Hollywood's awards season extravaganza kicks off in earnest tonight at the 71st Golden Globe Awards, which celebrate achievements in film and television.

Hollywood's most famous faces — including Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett — are expected on the red carpet and at the gala itself.

Hosted for a second consecutive year by comic favourites Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the Globes are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the event is considered a looser, more carefree and wider-ranging toast of Hollywood than the upcoming Oscars.

Top nominees include 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Breaking Bad and Behind the Candelabra.

The Globes take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., beginning at 8 p.m. ET and airing on NBC and CTV.