Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side."

Credit: Warner Bros.

There are a number of guilty pleasures only the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual rite of passage, the Golden Globe Awards, can provide.  Whether its the intoxicated nominees, the magic of when the worlds of television and movies mix (or is that mutual disdain?) or arguably the biggest collection of true stars in one room (sorry Oscar), the Globes have cemented themselves as a must watch television event and an intriguing precursor to the movie industry's more serious and prestigious night down the road.

The 67th edition of the Globes will have some big changes, however.  The always hilarious Ricky Gervais comes on board as the first host in eons and happily, the show will finally be broadcast live on the West Coast thereby exploding the Globes party scene across the greater Los Angeles basin (gotta love that 5 PM start time). 

In terms of the actual awards, the HFPA's habits of recognizing their international brethren, making the trendy picks and rewarding actors with mutual nominations remain intact.  This year, Sandra Bullock ("The Proposal," "The Blind Side"), Meryl Streep ("Julie and Julia," "It's Complicated"), George Clooney ("The Men Who Stare At Goats," "Up in the Air") and Stanley Tucci ("Julie and Julia," "The Lovely Bones") all have a legitimate shot at double acting nods and global critical stands outs such as Neil Bloomkamp's "District 9" may receive the deserved recognition Oscar may deny them.

Oh, and of course, the Weinstein's will continue their magic hold over the organization.  Harvey has always been able to provide starpower and with "Basterds" and "Nine" he's got in spades.  Don't forget this is the show that rewarded "Great Debaters" with a Best Drama nod only two years ago.  "Great Debaters."  You remember that one, right?

Reputable sources have already scoured the HFPA for their constantly changing opinions and provided Awards Campaign with a very accurate look at the org's current state of mind regarding the nominations.  Even with a few films to see over the next week this is one rundown you shouldn't miss.

Note: Look for a rundown of the Globes TV contenders in the next week .  Additionally, the Best Original Score category is such a tossup at the moment it wasn't worth including (for now).

Check out the entire list of movie contenders and pretenders here.

The 67th Golden Globe Awards will announce their nominations on Dec. 15 at 8 AM EST.  The show itself will be broadcast on NBC on Jan. 17 beginning at 5 PM PT/ 8PM EST.

Agree? Disagree?  Share your thoughts on the Globe contenders below.