millions and millions of stringy haired and toothless people a lot of hope," Cooper joked, alluding to his character in the film.

Other early winners included Jennifer Aniston for "Friends," and Tony Shalhoub for "Monk," for the Best Comedy Television Actress and Actor Globes, respectively.

Creator and star Larry David wryly accepted the award for Best Television Comedy for "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but the mention of his wife didn't come in the form of a typical thanks for support.

"This is a sad day for the Golden Globes. It is quite good day, however, for Larry David," David deadpanned. "I suspect the wife will be a little forthcoming tonight. That's what I have to do for sex. I have to win an award. Anyway, thank you the Hollywood Foreign Press for what I hope will be a memorable evening."

Michael Chiklis repeated his Emmy Award success by winning the Best Dramatic Television Actor Globe for "The Shield," while the show won the Best Dramatic Television Series Globe. Edie Falco won Best Dramatic Television Actress honors for "The Sopranos."

Kim Cattrall won the Best Supporting Actress, Miniseries, Television Series or Television Movie Globe for "Sex and the City," and, like many other recipients, she approached her acceptance speech with a self-deprecating sense of humor.

"You have know idea how many men I've had to sleep with to get this award," cracked Cattrall, alluding to her character in the sexually charged series.

Gene Hackman was honored with the 2003 Cecil B. DeMille Award for his lifetime achievement in films. The veteran actor has previously been honored with Globes for "The French Connection," "Unforgiven" and "The Royal Tenenbaums."