Sending big stars home empty-handed, the Golden Globes gave a boost to some television newcomers on Monday, particularly America Ferrera of ABC’s “Ugly Betty” and Alec Baldwin of NBC’s “30 Rock.”

Teary-eyed but smiling widely, Ferrera won the award for best comic actress on TV just a few minutes after the show itself was named best comedy.

It was a true underdog’s tale. Ferrera competed against four women who had all been nominated for Golden Globes in the past, including two desperate housewives. ABC had such little faith in “Ugly Betty” initially that it was scheduled for the TV graveyard of Friday nights, until the network sensed a buzz and premiered it on Thursday, where it has flourished.

Ferrera said she hears every day from girls inspired by her character, Betty Suarez, saying it “truly brings a new face to television.”

The awards, which are voted on by nearly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are a major stop on the road to the February 25 Academy Awards because winners here often go on to compete for Oscars — the film industry’s top awards.

The Golden Globes are televised around the world, so the stars show up dripping in diamonds and wearing glamorous designer gowns and tuxedos.

It is a night in which Hollywood gets super-serious about partying, looking good and patting itself on the back.

But whether the show is truly predictive of Oscar gold is an open question. Last year only two films nominated in the Globes best film categories went on to make the Oscars’ list of five best film nominees. The Globes did not even nominate the picture that won the Oscar — “Crash.”

As the show business newspaper Variety recently noted, this year could be different because many Globe nominees also are being well-received by Oscar voters, notably Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Babel” and British director Stephen Frears’ “The Queen. All three are vying for best film drama.

“Babel” has more nominations than any film — seven — while “The Departed” is second with six. Oscar pundit Tom O’Neil calls the best drama race a toss-up between the two.

Also nominated in that category are “Bobby,” about the assassination of Robert Kennedy, “The Queen” and “Little Children,” a drama of adultery starring Kate Winslet. [Source]