Happy Just to Be Nominated: Golden Globe-Trotters React!

George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, Tobey Maguire, Gabourey Sidibe, Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Blunt and more movie honorees give thanks

The Golden Globes may be the most laid-back of the awards shows, but just because its nominated stars don't have to thank the Academy (sadly, "I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association" doesn't quite roll off the tongue), their gratitude isn't any less sincere. Or effusive. Or, in most some cases, completely predictable.

So check out which stars popped the cork (hey, 5:30 a.m. PT means it must be lunchtime somewhere, right?), who hit snooze, who feigned humility best and who forgot to thank their costars (the horror!) in our roundup of reactions from this year's crop of golden men and women in film.

George, Robert, Sandra, Penélope Tobey, Gabourey, Marion, Daniel, Morgan, Carey, Julianne, Colin and Emily, take it away:

• George Clooney, Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, Up in the Air: "Not a bad way to start a Tuesday."

• Sandra Bullock, Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, The Blind Side; Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Music, The Proposal: "I am beyond stunned. Just to be included in the company of these amazing women I have so admired through the years has left me slackjawed with awe. It is TRULY an honor just to be nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press, and I will cherish this moment with all the artists I have worked with behind the scenes, who truly make me look good! Thank you very much."

• Robert Downey Jr., Best Actor in Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, Sherlock Holmes: "My heartfelt thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press for this wonderful nomination. I share this honor with Jude Law and all of my castmates, my great director Guy Ritchie and the rest of the team whose collaboration and camaraderie helped make this new incarnation of Sherlock Holmes possible."

• Penélope Cruz, Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, Nine: "I am so honored to be nominated for Nine. I had an incredible time working on the film with such an amazing director, Rob Marshall, and with this extraordinary cast. Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing me. I am also thrilled that Broken Embraces was nominated. Pedro [Almodóvar] has once again made a very brave and beautiful movie and I was very lucky to be a part of it."

• Pedro Almodóvar, whose Broken Embraces is up for Best Foreign Language Film: "Although I've received nominations before and I've even won Golden Globes in the past, every new nomination makes me even happier than the ones I've had before, so I thank the members of the HFPA for making my day!"

• Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, Nine: "A hearty thank you to the members of the HFPA. I am delighted and very grateful to be included. Congratulations to all fellow nominees and eternal thanks to Rob Marshall."

• Morgan Freeman, Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, Invictus: "I want to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for this tremendous honor. Congratulations to Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon on their nominations, and I extend my deepest gratitude to my producing partner Lori McCreary, and the entire cast and crew of Invictus for their tireless work to make a film befitting of Nelson Mandela's legacy. Playing Mandela was the greatest honor of my career, and I hope that I have done him proud."

•Tobey Maguire, Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, Brothers: "I was genuinely surprised and excited when they said my name. I couldn't hear all of my name because, well, it got really loud."

• Marion Cotillard, Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, Nine: "Each time is unique in its own way. It was my dream as a kid to be in an American musical. It's an amazing movie and a very special movie, and I hope that people will be made more aware of it by this."

• Emily Blunt, Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, Young Victoria: "I'm so grateful to have been nominated by the HFPA for what really is the role of my career so far. Playing the young Queen Victoria was a big challenge, but also a hugely rewarding experience and now to find myself nominated for a Golden Globe alongside such incredibly talented women is a massive thrill and is testament to the incredible effort of all the cast and crew on the film."

• Gabourey Sidibe, Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, Precious: "I am super excited and truly realize how special it is to go to one audition and end up a Golden Globe nominee. I'm so very honored to be a part of this movie and congratulate my amazing director Lee Daniels on making such an incredible film as well as Mo'Nique on her nomination."

• Rob Marshall, whose Nine earned five nominations, including Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: "We're so thrilled to be included in such a varied and exciting year for film. I am incredibly proud of this extraordinary cast and the amazing amount of dedication and passion they gave. Working with all of them was pure joy for me."

• Carey Mulligan, Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, An Education: "Thank you very much to the Hollywood Foreign Press for making my mum cry in the grocery store. I'm honored and completely speechless."

• Colin Firth, Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, A Single Man: "The Hollywood Foreign Press have just given me a time out from my 20-year midlife crisis. My heartfelt thanks to them."

• Julianne Moore, Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, A Single Man: "I am so honored and thrilled to be among the Golden Globe nominees this year. I am happy for everybody—particularly my friend Colin Firth!"

• Jeff Bridges, Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, Crazy Heart: "The Hollywood Foreign Press has been mighty fine to me over the past 30 years, and this year is especially sweet. I'm happy to share this nom with my buddies T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham for our Crazy Heart theme song, and with our writer-director Scott Cooper and costars Maggie [Gyllenhaal], Bob [Duvall] and Colin [Farrell] who helped make Bad Blake such a genuine character. I would like to dedicate this recognition to the memory of the late, great Stephen Bruton who brought his musical touch to every part of the picture."

• Jason Schwartzman, a voice actor in Fantastic Mr. Fox, up for Best Animated Feature: "It's such an honor for the film to be nominated especially considering the competition. I'm very proud for Wes [Anderson] and everyone who worked so hard to transform such a unique book into such a unique film."

• Lee Daniels, whose Precious is up for three awards, including Best Motion Picture Drama: "This nomination is like icing on the cake. But I thought the icing on the cake was that we were in Sundance. Then I thought the icing was that we won Sundance and then Oprah calling was icing on the cake. Right now I'm almost stuffed from all this icing I've been putting down."

• Anna Kendrick, Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, Up in the Air, tweeted her thanks: "Thank you for all the congratulations! I'm SO excited! And congrats to Jason, George and Vera!!!!!"

• Jason Reitman, whose Up in the Air earned a leading six nominations, including Best Motion Picture, Drama, with the reply: "Congratulations Dad! George! Vera! Anna!"

• Christoph Waltz, Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, Inglourious Basterds: "Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press who have transported me from the unbelievable into the unimaginable."

• James Cameron, Best Director, Avatar: "I'm pumped!  It's been a four-and-a-half-year journey, and this is not typically the kind of film that critics love, it being a genre movie and been seen as a big commercial movie."

• Todd Phillips, whose The Hangover was a surprise nominee for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Drama: "It's so crazy talking about awards, and The Hangover for awards—other than maybe for the MTV Awards. But I do think the inclusion of The Hangover in the AFI's list the other day and now in the Globes sends the message that it's OK to make some irreverent choices in some of these awards."

(Originally published Dec. 15, 2009, at 11:37 a.m. PT)