AFP - 1817 PST: Irish actor Colin Farrell arrives to announce one of the night's big honours, best actress in a comedy or musical. And the award goes to... Meryl Streep.

Well, she did have a pretty good shot as she was nominated twice in this category, for "It's Complicated" and "Julie and Julia". The much decorated actress wins for "Julie and Julia", beating Sandra Bullock, Marion Cotillard and Julia Roberts.

On stage, she initially seems a bit stuck for words. "I want to change my name to T Bone," she muses. "T Bone Streep. I think it sounds good."

1807 PST: "Dexter" picks up its second Globe of the night as the show's star Michael C. Hall wins best actor in a TV drama series. It's the first win in four Globe nominations for the 38-year-old actor, who just revealed he is battling cancer. He accepts his award wearing a black woolly hat.

Julianna Margulies, whose had seven Globe nominations, also gets her first win. She picks up best actress in a TV drama for "The Good Wife".

Once on stage -- she also has a bit of a trek to get there -- the former "ER" actress has another little dig at NBC's failed Leno prime time experiment, thanking Les Moonves and Nina Tassler (CEO and entertainment president of CBS respectively) for "believing in the 10 o'clock drama".

Cher, who looks incredible tall alongside her co-presenter, a tiny Christina Aguilera, takes the stage to announce some music awards. T Bone Burnett accepts the award for best original song in a motion picture for "The Weary Kid", the theme from "Crazy Heart" before "Up" wins best motion picture original score

1744 PST: Ricky Gervais is back on stage. "It's going well isn't it? We've seem worthy winners and some not so worthy ones," who he'll be discussing later on his blog, he says.

The comedian plugs the DVD of his last film, "The Invention of Lying", after wondering why it wasn't nominated, and then really starts sailing close to the wind.

"One thing that can't be bought is a Golden Globe," he says to much laughter. The 84- member Hollywood Foreign Press Association who hands out the Globes is often accused of being too easily influenced by the film studios. Gervais adds: "I'm not going to do this again, anyway."

"If you want to buy one the man to see would be Philip Berk (president of the HFPA)." Now even the celebs in the audience are looking a little shocked.

Felicity Huffman comes on to introduce Berk and appears to have been rattled by Gervais's jabs. She repeatedly fluffs her lines and grows increasingly flustered. "I like Ricky Gervais will never be asked to this again," she jokes as she recovers.

1737 PST: The best supporting actor in a TV series, miniseries or motion picture is up and John Lithgow of "Dexter" fame collects his second Golden Globe.

He beats Jeremy Piven of "Entourage", who is always winning everything it seems, along with William Hurt, Neil Patrick Harris and Michael Emerson.

Sir Paul McCartney takes the stage to announce the best animated feature film armed with two great jokes. "My name is Paul McCartney," he says, "or as I'm now known, that guy from Rock Band."

The ex-Beatle says he loved animated films as a kid, like "Lady and the Tramp" and "Yellow Submarine". "But animation is not just for children," he continues. "They're also for adults who take drugs. So let's take a look at the films nominated by drug-taking adults." He runs through the contenders before the winner is announced. It's "Up" from Walt Disney and Pixar.

1724 PST: Ricky Gervais is sparing no-one as he introduces the ceremony, ribbing both his audience and paymasters NBC. But first he plugs "The Office" box set: "I will be making the most of this," he says of his hosting gig. "I'm not used to these viewing figures -- let's face it, nor is NBC."

The star-filled room reminds him of "all the great work" over the last year done by cosmetic surgeons. "You all look good," he says. He's had some work too, he adds, cheek implants and a "penis reduction. Just got the one now."

There's more penis talk -- he says he wishes he was holding his in his hand now "rather than this" - -before moving things along. "Let's get on with it before NBC replaces me with Jay Leno," he quips.

Nicole Kidman takes the stage to introduce the first award of the night, best supporting actress in a drama. She makes the night's first mention of the earthquake in Haiti, telling viewers how they can contribute to the relief effort, before announcing the winner.

As expected, it's Mo'Nique for her role as an abusive mother in "Precious". The actress and comedian, who beat Penelope Cruz, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick and Julianne Moore, is fighting back the tears. She thanks God, her husband, the film's director Lee Daniels and her co-star Gabourney Sidibe. "I'm shaking," she says. "I'm in the midst of my dream."

We move on to best best actress in a TV series, comedy or musical. It's Toni Collette, who has a long walk to the stage to pick up her trophy for her role in "United States of Tara".

"The first time I came here 15 years ago I was on the loo and missed my whole category," she says. Its the Australian star's first win in three Golden Globe nominations.

