Golden Guesses: Who do you think will walk home with Globes this year?

More often than not, the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) tends to go the well-worn populist road rather than the unlikely one, simply because it assures star attendance. Widely considered the precursor to the Oscars and infinitely more interesting to watch, it's always entertaining despite the somewhat predictable outcome...

WHAT WE KNOW
- The 72nd Golden Globes will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday evening (Monday, 6.30 am, IST)
- BFFs Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host for the third time (the term perma-hosts is doing the rounds).
- There WILL be drinking.
- The opening monologue will last nine minutes!
- George Clooney will receive the Cecil B DeMille Award.
- Expect Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture to be the first award to be presented (by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jennifer Aniston) and Best Motion Picture Drama to be the last (by an eight-time Globe winner. Guess who!)

Best Motion Picture, Drama
*Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Why: Quite simply, the 12 years director Richard Linklater and his cast and crew spent making this time capsule of a film, has to count for something

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
*Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Jennifer Aniston (Cake)
Why: While our bet's on Pike snatching this one, Moore is the stronger contender for this category. We're going with the underdog here.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
*Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
David Oyelowo (Selma)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
Why: Redmayne quite simply takes your breath away even as plays Hawking navigatng ALS with a dogged determination. Gyllenhaal is as dogged in his pursuit, but will have to be content with a close second.

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Into The Woods
Birdman
*The Grand Budapest Hotel
St. Vincent
Pride
Why: Bookies will go with Birdman, but our bet's on The Grand Budapest for the win in this category. It just has that special something about it. Going with gut instinct here

Best Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Julianne Moore (Maps To The Stars)
*Amy Adams (Big Eyes)
Emily Blunt (Into The Woods)
Helen Mirren (The Hundred Foot Journey)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Annie)
Why: Adams is most likely to take this one from Emily Blunt, who has everything going for her with her film.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
*Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Bill Murray (St. Vincent)
Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Christoph Waltz (Big Eyes)
Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice)
Why: Keaton bares his soul and more

Best Animated Feature Film
The Lego Movie
How To Train Your Dragon 2
*Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
Why: Big Hero 6, simply because it's more entertaining than The Lego Movie. The Globes voters usually seem more inclined to pick those, in recent times.

Best Foreign Language Film
*Ida
Force Majeure
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Tangerines
Leviathan
Why: One tough list, but would have to go with Ida. Leviathan was too foreboding.

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)
Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)
* Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Meryl Streep (Into The Woods)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Why: Arquette in Boyhood plays a broken, confused single mom trying to do her best by her kids. And she does it effortlessly.

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
Robert Duvall (The Judge)
Edward Norton (Birdman)
*J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)
Why: Simmons. Nobody else comes close. Ethan, maybe, at distant second.

Best Director - Motion Picture
Ava DuVernay (Selma)
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
David Fincher (Gone Girl)
*Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Why: Why is this even a question? The other options are far weaker.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo (Birdman)
* Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Graham Moore (The Imitation Game)
Why: Boyhood! Beautifully written film, no question about it

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
*Alexandre Desplat (The Imitation Game)
Jóhann Jóhannsson (The Theory Of Everything)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Gone Girl)
Antonio Sanchez (Birdman)
Hans Zimmer (Interstellar)
Why: This one's awesomely tough to pick. But I have a feeling Desplat will win.

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Big Eyes; Big Eyes (Lana Del Rey and Dan Heath)
Glory; Selma (John Legend and Common)
Mercy Is; (Noah Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye)
Opportunity; Annie (Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler and Will Gluck)
*Yellow Flicker Beat; The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Lorde)
Why: My money's on Lorde, though Glory has an outisde chance.

Best TV Series, Drama
Downton Abbey
The Affair
*Game Of Thrones
*House of Cards
Good Wife, The
Why: Game Of Thrones is most likely to win, though one can't discount the superb House Of Cards. Picking both.

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder)
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
*Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Ruth Wilson (The Affair)
Why: Heart says Robin, head says Viola. Will go with heart this time

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama
* Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
Clive Owen (The Knick)
James Spader (The Blacklist)
Dominic West (The Affair)
Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan)
Why: It's Spacey. You needn't even ask that question. Clive Owen makes for a strong contender, too

Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy
*Orange is the New Black
Girls
Jane the Virgin
Transparent
Silicon Valley
WHy: OITNB, FTW! It's continued its run beautifully. Though, Transparent might pull a surprise win.

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
*Gina Rodriguez (Jane The Virgin)
Lena Dunham (Girls)
Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black)
Why: Gina's fresh, her show is fresh and Lena need to take a short break from winning back-to-back Globes

Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Don Cheadle (House of Lies)
William H. Macy (Shameless)
Ricky Gervais (Derek)
*Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)
Louie C.K. (Louie)
Why: Jeffrey Tambor hands down. He's a tour-de-force on the show. But I have a nagging suspicion Louie might do a yet-again.

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
Olive Kitteridge
Fargo
The Missing
*True Detective
The Normal Heart
Why: Duh! True Detective. No question about it!

Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie
Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Freak Show)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Honorable Woman)
*Frances McDormand (Olive Kitteridge)
Allison Tolman (Fargo)
Frances O'Connor (The Missing)
Why: It would be a toss-up between Lange and McDormand. Both are exceptionally good in their shows. But if one had to pick, McDormand.

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie
Martin Freeman (Fargo)
*Matthew McConaughey (True Detective)
Woody Harrelson (True Detective)
Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo)
Mark Ruffalo (The Normal Heart)
Why: McConaughey, in a heartbeat. Anybody who has watched both Fargo and True Detective will tell you why.

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie
Kathy Bates (American Horror Story: Freak Show)
*Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black)
Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey)
Michelle Monaghan (True Detective)
Allison Janney (Mom)
Why: Uzo is the pick of the lot here. Kathy is a regular in this category thanks to AHS. Maybe this one will be a surprise

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie
*Bill Murray (Olive Kitteridge)
Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)
Matt Bomer (The Normal Heart)
Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
Colin Hanks (Fargo)
Why: Murray all the way. Just watch him in Kitteridge to know why.