'12 Years a Slave,' 'American Hustle' dominate Golden Globe nominations with seven each Already getting Oscars buzz ... From left, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence in a scene from David O. Russell's "American Hustle," which received seven Golden Globe nominations. Los Angeles: The films 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Philomena and Rush received Golden Globes nominations Thursday morning in the best drama category, while American Hustle, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska and The Wolf of Wall Street were nominated in the best musical or comedy category. Both 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle dominated the nominations, earning seven nods apiece. Besides best picture nominations, directing nods went to Steve McQueen and David O. Russell, and both films earned multiple acting nominations. The nominations for the 71st Golden Globe Awards help catapult both films to solid front-runner status on the road to the Academy Awards as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honours are considered a top indicator of Oscar gold. It's an especially strong showing for 12 Years a Slave: The unflinching look at slavery in America was also the most honoured film on Wednesday when the Screen Actors Guild announced its awards season favourites. In all, it earned four SAG nominations. Actors, from left, Zoe Saldana, Aziz Ansari and Olivia Wilde attend the 71th Annual Golden Globes Awards nominations event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. There were several surprises. Noticeably missing from the best dramatic films nominations was Lee Daniels' The Butler, which had a strong showing when the Screen Actors Guild announced its nominations. However, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association did make room for the unexpected inclusion of Ron Howard's race car drama Rush. While it earned positive reviews, it has not been considered much of a contender for best dramatic film of the year. The Golden Globe nominations are unlike any other awards show, in that they divide best film nominees and lead actors and actresses into two categories: best drama, and best comedy or musical. Other performers, films and TV shows earning Golden Globe nominations Thursday morning included: Tom Hanks, Robert Redford, Judi Dench, Amy Adams, Modern Family, Breaking Bad and the animated film Frozen. Chiwetel Ejiofor, centre, in a scene from Steve McQueen "12 Years A Slave," which also received seven Golden Globe Nominations. Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a motion picture - drama for her work as an alcoholic ex-wife of a Wall Street high flyer who fell from grace in Blue Jasmine, a role which has already generated Oscars buzz. TV newcomers House of Cards, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Orange is the New Black and Orphan Black were among the series earning nominations. Another feature film garnering multiple nominations: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which earned nominations for song and original score and best actor in a drama Idris Elba. The Golden Globes awards show will be held January 12 in Beverly Hills. Woody Allen was previously announced as the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award to be given out that evening. But the Los Angeles-shy filmmaker won't be in attendance. Instead, Diane Keaton, whom he directed to a lead actress Oscar for Annie Hall, will accept the award on his behalf. NBC will air the Golden Globes Awards live, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler returning for the second year in a row as hosts.