The onslaught of “10 Best” list-bound films rounding out the year can only mean one thing: Awards season is on its way.
And the Golden Globes, widely regarded as Oscar’s fun-loving cousin and a critical barometer in the Academy Awards race, set its wheels in motion today by giving Al Pacino an offer he can’t refuse: The Cecil B. DeMille Award, which honors outstanding contribution to the entertainment field.
At the press conference in Beverly Hills, executive producer Dick Clark also announced actress/model Katie Flynn as this year’s Miss Golden Globe.
Pacino, who starred last year in both “The Insider” and “Any Given Sunday,” is a 13-time Golden Globe nominee, winning for his leading dramatic roles in “Scent of a Woman” and “Serpico.” He has also been up for the Academy Award eight times, finally taking Oscar home in 1993 for “Scent of a Woman.” The announcement was made by actress Charlize Theron, who co-starred with Pacino in 1997’s “Devil’s Advocate.”
Previous Cecil B. DeMille recipients include Barbra Streisand, Jack Nicholson, Shirley MacLaine, Dustin Hoffman, Sean Connery, Sophia Loren and Robert Redford.
Katie Flynn Flynn, the daughter of Golden Globe winner Jane Seymour (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”), will assist during the ceremony, handing out trophies to the winners. She follows a 29-year line of honorees, each a daughter or son of a well-known entertainer with his or her own aspirations in show business.
The 18-year-old Flynn, a student at Columbia University, works as a model but has made appearances in “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” the film “The French Revolution” and the miniseries “War & Remembrance.” Previous Mr./Miss Golden Globes include Melanie Griffith, Laura Dern and Freddie Prinze Jr.
The 58th Annual Golden Globe Awards, organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, will announce their nominations on Dec. 21, with the ceremony telecast live on NBC on Jan. 2.
