Golden Globes Show Secrets

Every year around this time, Barry Adelman experiences a dream come true.

He's the man behind the Golden Globes.

The veteran TV producer will put on his 20th Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, airing live from 8pm ET/ 5pm PT on NBC. And again, he'll get that pinch-me feeling, remembering when he watched the show as a young man in Chicago.

"Even then, the Golden Globes was a legendary show that people talked about," he said in an interview Thursday. "To now be in charge of it is kind of a dream come true."

Adelman has received nine Emmy nominations for his work on the Golden Globes (among his 17 overall nods), so he can empathize with the nominees inside the Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom on show night.

"As a nominee, there's a nervousness that you feel," he said. "What we try to do is take the edge off that a little bit."

Adelman and his team from Dick Clark Productions do that by cultivating the show's trademark party atmosphere.

"We have Champagne on every table and we have an open bar," he said. "We have free-flowing Champagne and food, so it's much more festive."

Fourth-time host Ricky Gervais told Ellen DeGeneres on her show that booze gives him the courage to make his wince-inducing jokes.

"If I didn't drink, I wouldn't be brave enough to say some of the things I'm going to say," Gervais said.

He also blamed alcohol in a pre-emptive apology posted on Twitter last week: "Because I can see the future, I'd like to apologise now for the things I said at next week's Golden Globes. I was drunk..."

More than 125 famous faces will be in the audience when Gervais takes the stage during the NBC live broadcast. Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Melissa McCarthy and Matt Damon are among the nominees. Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell, Chris Evans and Kate Bosworth were announced Friday as the latest presenters to join a roster that includes Michael Keaton, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Jamie Foxx, Amy Adams, Kevin Hart, Kate Hudson and Channing Tatum.

Adelman said the biggest change he's observed over his 20 years with the Golden Globes is "the stature of the show has grown immensely."

"The bookings have become the best bookings on TV," he said. "It's an amazing spectacle that nobody can duplicate."

The 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards will air live on Sunday, January 10, 2016, from 8:00 p.m. (ET)/5:00-8:00 p.m. (PT) on NBC.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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