Date set for 69th Golden Globes

Organizers have announced the official date for next year’s 69th Annual Gold Globe Awards, handed out each year by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The film awards ceremony will be held January 15, 2012 and nominations will be announced on December 15th, according the official website. Entries must be submitted before November 4.

Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Owen Wilson and Alec Baldwin have been mentioned as prospective hosts for the evening, reports Deadline. Last January, British comedian Ricky Gervais hosted the ceremony for the second consecutive year, however his biting wit received mixed reviews.

During the previous gala, The Social Network was the big winner of the evening, picking up four Golden Globes, including best dramatic film. Colin Firth and Natalie Portman received the award for best actor and best actress for their respective movies The King’s Speech and Black Swan.

Founded in the 1940s during World War II, the HFPA was originally comprised of a handful of L.A.-based overseas journalists who sought to bridge the international community with Hollywood, and to provide distraction from the hardships of war. 

Sixty-eight years later, members of the HFPA represent 55 countries with a combined readership of 250 million. As the third most-watched awards show on television, organization is able to donate more than $12 million to entertainment-related charities and scholarship programs.