Who are Safe Bets to Win Golden Globes on Sunday? Plus Long Shots in the Mix

There are safe bets — and a few long shots — for who will win the Golden Globe Awards, which air Sunday on NBC starting 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Way back in November, the Los Angeles Times tossed around early predictions about who would snag nominations, then early in December the newspaper posted winner predictions. Los Angeles is home, after all, to the entertainment industry.

Some of the Times' early picks may have staying power when co-emcees, Emmy Award winners Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg, kick off the 76^th awards from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Yet, great performances in some categories may pull off a few surprises.

But first, a snippet of the out-of-left-field ground rules the Hollywood Foreign Press Association likes to bend and tweak:

"This year, for those keeping score: 'Mary Poppins Returns' is a musical," reports the Los Angeles Times. "'A Star Is Born' is not. 'Green Book,' a period drama that looks at racial divides in America, is a comedy, as is (probably) 'Vice,' Adam McKay's scathing look at the life of Dick Cheney."

The Hollywood Foreign Press has fit square pegs into round holes previously, as when it categorized Ridley Scott's techie nerd science fiction film, "The Martian" as a comedy in 2016. Yet the film won for Best Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical and Best Actor for scrappy astronaut Matt Damon. Somehow, the pieces ended up fitting anyway, like a stranded scientist trying to grow food on lifeless Mars.

The Times' safe bets include the following:

Having landed in the dramatic film category, A Star Is Born, starring ultra-hands-on Bradley Cooper and Lady GaGa, is sure to draw strong competition from other powerhouse films.

A Star Is Born seems to be the runaway sentimental and technical favorite, but titles that could sneak in and steal the thunder are the blockbuster Black Panther, followed closely by Bohemian Rhapsody, BlacKkKlansman and If Beale Street Could Talk.

On the comedy or musical side, the Times favors The Favourite or Green Book, starring Viggo Mortensen. Christian Bale has drawn favorable reviews for Vice. The Times likes Bale for Best Comedic Actor.

But Crazy Rich Asians, a box-office smash, and Mary Poppins Returns could pull off upsets in the comedy/musical category.

Cooper and GaGa appear to be shoe-ins to win Best Actor and Best Actress in a Drama, but potential upsets waiting in the wings could be Rami Malek, for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, and John David Washington in BlacKkKlansman on the men's side. Newcomer Lucas Hedges in Boy Erased could be a long shot.

For Best Actress in a Drama, Melissa McCarthy could pull off an upset in a rare dramatic turn in Can You Ever Forgive Me? But she has established dramatic powerhouses Glenn Close and Nicole Kidman to contend with, as does GaGa.

For Best Actress in a Comedy, the Times expects Olivia Coleman, the leading lady of The Favorite, to win.

"It's one of the year's most acclaimed performances, showy and wrenching," writes Times critic Hal Boedeker of Coleman's performance.

Best bets for Best Actress in a Comedy Series includes five-time Primetime Emmy Award winner Candice Bergen in her reprised role as Murphy Brown and first-time nominee, the popular Kristen Bell of The Good Place. Rachel Brosnahan from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel rounds out the powerful comedy category.

However, Bell seems to be the popular favorite, writes The Hollywood Reporter, which surveyed 2,201 adults between December 7 and December 9.

Among other Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll favorites in the various television categories are the FX thriller, The Americans, and the Amazon comedy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, winner of five Emmy Awards last year. The latter edged out Bell's The Good Place by a mere percentage point in the survey.

Other favorites springing from the survey are Showtime's Kidding starring Jim Carrey, Netflix's The Kominsky Method starring Michael Douglas, Alan Arkin and Nancy Travis and HBO's Barry, starring Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader and Henry Winkler, aka Fonzie of Happy Days fame.

Oh won an Emmy Award for Grey's Anatomy and Samberg, an SNL alum, won for Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

At any rate, whoever and whatever secures a Golden Globe is usually favored to win an Oscar.

The 91st Academy Awards are scheduled for February 24 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles — a long wait for some, but a chance for the Hollywood powers-that-be to buy full-page ads and other select advertising to promote Oscar-nominated films.

The Golden Globes, many critics contend, are merely a precursor to the Oscars.