Hollywood's Awards Season has kicked off with the nominations for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards and, for the moment at least, it's The Help leading the pack.
The film, which tells the story of black maids working in big houses in 1960s Mississippi, has received four nods, including the blue riband award, for Cast in a Motion Picture.
Viola Davis is nominated for Leading Role, and Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer share honours in the Female Supporting Actor category.
The Artist, a silent film that has become that lovely thing, a 'sleeper hit', gets three nominations - for Outstanding Performance by Cast, as well as for Lead Actor Jean Dujardin, and Berenice Bejo for Supporting Actress.
Brad Pitt's Moneyball and George Clooney's The Descendants are both in there, with two nominations each, including for the actors themselves, up against each other in the Male Lead category.
British representation is provided by Kenneth Branagh with a nod for Best Supporting Actor in My Week with Marilyn, and by Dame Maggie Smith, for her inestimable turn in Downton Abbey.
The Awards will be presented in a ceremony on 29th January. The main list of nominees for the 18th Annual SAG Awards is as follows:
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Demian Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio - J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer - J. Edgar
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Berenice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Laurence Fishburne - Thurgood
Paul Giamatti - Too Big to Fail
Greg Kinnear - The Kennedys
Guy Pearce - Mildred Pierce
James Woods - Too Big to Fail
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Diane Lane - Cinema Verite
Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey
Emily Watson - Appropriate Adult
Betty White - Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Lost Valentine
Kate Winslet - Mildred Pierce
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Patrick J. Adams - Suits
Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler - Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Kathy Bates - Harry's Law
Glenn Close - Damages
Jessica Lange - American Horror Story
Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Steve Carrell - The Office
Jon Cryer - Two and a Half Men
Eric Stonestreet - Modern Family
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Eddie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family
Betty White - Hot in Cleveland
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office