Golden Globe nominations to be revealed

The announcements, set to be made at the crack of dawn in Los Angeles, will add momentum to the Oscars race, which officially kicked off on Wednesday with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations.

The Globe nominations are decided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of entertainment editors and writers from 55 countries, who report on the industry year-round and are wined and dined by publicists.

Hollywood awards prediction site Gold Derby said of 17 industry experts questioned, 15 favored "Spotlight" to win for best film, followed by "The Revenant".

"Spotlight" is about journalists from the Boston Globe who uncovered the massive scandal of child molestations and cover-up by the Catholic church in Massachusetts.

"The Revenant", starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, is an American biographical epic set in the 1800s and inspired by legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass.

Inarritu won an Oscar for best director at the 2015 Academy Awards for "Birdman", which also won for best picture, best original screenplay and best cinematography.

DiCaprio is among the favourites for a Golden Globe nomination for best drama actor, and critics are predicting that he will finally take home an Oscar for "The Revenant".

Matt Damon is also thought to have a good chance of winning a Golden Globe for his performance in "The Martian" as is Johnny Depp (Black Mass), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs) and last year's big Golden Globe winner Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl).

In the category for best actress, Brie Larson is creating a buzz for her role in "Room", a drama about a five-year-old boy held captive with his mother in a tiny room.

Cate Blanchett was also expected to be nominated for her role in the movie "Carol", a story about a 1950s housewife who falls for a store clerk.

On the television front, some of the series expected to be nominated for the Golden Globe awards include "Better Call Saul", "Empire", "Narcos", "Game of Thrones" and "Orange is the New Black".

Announcing the Globe nominees on Thursday will be actress Angela Bassett, best known for her roles in "American Horror Story" and most recently starring in Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq".

Also joining her will be actors America Ferrera, Chloe Grace Moretz and Dennis Quaid.

The Golden Globe nominations will be announced in 25 categories and the awards ceremony will be held on January 10.

The Golden Globes are often difficult to predict, contrary to the SAG nominations which are considered a strong early indication for the Oscars as they are made by people from within the film community.

Members of the acting guild represent some 20 percent of the roughly 6,000 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

"Trumbo", a biopic about a blacklisted 1940s screenwriter, scored the most SAG nominations on Wednesday for best ensemble cast, best leading actor Bryan Cranston) of "Breaking Bad fame) and best supporting actress (Helen Mirren).