1707 PST: The awards are starting. Ricky Gervais is taking the stage...

1704 PST: Comedian and "30 Rock" star Tina Fey makes a dig at NBC's current little problem with late night talk show hosts and the recent acrimonious split with Conan O'Brien over Jay Leno's move. "It's not rain, it's just God crying for NBC," she tells Bush.

Fey, who surely can't have much room left in her house for more awards, is confident she won't win tonight -- she's nominated for best actress in a TV series, comedy or musical. She'll be staying in her seat and getting drunk, she says. And if she does win? "It'll be a very exciting speech."

1702 PST: My colleague Michelle in London tells me Precious actress Gabourey Sidibe keeps joking on Sky1 that her date is actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "but he doesn't actually know it" and they came separately to keep the paps away.

The star wattage heats up as Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks arrive. Bush asked Roberts why she passed on "The Blind Side".

Family commitments, Roberts replies. "They're really my priority, my husband, my kiddies... they're cute. Just picture Danny and I together...But not that way!"

Quentin Tarantino arrives head-to-toe in black and says he's been working on two acceptance speeches, one for writer, one for director. He doesn't seem to be joking. Natalie Morales tells him his look is "very sharp, very different."

1646 PST: Sir Paul McCartney and rumoured fiancee heiress Nancy Shevell roll up with the night's largest umbrella so far. Bush can't let the weather theme go and asks about the rain shield rather than the reported engagement.

Sir Paul tells him he had a "great guy called John" who sorts these things out for him. As you'd expect for a billionaire ex-Beatle.

Mickey Rourke, last year's best actor winner, seems to have traded his usual awards-do date, his beloved late Chihuahua, for a Russian beauty. The grizzled star introduces his blonde companion to Bush but the host fails to catch her name and she's either too nervous or doesn't understand what he's saying to correct him.

Rourke says he's been hanging out in Russian prisons to prepare for his role in Ironman II, in which he plays a Russian villain. "Russia's a good place for me," the Wrestler star says.

Double nominee Sandra Bullock tells Bush her dress is plastic so she's not worried about the rain. Does Bush have anything other than weather-related questions? She also reveals Julia Roberts passed on both her smash hits of last year, "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side".

"I will take whatever Julia doesn't want," Bullock declares before refusing the offer of a bright pink Golden Globes 'snuggie' from Bush.

1625 PST: NBC's Natalie Morales says she's worried about standing too close to best supporting actor nominee Stanley Tucci, who plays a serial killer in "The Lovely Bones". He tells her it was "Probably the hardest role I ever had to play".

A dapper Colin Firth meanwhile reveals he had personal assistance from designer Tom Ford, who directed him in "A Single Man", for his outfit, some apparently very expensive 1920s studs and cuff links. "I own a nice house and make a nice living but I'm not in a position to own these," the Brit star says.

Kate Hudson arrives wearing a white strapless number and is immediately asked about this by Billy Bush -- he seems obsessed by the rain's potential to turn celebrities' costumes transparent. The actress doesn't seem too worried and there certainly doesn't seem to be any shortage of umbrellas shielding the stars from the elements.

1616 PST: It's a wet crush on the red carpet as the celebs start to arrive en masse. A beared and umbrella-less George Clooney is one of the first to be jumped on by Access Hollywood's Billy Bush. "We are standing in the rain like a couple of 'true idiots'", he tells Bush before heading off to sign autographs for fans, many of whom are wearing bin bags to keep dry.

Precious star Gabourey Sidibe, a best dramatic actress contender, arrives resplendent in green. "The rain is ruining my dress and not my night," she giggles.

Josh Duhamel and Fergie arrive followed by best dramatic actor Jeff Bridges contender, who reveals he almost passed on Crazy Heart.

Mad Men's January Jones is asked "Who's your umbrella by?" but doesn't seem to know.

1601 PST: Welcome to AFP?s live blog of the 67th Golden Globes, kicking off shortly at the Beverly Hilton hotel in an unusually dark and rainy Los Angeles. The umbrellas are out in force but spirits seem high judging by the screaming of fans lining the red carpet awaiting the arrival of some of the biggest names in film and TV.

The Globes, the first major ceremony of the awards season, is often described as the stars? favourite; a less formal and looser-lipped sister to the Academy Awards where the booze flows and those on stage get to say and do pretty much what they want.

Organisers are hoping to up the ante this year with risqué host British comedian Ricky Gervais -- the show?s first host in 15 years.

A someone-for-everyone line-up of star presenters -- from Sophia Loren to Twilight hunk Taylor Lautner -- is also angling to revitalize interest in the telecast, which has seen ratings slump dramatically in recent years.

So, we can expect plenty of mischief from the master of ceremonies and maybe some of the winners too -- though hopefully not too much mooning a la Jack Nicholson. Here we go...