Movie awards season: Golden Globes, Critics' Choice, critics associations

Movie awards season has officially kicked off. It's that time of the year when film award lists from almost every conceivable industry organization get pumped out every week up until the Oscars.

Critics' associations led the charge but in the months to come, there'll be awards by various industry guilds, including directors, screenwriters, and technical fields.

Here's a quick run-down of what has been announced thus far.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association were certainly taken with a tale of a stuttering royal.

The British-Australian coproduction, The King's Speech, led nominations in motion picture categories when nominations for the Golden Globes were announced this morning. The film's seven nominations (in the drama categories) included best motion picture, best actor, best supporting actor and actress (Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush), and best director (Tom Hooper).

The Fighter and The Social Network followed closely behind with six nominations each. Both were nominated for best picture.

When it comes to Cancon at the Globes, Canadian actor Ryan Gosling was nominated for best actor for Blue Valentine. Meanwhile, Paul Giamatti of the Canadian-Italian coproduction, Barney's Version, nabbed a best actor in a comedy or musical motion picture nomination.

In the TV categories, Glee led with five nominations, including best TV series, best actress and actor (Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison), and best supporting actress and actor (Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer), all in the comedy or musical categories.

Overall, The Social Network is leading the pack by winning several critics' awards for best picture. The New York Film Critics' Circle, L.A. Film Critics Association, Boston Society of Film Critics, and Toronto Film Critics Association all named the film the best film of the year. The film has accumulated 16 wins already, far outstripping any competition thus far.

Factoring in nominations from the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, the Golden Globes, and the four previously mentioned critics associations, The Social Network leads with a total of 31 nominations. The King's Speech followed with 26 nominations (and two wins). Black Swan (which leads the Critics' Choice Movie Awards with 12 nominations) garnered 23 nominations (and four wins), followed by The Fighter with 18 nominations (and three wins).

The winners of the Critics' Choice Movie Awards will be announced on January 14, two days before the Golden Globes.