Golden Globes to offer a galaxy of stars, if not the Force

The 73rd annual Golden Globes will hope its assemblage of Hollywood stars, from Jennifer Lawrence to Leonardo DiCaprio, will be enough to offset the absence of a different kind of star.

Jeremy Strong, left, Rafe Spall, Hamish Linklater, Steve Carell, Jeffry Griffin and Ryan Gosling in the film "The Big Short." The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best motion picture comedy or musical. (Jaap Buitendijk ~ Paramount Pictures via AP)

Though "Star Wars" is packing movie theaters and smashing box office records again, J.J. Abrams' "The Force Awakens" will be a conspicuous outsider at Sunday night's Globes, which announced nominations a few days before the film was screened in mid-December. That, surely, will be one of the things host Ricky Gervais needles the Hollywood Foreign Press Association about at the Beverly Hills, California, ceremony, which kicks off at 7 p.m., telecast live on NBC.

Gervais will host for the fourth time, returning after a much-lauded three-year stint by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. After a 10-year ratings high three years ago, viewership has dipped slightly since, with an audience of 19.3 million tuning in last year.

That, though, is still strong for the Golden Globes, which have worked to shed an image of eccentric selections made by a group of little-known international journalists. The Globes instead have grown into one of the most popular award-show broadcasts of the year, thanks to increasingly credible nominees, its trademark laid-back atmosphere and its unique position as a major awards show that honors both film and television.

Patrick Wilson, left, and Keir O'Donnell appear in a scene from "Fargo." "Mr. Robot," "Fargo," "Outlander," "Transparent," "American Crime" and "Wolf Hall" are tied with three nominations each for Sunday's Golden Globes. (Chris Large ~ FX via AP)

Going into Sunday night, Todd Haynes' 1950s romance "Carol" leads all nominees with five nods, including best picture (drama) and best actress for both of its leads, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. In the best-picture category, it will compete with "Spotlight," "The Revenant," "Room" and "Mad Max: Fury Road."

Adam McKay's finance farce "The Big Short" tops the comedy side with four nominations, including best picture (comedy) and nods for Steve Carell and Christian Bale. The category's favorite, though, may be Ridley Scott's sci-fi adventure "The Martian." The two films are nominated alongside "Joy," "Spy" and "Trainwreck."

The Golden Globes have little correlation with the Academy Awards, which will announce its nominees Thursday. But momentum is a cherished commodity during awards season -- especially this year, when the Oscar field is seen by many as wide open, without a runaway favorite.

Rami Malek, left, as Elliot, and Christian Slater as Mr. Robot in a scene from the television series "Mr. Robot."(David Giesbrecht ~ USA Network via AP)

Netflix earned a leading eight nods on the TV side, where nominations were scattered across streaming services, broadcast and cable. Six shows come in tied for the most nominations with three: "Fargo," "Mr. Robot," "Outlander," "Transparent," "American Crime" and "Wolf Hall."

Presenters at Sunday night's Globes will include Jim Carrey, Amy Adams, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Redmayne, Channing Tatum and Mel Gibson, who is returning to the Hollywood spotlight after keeping a low profile for almost a decade, following an explosive drunken-driving arrest and public custody dispute.