Two tales of Civil War redemption and the last installment of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy were the among nominees for best movie of 2003 announced Monday by the Producers Guild of America.
The best-picture nominations: “Cold Mountain,” with Jude Law as a Civil War deserter and Nicole Kidman as his lost love; “The Last Samurai,” with Tom Cruise as a disgraced Civil War officer who recovers his honor among Japanese warriors; and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” which wraps up the story of Frodo and the quest to defeat evil.
The remaining nominees: “Seabiscuit,” the true story of an inspiring Depression era racehorse; director Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River,” about three grown friends scarred by crime; and the Russell Crowe high-seas adventure “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.”
The 15th Producers Guild awards are scheduled for presentation Jan. 17.
TV drama series contenders were “Alias,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Six Feet Under,” “24” and “The West Wing.” TV comedy series nominees were “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Scrubs,” “Sex and the City” and “Will & Grace.”
Nominees for TV movies, miniseries or other long-form television were “And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself,” “Hitler: The Rise of Evil,” “My House in Umbria,” “Normal” and “The Pentagon Papers.”
In the category of reality-game-informational series, “American Idol” was chosen to compete against “The Amazing Race 4,” “Biography,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” “Project Greenlight” and “Survivor: Pearl Islands.”
Honorary awards were set to be presented to actor-filmmaker Warren Beatty, producer Dino De Laurentiis, “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels and “Titanic” director James Cameron.