Empire Awards Nominations

The Hours and Chicago may have been gathering awards and nominations left, right and centre but, while the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and the SAG Awards are all well and good, it's the Awards voted for by you that really matter. Why pay attention to plaudits drummed up by a bunch of self-important filmmakers? The Empire Awards are just around the corner and these little trophies are distributed to the worthy by the Empire readers themselves. With all your votes counted, The The Two Towers stands proud and tall with seven nominations, including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director, proving once and for all that it's Tolkien's continuing saga that made the greatest impression on our faithful readership last year, despite the presence of a George Lucas' franchise film. Spielberg's Minority Report is hot on Peter Jackson's heels, however, gaining six nominations, with Die Another Day, Spider-Man and Bend It Like Beckham just behind. Familiar faces like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, surprisingly, Mike Myers, will be duking it out for Best Actor, with Halle Berry squaring off against Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Connelly, Miranda Otto and Hilary Swank for Best Actress. Some of Blighty's top talent have made their way into the Best British Actor and Actress categories, while titles including Bend It Like Beckham, 28 Days Later and About A Boy are all up for Best British Film. The awards themselves are shaping up to be one of the best years ever and will kick off at London's Dorchester hotel on Wednesday 5 February. Richard E Grant will be presenting the night, when your pick of 2003's winners finally receive the recognition they deserve. Needless to say, Empire Online will be working through the night to bring you all the news, interviews and video footage your little hearts could desire, so be sure to log on and experience the excitement for yourselves.