BEIJING, Jan. 14 -- "Brokeback Mountain", once ridiculed as "the gay cowboy movie" but now the front-runner in Hollywood's Oscar race, gets its first major awards show test on Monday night -- in prime time with millions watching.

(From L-R) US actress Anne Hathaway, Taiwanese director Ang Lee, Australian actor Heath Ledger and US actor Jake Gyllenhaal pose during a photo call in Venice September 2, 2005. (Reuters Photo)

    The gay romance goes into the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards on Monday with the most nominations -- seven -- of any film and with a favorite status that many in the industry think could be unshakable in the buildup to the March 5 Oscars.

    The Golden Globe Awards are an only-in-Hollywood tradition. They are given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a hard-to-join group composed of a large number of freelancers working for some obscure publications.

    But they give one of the best awards parties in town and over the years the show has become famous as a predictor of Oscar winners. And the stars sashaying across the red carpet in drop-dead designer duds is reminiscent of the glamour of old Hollywood.

    Normally the Globes help set up the Oscar race by drawing public attention to films that are the strongest contenders.

    The Globes' two main awards are best drama, for which "Brokeback" is a contender, and best musical or comedy.

Heath Ledger(L) and Jake Gyllenhaal, play cowboys from very different backgrounds in 'Brokeback Mountain.' (AP Photo)

    Taiwanese-born director Ang Lee's tale of love and loneliness in the mountains of Wyoming is a strong contender for best drama by virtue of its picking up a slew of best movie awards from film critics and nabbing top prize at 2005's Venice Film Festival.

    But its makers are very conscious the movie's theme of homosexual love in the macho world of Marlboro Country could be a problem for mainstream audiences and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    Lee has said he thought reaction would be split. "Some people would like it, and some people wouldn't even go to see it or it would be a laughingstock, like when they called it 'a gay cowboy movie.' Then when they see it, they start to embrace it. It's a wonderful turnaround."

    "Brokeback" is up against "The Constant Gardener," a thriller based on a John le Carre novel; "Good Night, and Good Luck," George Clooney's tale of the fight against McCarthyism; "A History of Violence," a story of the violence that lurks beneath the surface in everyday life; and "Match Point," Woody Allen's "comeback" film about the cost of social climbing in Britain.

    "Brokeback's" star, Heath Ledger, who has won rave reviews, is a candidate for best actor, but the competition is tough with Philip Seymour Hoffmann, seemingly the man to beat for his performance as gay novelist Truman Capote in "Capote." Other category nominees include Terrence Howard for "Hustle & Flow," David Strathairn as broadcaster Edward R. Morrow in "Good Night, and Good Luck," and Russell Crowe for "Cinderella Man."

    Vying for best musical or comedy are "Mrs. Henderson Presents," "Pride and Prejudice," "The Producers," "The Squid and the Whale" and "Walk the Line."

    The nomination of "The Squid and the Whale" as a comedy surprised many because the movie is a harrowing tale of a divorce as seen from the eyes of a couple's two teenage sons. Enditem

     (Source: CRIENGLISH.com/AP)