Entertainment Live: Hollywood’s biggest stars gather Sunday for the glitzy Golden Globes, the first major awards show of a packed season that looks set to mark Netflix’s coming-of-age in Tinseltown.

The celebrity-filled gala in Beverly Hills is billed as the most raucous event in the showbiz calendar, where success helps create buzz ahead of next month’s Oscars. Netflix garnered an overwhelming 34 Globe nominations across film and television categories, and is the hot favorite to win several major gongs at the champagne-soaked ceremony.

The streaming giant has two frontrunners for the night’s top film prize, best drama Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic “The Irishman” and heart- wrenching divorce saga “Marriage Story.”

“They are having a really good year,” Variety awards editor Tim Gray told AFP, noting Netflix has “five or six” heavyweight films this season, up from just “Roma” last time around. “I think they’ll do well.” Netflix only began producing original movies in 2015, but has spent billions to lure the industry’s top filmmaking talent and fund lavish awards season campaigns.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 90-odd members, who vote for the Globe winners, are a priority stop for every serious contender. Last year, they correctly picked the Oscar winner in every film category except for best musical score.

British comedian Ricky Gervais returns for a record fifth time to host the ceremony, where his provocative barbs have both riled and delighted Hollywood stars in previous years. Gervais has promised it will be “the very last time” he hosts.

Joaquin Phoenix is leading a crowded drama field for his radical turn in dark comic book tale “Joker,” while Renee Zellweger is angling hard for the best actress gong with Judy Garland biopic “Judy.” Newcomer Apple will be hoping to make waves in the television categories, where its #MeToo drama “The Morning Show” has multiple nominations.

Asian-American actress Awkwafina is seen as a shoo-in for best actress in family tragicomedy “The Farewell,” while South Korean black comedy “Parasite” is expected to bag the award for best foreign language film. HFPA president Lorenzo Soria defended the all-male list, telling Variety that members of his organization “don’t vote by gender” but “by film and accomplishment.”

Dhaka 03 January (campuslive24.com)//az