LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - Amy Adams, Glenn Close and Crazy Rich Asians star Michelle Yeoh walked the Golden Globes red carpet on Sunday (Jan 6) ahead of the annual Hollywood awards show, where pop singer Lady Gaga looks set to make a splash with her first movie role in A Star Is Born.
Veteran comedian Carol Burnett, Boy Erased nominee Lucas Hedges, and Jane the Virgin actress Gina Rodriguez were also among early arrivals for the ceremony in Beverly Hills that kicks off the annual countdown to the Oscars in February.
Gaga, fresh off an acclaimed series of new concerts in Las Vegas, is the front-runner for a best drama actress Golden Globe.
She also looks certain to take home the award for best original song, for her hit single Shallow, while A Star Is Born is a strong contender for the top prize of best drama film, awards watchers say.
The third remake of A Star Is Born goes into Sunday's ceremony with five nominations, including two for Bradley Cooper as actor and director. But there is stiff competition from box-office hits Black Panther, and Bohemian Rhapsody, which stars Rami Malek in an acclaimed performance as late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
Despite being musicals, both Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born are competing in the more prestigious drama race.
Political comedy Vice got the most Golden Globe nominations - six - but the film's scathing portrait of former US vice-president Dick Cheney has proved divisive among both audiences and film critics.
"Vice director Adam McKay really take chances with that movie. Sometimes he goes too far, and some people love it and some people are having a hard time with that," said Tim Gray, awards editor at Hollywood publication Variety.
Christian Bale, for his performance as Cheney, is favoured to beat Lin-Manuel Miranda (Mary Poppins Returns) and Viggo Mortensen (Green Book) as best comedy actor on Sunday.
A strong line-up of comedies and musicals, including Crazy Rich Asians and bawdy historical movie The Favourite starring British front-runner Olivia Colman, are likely to set the tone for a lighthearted ceremony.
Comedian Andy Samberg and Killing Eve actress Sandra Oh, who is also nominated, will host for the first time.
Unlike some previous years, a hefty number of popular films were nominated for Golden Globes rather than art house fare.
The Globes also gives out awards for television, where movie stars like Julia Roberts (Homecoming), Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method), and Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal) are nominated alongside favourites like Candice Bergen for Murphy Brown and Debra Messing for Will & Grace.
The television races are harder to predict. Four of the five best comedy series nominees are first-time contenders, and all five drama series in the race have never been Golden Globe nominated before.
