No apology necessary.

"Atonement" was the big winner yesterday when the Golden Globe nominations were announced in Beverly Hills, perhaps setting the stage for Oscar's embrace in another month.

The adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel also called "Atonement" (opening here Dec. 21) scored nominations for best drama, actors Keira Knightley, James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan, director Joe Wright, screenwriter Christopher Hampton and composer Dario Marianelli.

The British drama stars McAvoy as the educated son of the housekeeper to a wealthy British family in the 1930s who is caught between two worlds and social classes and accused of a crime he did not commit. Knightley is the socialite he loves, and Ronan is her blazingly bright younger sister, who ultimately changes the course of all their lives.

Ronan is just 13 and got the news in Philadelphia, where she has been filming "The Lovely Bones." It was her last day there before the production shifts to New Zealand, and she told the Post-Gazette it was the perfect Pennsylvania wrap present.

"I was in bed, and I heard the phone ring from outside, and then I heard Dad just shout, 'Yes,' so I ran there, and he gave me a big hug. Mom gave me a big hug. It's fantastic."

She is competing against a couple of old hands at awards shows, such as Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts, plus Tilda Swinton and Amy Ryan.

Unlike the Academy Award voters, who nominate only five movies and don't split the field into drama and comedy or musical, the Globes voters picked seven possible dramas.

In addition to "Atonement," the contenders are "American Gangster," "Eastern Promises," "The Great Debaters," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood." For comedy or musical, the entries are: "Across the Universe," "Charlie Wilson's War," "Hairspray," "Juno" and "Sweeney Todd."

"Charlie Wilson's War," starring Tom Hanks as a Texas congressman who changes the course of war and Soviet and Afghan history, got the second highest number of nominations of five. Notching four each: "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men" and "Sweeney Todd."

On the flip side of the awards announcement, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (which wields more power than its membership of 90 might indicate) seemed to say thanks but no thanks to movies about the Iraq war. Of course, many American moviegoers felt the same.

Left out in the cold were: "In the Valley of Elah" with a terrific turn by Tommy Lee Jones as a father investigating the murder of his soldier son; "Rendition" starring Reese Witherspoon as a pregnant woman whose Egyptian-born husband is tortured and suspected of being a terrorist; and "Grace Is Gone," with John Cusack as a father whose wife dies in Iraq.

Actors who suffered for their art, namely Emile Hirsch from "Into the Wild" and Christian Bale from "Rescue Dawn," also came up empty. Hirsch dropped 41 pounds off his slight frame to play a college graduate who died in the Alaskan wilderness, while Bale was emaciated POW Dieter Dengler, shot down over the jungles of Laos in 1966.

Sean Penn, who can be prickly or impatient in appearances with the press, was also omitted for his fine direction, while Eddie Vedder earned or shared nominations for score and song for "Into the Wild."

The Globes are one of the few awards shows that salutes both movies and television, and the timetable and party atmosphere make the ceremony one of the most enjoyable broadcasts around. The show will air Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. on NBC and how, or if, it will be affected by the writers' strike remains to be seen.

Other snapshots from the nominations:

• Best quote -- Jodie Foster called her nomination for "The Brave One" exciting and surprising, adding, "It's strange to continue to feel a character in your blood long after it wraps. I am so proud of 'The Brave One,' of where Neil Jordan took the character of Erica Bain. The experience of playing her has moved me deeper than anything I can remember. I can't wait to have some rubber chicken and listen to the unscripted banter with all of those fine actresses."

• Merry Christmas -- By the time "Juno" arrives in Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, it will be a certified contender for future awards from Oscar and Screen Actors Guild voters. The story of an unplanned teen pregnancy earned three nominations, for best comedy or musical, star Ellen Page and Diablo Cody's screenplay.

• Casey Affleck's revenge -- Brad Pitt, rightly so, was the star of any promotional appearances for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." But Pitt, honored at the Venice Film Festival, was snubbed, while Affleck was nominated for supporting actor.

• Nothing to crow about -- Russell Crowe could have been a contender for "3:10 to Yuma" and "American Gangster" but was nominated for neither. Bale, his "3:10 to Yuma," co-star, was ignored, too.

• Better luck next time -- Although "No Country for Old Men" got four nominations, actors Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin were not among them.

• Music to moviegoers' ears -- Two movies with devoted fan bases, "Across the Universe" and "Hairspray," should help to draw younger moviegoers to the telecast. A puzzling omission from the comedy or musical category is the popular "Enchanted," which deservedly recognizes Amy Adams. Of course, nominees Johnny Depp ("Sweeney Todd") and Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl") can only help, too.

• Daily double -- Philip Seymour Hoffman was nominated for two of his three excellent fall performances in "The Savages" and "Charlie Wilson's War." Missing is his turn as a desperate, scheming broker in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead."

Blanchett also has two nominations: a supporting nod for "I'm Not There," in which she plays one of six incarnations of a Bob Dylan look- and sound-alike, and best actress in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."

As noted, Vedder earned a pair of nominations, and so did renaissance man Clint Eastwood, for his composing work on "Grace Is Gone."

• Knocked out -- "Knocked Up," the box-office hit starring Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen, was knocked out of the race.

• Good actors in bad movies -- Benicio del Toro was the best thing about "Things We Lost in the Fire," but he appears to have been forgotten.

• Also MIA: Chris Cooper ("Breach"), Don Cheadle ("Talk to Me"), Keri Russell ("Waitress"), Hal Holbrook ("Into the Wild"), Laura Linney ("The Savages"), anyone from "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and Mathieu Amalric ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly").

• Thank God for Denzel -- The nominations list is not as diverse as last year, when "Dreamgirls" brought Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce Knowles to the party. Denzel Washington fans can root for him in the acting category and in the best drama category, where "The Great Debaters" is one of the chosen seven. It was produced by, among others, Oprah Winfrey, and will open Christmas Day.