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The Golden Globes are by no means the most prestigious awards show, but then again they don’t intend to be. Touting it as the “most fun” awards show is also arguable, but it has had its moments. Remember Renee Zellweger winning for the little-seen Nurse Betty and nearly missing her acceptance because she was in the bathroom? Or what about Jack Nicholson’s completely inebriated, slurring and senseless turn on the stage? We can only hope that this year’s show, airing live on January 15th on NBC at 8 p.m., offers more of these moments to break up the monotony of teary-eyed celebs thanking everyone from God to their paperboy, although somehow still forgetting to include their husband’s name on that list!

As the rest of us watch from home and try to keep up with the booze intake at Borat’s table, here are some predictions to help you sound like you’ve got film and TV smarts. Or, if I’m wrong, then you’ll just sound really, really drunk. Pass the vino.

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees: Babel, Bobby, The Departed, Little Children, The Queen.

Prediction: The Departed. No other film this year managed to wow as many critics and audience members alike, and for good reason. Well-written, acted and directed, having both Jack Nicholson and Martin Scorsese involved makes it a shoo-in in this category.

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees: Borat, The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, Little Miss Sunshine, Thank You for Smoking.

Prediction: Dreamgirls. Next to The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls was actually my least favorite film in this category; despite the mass appeal and critical attention it’s been getting, I found it to be a few ballads too long and a just a well-costumed notch above a VH1 movie. But I seem to be one of the few nay-sayers, and-I-am-telling-you this will be a big winner. Sorry, just had to add that.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio (for Blood Diamond and The Departed), Peter O’Toole (for Venus), Will Smith (for The Pursuit of Happyness), Forest Whitaker (for The Last King of Scotland).

Prediction: Will Smith. Two nominations for Leonardo DiCaprio (well-deserved for The Departed) may actually hurt his chances of winning, with split votes between his performances. The Pursuit of Happyness is the feel-good film of the year, with an inspiring performance by Smith, and nary an accompanying rap video in sight.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees: Penelope Cruz (for Volver), Judi Dench (for Notes on a Scandal), Maggie Gyllenhaal (for SherryBaby), Helen Mirren (for The Queen), Kate Winslet (for Little Children).

Prediction: Kate Winslet. I have a theory that you could put Judi Dench in a Talladega Nights sequel and she would still end up nominated for an Oscar. Not that her performances aren’t always excellent, but I’m just saying. This race belongs to Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet, and I think Winslet’s subtle portrayal of a desperate housewife will give her the award here.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees: Sacha Baron Cohen (for Borat), Johnny Depp (for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest), Aaron Eckhart (for Thank You for Smoking), Chiwetel Ejiofor (for Kinky Boots), Will Ferrell (for Stranger Than Fiction).

Prediction: Sasha Baron Cohen. Very nice!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees: Annette Bening (for Running With Scissors), Toni Collette (for Little Miss Sunshine), Beyonce Knowles (for Dreamgirls), Meryl Streep (for The Devil Wears Prada).

Prediction: Meryl Streep. Streep’s take on editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly was spectacularly chilling; other than Emily Blunt’s too-small role as Miranda’s Assistant #1, she the only real reason to even see this rather lifeless onscreen adaptation.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees: Ben Affleck (for Hollywoodland), Eddie Murphy (for Dreamgirls), Jack Nicholson (for The Departed), Brad Pitt (for Babel), Mark Wahlberg (for The Departed).

Prediction: Jack Nicholson. As much fun as Mark Wahlberg’s performance packs into The Departed, this category belongs to Nicholson. Pitt’s role in Babel didn’t hold up to some of the film’s other performances (see the supporting actress category), though he would be my second choice over the other nominees.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees: Adriana Barraza (for Babel), Cate Blanchett (for Notes on a Scandal), Emily Blunt (for The Devil Wears Prada), Jennifer Hudson (for Dreamgirls), Rinko Kikuchi (for Babel).

Prediction: Jennifer Hudson. Her voice alone was worth the admission price; she simply outshone and outperformed everyone else in this film. Surely she would have been unstoppable if she had put that much effort into “American Idol. “

Best of the Rest for Film
Martin Scorsese will clinch the director’s award, because unlike the Academy (who has never awarded Scorsese the award for his work, despite five nominations), the Globes love him. Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto will take the foreign film category, proving Hollywood can forgive a racist (we can only wonder if Michael Richards will present the award). Cars wins for best animated film over that other movie about penguins.

Best Television Series – Drama
Nominees: “24”, “Big Love”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Heroes”, “Lost.”

Prediction: “Heroes.” From the start there’s been a lot of buzz about this new show about ordinary people with extraordinary powers, and they’ve got the fans to back it up. This show definitely has an advantage at the Golden Globes, where shows that people actually want to win sometimes do.

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Nominees: “Desperate Housewives”, “Entourage”, “The Office”, “Ugly Betty”, “Weeds.”

Prediction: “The Office.” No longer in the comedic shadow of its British predecessor, this show is must-win TV.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Nominees: Alec Baldwin (for “30 Rock”), Zach Braff (for “Scrubs”), Steve Carell (for “The Office”), Jason Lee (for “My Name Is Earl”), Tony Shalhoub (for “Monk”).

Prediction: Steve Carell. A close category that I could see almost any of these nominees winning, but as boss-man Michael, Carell keeps viewers not only tuned in, but actually laughing from week to week more than anyone else.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or ComedyNominees: Marcia Cross (for “Desperate Housewives”), America Ferrera (for “Ugly Betty”), Felicity Huffman (for “Desperate Housewives”), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (for “The New Adventures of Old Christine”), Mary-Louise Parker (for “Weeds”).

Prediction: America Ferrera. This “Ugly Betty” star is exaggerating her looks for sure, but she definitely injects a warmth and realness into the character that makes her easy to relate to and even more fun to watch.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Nominees: Patrick Dempsey (for “Grey’s Anatomy”), Michael C. Hall (for “Dexter”), Hugh Laurie (for “House M.D.”), Bill Paxton (for “Big Love”), Kiefer Sutherland (for “24”).

Prediction: Kiefer Sutherland. While Patrick Dempsey would sweep the best hair category for sure, Jack Bauer will race against time to make the acceptance speech for this one.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Nominees: Patricia Arquette (for “Medium”), Edie Falco (for “The Sopranos”), Evangeline Lily (for “Lost”), Ellen Pompeo (for “Grey’s Anatomy”) and Kyra Sedgwick (for “The Closer”).

Prediction: Ellen Pompeo. Seriously. Despite her “mcwhiny” narration and overuse of catchphrases. Seriously.