Cate Blanchett wins as Golden Globes launch Hollywood's awards season Cate Blanchett wins the Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture for her role in Blue Jasmine. CATE Blanchett is on course for a second Academy Award but it was the crime caper American Hustle which stole the show at the Golden Globes. As Hollywood's awards season got under way, Blanchett won best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama for her performance as a crumbling New York socialite in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. Blanchett has previously won Golden Globes for her roles in I'm Not There and Elizabeth. This was her eighth nomination. Blanchett won an Oscar in 2004 for The Aviator. "It's been an extraordinary year for women's roles," said Blanchett, after taking the award ahead of Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks) and Kate Winslet (Labor Day). Blanchett, 44, heaped praise on Allen, the absentee recipient of the Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement, saying he wrote and directed films ``with such alarming regularity that we almost take him for granted. "Thank you for calling me and not one of the other incredible women in the room this evening," she added. American Hustle sealed its credentials as an Oscars frontrunner by winning a best picture prize and major awards for its female leads Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams. The David O Russell movie took the Golden Globe for best picture, comedy or a musical, beating Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Hustle star Adams, in a low-cut dress evocative of her character's `70s style, won for best actress in a musical or comedy, beating rivals Julie Delpy (Before Midnight), Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Enough Said) and Meryl Streep (August: Osage County). Her co-star Lawrence took best supporting actress in a movie. It was Lawrence's second Globe after winning last year for Silver Linings Playbook. The Golden Globe for best picture, drama, went to 12 Years a Slave. The other nominees were Captain Phillips, Gravity, Philomena, and Rush. The film categories opened a grab bag of winners. Leonardo DiCaprio won his second Golden Globe, this time for The Wolf of Wall Street after previously winning for another Martin Scorsese film, The Aviator. The keener race for the drama lead actor prize went to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club, edging out Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Tom Hanks and Robert Redford. Jared Leto's performance as a transvestite in the independent film Dallas Buyers Club won him the supporting actor in a motion picture prize, beating another Oscar contender, 12 Years A Slave's Michael Fassbender. Director Spike Jonze was honoured with best screenplay for his film Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams. In the best director category, Alfonso Cuaron took the award for his sci-fi thriller Gravity. Irish rockers U2 won the Golden Globe for best original song Ordinary Love from the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. In television awards, the final series of New Mexico crime drama Breaking Bad dominated the drama categories, winning the best drama prize and best actor for Bryan Cranston. Cranston concluded his run as schoolteacher-gone-bad Walter White with his first Golden Globe win from his fourth consecutive nomination in the role. "It's such a lovely way to say goodbye to the show that meant so much for me," he said. The Netflix drama House of Cards continued its run of acclamation, winning the best actress in a TV drama for Robin Wright. However the TV categories included a number of surprises, namely Brooklyn Nine-Nine's win as best TV comedy and its Andy Samberg as best actor. Another Australian representative, Jane Campion's miniseries Top of the Lake, was beaten in the miniseries or TV movie category by Steven Soderbergh's Behind The Candelabra, although its star Elisabeth Moss won the best actress in a miniseries or telemovie prize. Michael Douglas won the Golden Globe for best actor in a miniseries or TV movie for his portrayal of Liberace in Behind the Candelabra. Jacqueline Bisset won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for her role in Dancing on the Edge. The Globes are run by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), and voted on by barely 80 journalists _ in contrast to the Oscars, chosen by 6,000 members of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A list of the winners in key categories at the 71st annual Golden Globes: Best film, drama: "12 Years A Slave" Best film, musical or comedy: "American Hustle" Best actor, drama: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club" Best actor, musical or comedy: Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street" Best actress, drama: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" Best actress, musical or comedy: Amy Adams, "American Hustle" Best supporting actor: Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" Best supporting actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle" Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity" Best foreign language film: "The Great Beauty" Best animated feature: "Frozen" Best drama series: "Breaking Bad" Best drama actor: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad" Best drama actress: Robin Wright, "House of Cards" Best comedy series: "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" Best comedy actor: Andy Samberg, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" Best comedy actress: Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation" Best mini-series or TV movie: "Behind the Candelabra" Best mini-series or TV movie actor: Michael Douglas, "Behind the Candelabra" Best mini-series or TV movie actress: Elisabeth Moss, "Top of the Lake" Additional reporting: Agencies