Steve Granitz/WireImage.Mega star couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, actor-director George Clooney and hunky up-and-comer Ryan Gosling all snagged nominations when the 69^th annual Golden Globe nominations were announced Thursday. Silent film "The Artist" led the list with six nominations.

Pitt picked up a nomination for best actor in a movie for sports drama "Moneyball," while Jolie snagged a nomination for her directorial debut "In the Land of Blood and Honey" in the foreign film category. The Bosnia-set love story looks at the treatment of women during war.

[ Photos: Most stylish red carpet couples ]

A-list actors Clooney scored three nominations, while Gosling landed two, and Leonardo DiCaprio scored one nomination for his work in "J. Edgar." Besides Pitt, Clooney snagged a nomination for best actor in a film drama for his disheveled dad in "The Descendants," along with Gosling, who starred in the Clooney-directed political fable "The Ides of March." Clooney was also nominated in the best director

When it comes to acting honors, the great thing about the Golden Globes nominees, which the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will announce Thursday morning, is that the HFPA doubles the pleasure by splitting honors into drama and comedy/musical, and they give an award for best ensemble. It's the awards season equivalent of goodie bags. It also means that there are a lot of fresh, newer faces in the mix. Here's our preview of some names neither Streep nor Pitt nor Clooney:

[ Related: Yahoo!'s full coverage of the 2012 Golden Globes ]

Michael Fassbender: GQ's Man of the Year would have made a splash just walking around his apartment in the nude in "Shame," Steve McQueen's revealing cautionary tale of a sexaholic. But the European studmuffin, 34, couldn't sit still: He went over to the bad side as Magneto in "X-Men: First Class"; spanked Sabina Spielrein, played by Keira Knightley, as a repressed Carl Jung in "A Dangerous Method"; and brooded his way across the moor as Rochester in

Thursday marked the announcement that Rainey Qualley will serve as Miss Golden Globes 2012. The honor is typically bestowed on children of the stars (Rumer Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, was a recent Miss Golden Globes). Before Qualley, 21, steps out onto the stage, here are five things to know about the golden girl.

1. Good genes

She has her parents to thank for a generous gene pool. Her mom is actress and model Andie MacDowell. Her dad, Paul Qualley, is also a model.

2. Big fear

"I'm pretty nervous about tripping because that happens on a pretty regular basis for me," Qualley told E! online. "I'll try to be graceful."

3. What to wear

"In general, my style is sort of bohemian and easy going. I like girly stuff, too," she told InStyle. "I'm just looking forward to the experience of getting to try on beautiful gowns and feeling like a princess."

4. Occupation

Qualley is a musician and an actress who performed in several productions at Belmont University and studied

When it comes to the Golden Globes, Meryl Streep stands alone. While Barbra Streisand technically has the most Globe wins with 11, five of those were special awards, leaving her one short of Streep's record of six competitive wins. Streep's last win came in 2009, when she won for her portrayal of celebrity chef Julia Child in "Julie & Julia." That victory came exactly three decades after her first victory, for "Kramer vs. Kramer."

While Streep leads the pack, plenty of other performers have earned heaps of Globes glory. Three other competitors are tied with Barbra Streisand with six awards.

Alan Alda -- Alda's half dozen wins all come from his portrayal of Hawkeye Pierce in "M*A*S*H," a role he was nominated for in 11 consecutive years. Alda also has five other nominations, including a double for Best Actor and Best Screenplay for 1982's "The Four Seasons."

Angela Lansbury -- Lansbury's six wins span nearly a half century, starting with Best Supporting Actress for "The Picture of

(Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

The Golden Globe Awards are a fun night out in Hollywood. The booze flows, the celebs aren't so serious (like they are at the Oscars), and the unscripted moments come fast and furious.

This year's ceremony, set for January 16, will be hosted by Ricky Gervais. He's given the show plenty of memorable (cringe-worthy?) moments in the past, but the "Extras" star is just one of many to have a little too much fun on the night of the ceremony.

Below, we've listed some of the best, funniest, and most random instances of backstage drama at the Golden Globes. It's not all glamour, kids.

1. Jennifer Lopez makes threats

Jennifer Lopez confronted Gervais, who was serving as host, backstage last year. Apparently J.Lo was concerned that Gervais was going to make a joke or two at her expense. J.Lo said to Gervais, "Listen! I will kill you, you understand? I am from New York, my husband fights, we both fight, we will beat you up after the show." All in good fun!

Meryl Streep's four-letter words

Speaking

The Golden Globes are known as the awards show where guests and nominees aren't afraid to cut loose. This year, there will no doubt be moments where guests let down their elaborate hairdos and kick off their platform heels on Jan. 15. One of them could even rival some of the more dramatic moments from the past ceremonies, like these five highlights.

1. Angelina Jolie takes a dive
Angelina Jolie jumped into a pool during an Access Hollywood interview, taking the reporter in with her. It was just after Jolie had won a Golden Globe for the 1998 film "Gia." She would later attribute things like her fully clothed dip to her "years of exploration," telling reporters, "I would say there's a way of being bold when you're young that seems very brave. What's perceived as tough is a very funny thing. I think to be a parent is one of the scariest, boldest things to do. Much more than jumping into a pool when you're 20."

2. Jack Nicholson bends over backward
In 1998, Jack Nicholson offered a

Like a head-scratching episode of "Lost," the Golden Globe Awards raised more questions than answers. We did some digging, and solved the biggest mysteries from Sunday's event:

Q: Who was Jake Gyllenhaal's date?

A: Not Taylor Swift. The "Love and Other Drugs" star -- who reportedly dumped Swift over the phone after a whirlwind romance -- rebounded on the red carpet with another musically-inclined lady: Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis, whom he dated in 2001. (Watch her sing here.) Lucky girl. Meanwhile, Swift must be a sad girl right now. We imagine the country cutie pictured herself on Gyllenhaal's arm at the Globes, mingling with Emma Stone and the rest of Young Hollywood during commercial intermission. Le sigh.

Q:Why was Christian Bale's hair long?

A: The talented, typically morose actor was in a really good mood the whole night with a rare, dopey grin plastered across his face, as if he'd made a concerted effort to show the world "I am a decent guy, really." His hair was