By Bob Tourtellotte

BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) - The World War Two saga "Atonement" earned seven Golden Globe nominations on Thursday, including a bid for best film drama, to lead the pack of movies vying for a key Hollywood honor in the widely watched awards season.

"Atonement" was joined in the best film drama category by six other films -- "American Gangster," "Eastern Promises," "The Great Debaters," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will be Blood."

"Charlie Wilson's War" was the second most nominated movie, drawing five nods overall, including one for best film musical or comedy. It was joined in that category by the coming-of-age comedy "Juno" and three musicals -- "Hairspray," "Sweeney Todd" and "Across the Universe."

In other categories, "Atonement" stars James McAvoy and Keira Knightley earned best dramatic actor and actress nominations, respectively, for their work in the film playing two lovers torn apart by a family lies and war.

In the dramatic actor category, McAvoy was joined by George Clooney in "Michael Clayton," Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood," Denzel Washington in "American Gangster" and Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises."

Joining Knightley as best dramatic actress nominees were Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Julie Christie for "Away From Her," Angelina Jolie in "A Mighty Heart" and Jodie Foster for "The Brave One."

The Golden Globe Awards are presented by the roughly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and they help narrow the list of films regarded as leading contenders for the Oscars, the movie industry's highest honors.

The 2008 Golden Globe Awards will be given out on January 13 in Beverly Hills in a gala ceremony that will air on the U.S. television network NBC.

(Reporting by Bob Tourtellotte, Editing by Steve Gorman and Jackie Frank)
© Copyright 2007 Reuters.

Photo:
Actors James McAvoy (L) and Keira Knightley are shown in a scene from the film "Atonement" in this undated publicity photograph. "Atonement" received a total of seven Golden Globe nominations, the most for any film including best drama film, as nominations were announced in Beverly Hills, California December 13, 2007. The Golden Globe Awards, which were presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, will be held in Beverly Hills January 13, 2008. REUTERS/Focus Features/Handout