It was announced this morning by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that Morgan Freeman will receive the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards. The award is give to “talented individuals who have made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment” and Freeman follows the ten most recent recipients Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Warren Beatty, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Williams, Michael Douglas, Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford and Al Pacino.
Freeman’s most recent films include 2010’s geriatric actioner Red, narrating the Warner Bros. documentary Born to be Wild and starring in the successful family film Dolphin Tale. He will next be seen reprising his role as Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.
In other Golden Globe-related news, there are rumblings that Ricky Gervais will be returning to host the show even though shortly after last year’s excellent hosting job he said he would turn down the opportunity to host for a third time.
However, a recent report from an HFPA insider confirms dinner talks between Gervais, Douglas Vaughn, senior vp specials at NBC, and HFPA president Aida Takla-O’Reilly have taken place and the comic may be returning to ridicule the A-listers once again. The New York Post even goes so far as to say an official offer has been made, but there have been no confirmations as of yet.
I’m sure we’ll know soon enough and hopefully the HFPA won’t have as many problems establishing their line-up as the Oscars are having.
The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be held on Sunday, January 15, 2012 and you better believe I will be here with a live blog and winners as always. If you’ve never been here for that, just click here to check out last year’s coverage.
