The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards winners have officially been announced. The event took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday evening January 15 telecasted by Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)’s NBC and Ricky Gervais hosted the grand event. “The Artist” ended up taking home the top prize of Best Comedy or Musical Motion Picture. “The Artist” won three Golden Globes, boosting the financial prospects for Weinstein Co.’s silent, black-and-white movie and its chances to win at next month’s Academy Awards.

“The Artist,” made for about $15 million and released in November, has earned $27.3 million worldwide, according to researcher Box Office Mojo. “The King’s Speech,” with a similar budget, won last year’s best-picture Oscar and ended up with $414 million in worldwide sales, according to researcher Box Office Mojo.

“Your expectations change when the Weinsteins enter the game,” said Michel Hazanavicius, who directed “The Artist.” “We never expected anything like this; we thought it would be a small movie that critics might enjoy. We never expected it would be this accepted by mainstream.”

Nominations for the Oscars, Hollywood’s highest honor, will be revealed on Jan. 24. The Feb. 26 awards show will air by Disney’s ABC, hosted by Billy Crystal.

Fox Searchlight, Viacom Inc. (VIA/B)’s Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics each earned two Golden Globes.

In television, Time Warner Inc. (TWX)’s HBO and CBS Corp. (CBS)’s Showtime tied with three awards each.

Morgan Freeman was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement. His film roles have included Civil War soldier, a man on death row, Nelson Mandela and God.

“I would like to think because of the trajectory of my career I might have had a little input into some of America’s understanding of its history,” Freeman told reporters backstage. “And some of the changes that have taken place in our industry.”

Other big winners at the Golden Globe Awards were George Clooney, who was named as Best Actor for his effort in “The Descendants” while Meryl Streep was doted with Best Actress honors for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady”.

Meanwhile, television’s top accolades went to “Modern Family” as Best Comedy TV Series and “Homeland” as Best Drama TV Series.

Golden Globe Winners Full List: More >

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