Hollywood gets ready for Golden Globes

A whole host of film and TV stars are expected on the red carpet at this year's Golden Globe awards, which will take place on Sunday night.

The event, which honours achievements in both film and TV, is the first major awards ceremony of the year and is thought to be a major indicator of what might do well at the Oscars in March.

US hit Glee is among those shows tipped to do well in the TV categories with four nominations including Best Musical or Comedy TV show and best actor for Matthew Morrison.

However the show will face some stiff competition from the US version of The Office which is also shortlisted in the TV show category, while its star Steve Carell is nominated for Best Comedy Actor.

And among those hoping to do well for Britain are Kenneth Branagh, who is nominated for his performance in Wallander, and Hugh Laurie, nominated for Best Drama Actor for his role in quirky drama House.

In the film categories, George Clooney's new comedy drama Up In The Air - widely tipped to do well at the Oscars - faces competition from James Cameron's epic Avatar for the Best Drama Film trophy.

And the acting categories feature a brace of British talent, with Helen Mirren, Emily Blunt and newcomer Carey Mulligan all nominated for Best Actress, while Colin Firth will take on Clooney in the Best Actor category.

The ceremony is being hosted by Ricky Gervais - a former Golden Globe winner for The Office - who told the BBC this week he was looking forward to the show.

"I'm going to say what I think is funny and I'm going to give the A-listers a hard time," he said.