British comic actor Ricky Gervais (The Invention of Lying, The Office) will return for the third time to host the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards, January 15, 8 pm ET/5PT at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on NBC-TV.
Presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a voting body of international journalists, the Golden Globes will recognize outstanding achievements in film and television from 2011.
The ceremony is telecast live to 150 countries and the red carpet will be streamed live online prior to the show. Anticipation for the show leads up to the more formal Oscar presentation, February 26.
This year's nominees include:
Best Motion Picture - Drama
• The Descendants starring George Clooney
• The Help starring Emma Stone and Viola Davis
• Hugo by director Martin Scorsese
• The Ides of March directed by and starring George Clooney
• Moneyball starring Brad Pitt
• War Horse by director Steven Spielberg
Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
• 50/50 starring Joseph Gorden-Levitt and Seth Rogen
• The Artist, a silent film by director Michel Hazanavicius
• Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy
• Midnight in Paris directed by Woody Allen
• My Week with Marilyn with Michelle Williams
Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
• 50/50 starring Joseph Gorden-Levitt and Seth Rogen
• The Artist, a silent film by director Michel Hazanavicius
• Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy
• Midnight in Paris directed by Woody Allen
• My Week with Marilyn with Michelle Williams
In addition to trophies for actors and technical categories, the Golden Globes also present awards to Best Television Series in the categories of Drama and Comedy/Musical, unlike the Oscars.
Oscar and Golden Globe winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus) will be honored at the Golden Globes with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his outstanding contribution to the entertainment field.