Los Angeles:

The international drama Babel was named the best dramatic movie of 2006 at the Golden Globe Awards, while Dreamgirls bagged the best musical prize.

Accepting the award, Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu said, “The power of cinema is universal. This is a very meaningful award, not only for us, but for Mexican film industry.”

Babel faces tough competition for the Oscars from Dreamgirls, which won three Globes, including best musical or comedy, and also from the thriller The Departed, whose director Martin Scorsese was best director.

Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima is in conten-tion after it was named best foreign language movie.

Other winners at the event included Helen Mirren, who was named best dramatic actress for her role in the British royalty drama The Queen, and Forest Whitaker, who was named best dramatic actor for playing former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

Meryl Steep was named best actress in a comedy or musical for her role in The Devil Wears Prada while Sacha Baron Cohen was named best actor in a musical or comedy for his appearance in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

Dreamgirls co-stars Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy won supporting actor prizes for their roles in the film. “Oh, my God. Thank you so much,” Hudson said. “Wow. I have always dreamed but never, ever this big.”

Cars was named the best animated movie while The Song of the Heart, from the animated Happy Feet, was named best original song in a motion picture.

The award for best miniseries or TV movie went to HBO’s Elizabeth I. Warren Beatty was awarded the Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. The award for best TV series drama went to Grey’s Anatomy, while the best comedy prize went to Ugly Betty.

The Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are considered the second most important prize in the US film industry and kick the race for the Oscars into high gear.

THE WINNERS:

Motion pictures

Drama

Film: Babel

Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen

Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Musical or Comedy

Film: Dreamgirls

Actress: Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

Actor: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat...

Supporting actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Supporting actor: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Screenplay: Peter Morgan, The Queen

Foreign language: Letters From Iwo Jima, USA/Japan

Original score: Alexandre Desplat, The Painted Veil

Original song: The Song of the Heart from Happy Feet

Animated film: Cars

Television

Drama

Series: Grey’s Anatomy

Actress: Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Actor: Hugh Laurie, House

Musical or Comedy

Series: Ugly Betty

Actress: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty

Actor: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Miniseries or movie

Elizabeth I

Actress: Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I

Actor: Bill Nighy, Gideon’s Daughter

Supporting actress: Emily Blunt, Gideon’s Daughter

Supporting actor: Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth I

Cecil B DeMille Award:

Warren Beatty