Five Things To Do Before You Watch The Golden Globes Tonight

Far away, in a place known to some as "La-La Land," the region's princes and princesses are preparing for a big magical celebration. Yeah, no. It's just that the Golden Globes are happening tonight in Los Angeles. Will you watch? Will you not watch now that you know that Ryan Gosling will not be attending? Will you still watch because even if Ryan's not going to be there he's still nominated, along with Michael Fassbender? Well, if you do decide to tune in, here's a what you should do to prepare.

1. Decide how you feel about Ricky Gervais.
The British comedian hosted last year and made a lot of people in the room squirm. Here's his introduction of Robert Downey Jr. and RDJ's subsequent comments:

Afterwards, people were pissed, and Vulture summed it up in this post asking "Did Golden Globes Host Ricky Gervais Blow It Last Night?" Now, Gervais is hosting again, and will probably be polarizing again. NBC is even using his zingers in their promos. (Or maybe Ricky will be super nice just to mess with us all.) You should determine if you like his style before the event so you'll know how to react on Twitter when things start going haywire.

2. Meet the animals of the nominated movies.
The 2012 awards season is a good one for adorable animals. There are the fourteen horses that played the wonder horse Joey in War Horse. There's Uggie, the bouncy, heroic Jack Russell terrier from The Artist, who is the subject of his own grassroots for your consideration campaign. And if one Jack Russell wasn't enough, there's also Cosmo, the Jack Russell that stars as Arthur in Beginners. Meanwhile, don't forget Blackie from Hugo and Hummer from Young Adult, as the Hollywood Reporter notes. What's not to love?

3. Watch television.
TV people also get awards at the Globes, so really there's no better excuse to stay inside, avoid the cold, and watch entire seasons of buzzed about shows like Downton Abbey or Game of Thrones.

4. Practice your insults.
The one thing we've never been able to understand is how stars end up looking bad at these events. With all the stylists and mirrors in that town you would think celebs would have a sense of what looks good, but worst dressed lists persist in existing. You can bet that someone will invariably show up wearing something that vaguely resembles a shower curtain or a laundry hamper. Therefore, you should be ready with your best zingers. Here's a video Joan Rivers. Watch. Learn. Practice:

(For the record, Helena Bonham Carter, you are wonderful, never change).

5. Drink
One of the best parts about the Golden Globes is that the stars are dined (with gold, no less!) and, most importantly, wined at the ceremony so everyone ends up loosening up a bit. If they are doing it, why shouldn't you?

The awards start at 8 p.m. See who's nominated -- if you care -- here.

[ezwrites]