Awards season has officially arrived and it's kicking off in grand style. The 31st annual Critics Choice Awards will roll out the red carpet on Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. (ET/PT), and air live on E! and the USA Network.

The star-studded celebration returns to the iconic Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, with comedian, TV host, and seven-time New York Times best-selling author Chelsea Handler back at the helm for her fourth consecutive year as host.

N2Entertainment.net will be live from Santa Monica on Jan. 4, delivering all the buzz, moments, and must-know highlights from the BIG Critics Choice Awards show. Don't forget to follow along on the Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Critics Choice Awards will also continue its combined film and television awards format, honoring the best in cinematic, televised, and streaming achievement. Notably, four new categories have been added to this year's show: "Best Variety Series," "Best Stunt Design," "Best Casting/Ensemble," and "Best Sound."

"Chelsea Handler is the best awards show host in the world," said CCA CEO Joey Berlin. "We are absolutely thrilled to have her back on our stage, mixing her trademark mix of humor and heart in front of hundreds of stars who enjoy her as much as we do. Recognizing and celebrating the most deserving achievements in film and television is important, but it's also great fun and Chelsea is the perfect person to lead the parade."

"We're ecstatic to welcome Chelsea back to host Critics Choice Awards for another year - now airing on both E! and USA Network," said Val Boreland, President of Entertainment, VERSANT. "Her sharp wit and captivating stage presence will surely make this show an unforgettable kickoff to awards season.

"Kicking off the year with the Critics Choice Awards feels right. Nothing says 'new beginnings' like a room full of critics ready to tell you how you did last year," said Chelsea Handler.

MORE ABOUT CHELSEA HANDLER:

Chelsea Handler is a comedian, television host, and seven-time New York Times best-selling author whose humor and candor have established her as one of the most celebrated voices in entertainment and pop culture. After a strong seven-year run as the host of E!'s top-rated "Chelsea Lately," a tenure in which she was the only female late-night talk show host on-air, she launched her documentary series "Chelsea Does," followed by her talk show "Chelsea" on Netflix in 2016. She has penned seven New York Times best-selling books, six of which have reached No.1, including her seventh and most recent book "I'll Have What She's Having," published in February 2025.

In 2021, she launched her hit iHeart Radio advice podcast, "Dear Chelsea." Later that year, she embarked on the "Vaccinated and Horny Tour," bringing her sensational stand-up set to over 90 cities with 115 shows across North America and winning "The Comedy Act of 2021" at the People's Choice Awards. Following the success of her 2020 HBO Max comedy special "Evolution," Chelsea earned a Grammy nomination for "Best Comedy Album. Her third Netflix comedy special, the critically acclaimed "The Feeling," premiered in March 2025. In February 2025, she continued her celebrated run as host of the Critics Choice Awards for the third consecutive year. Currently, Handler can be seen at her Las Vegas residency "Chelsea at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan," through which she made history as the venue's first female comedian residency. Next, Handler will embark on "The High and Mighty Tour" in 2026.

ABOUT THE CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS:

The Critics Choice Awards are bestowed annually to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. Historically, they are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations. The 31st annual Critics Choice Awards show will be executive-produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment. The Critics Choice Awards are represented by Dan Black at Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Sponsors of the Awards include FIJI Water, Milagro Tequila, Cold Stone Creamery, and Wetzel's Pretzels.

Follow the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards on Instagram and X @CriticsChoice, on TikTok @OfficialCriticsChoice, and on Facebook/CriticsChoiceAwards. Join the conversation using #CriticsChoiceAwards.

ABOUT THE CRITICS CHOICE ASSOCIATION:

The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 500 media critics and entertainment journalists. It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the intersection between film, television, and streaming content.
For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com.

As a member of the Critics Choice Association, N2Entertainment.net proudly participated in voting for this year's film nominees. With so many exceptional movies and performances in the mix, the process was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Below are the picks I personally cast my vote for--marked in bold--and the contenders I'm rooting for to win the coveted Critics Choice Awards.

BEST PICTURE:
"Bugonia"
"Frankenstein"
"Hamnet"
"Jay Kelly"
"Marty Supreme"
"One Battle After Another"
"Sentimental Value"
"Sinners"
"Train Dreams"
"Wicked: For Good"

BEST ACTOR:
Timothee Chalamet--"Marty Supreme"
Leonardo DiCaprio--"One Battle After Another"
Joel Edgerton--"Train Dreams"
Ethan Hawke--"Blue Moon"
Michael B. Jordan--"Sinners"
Wagner Moura--"The Secret Agent"

BEST ACTRESS:
Jessie Buckley--"Hamnet"
Rose Byrne--"If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"
Chase Infiniti--"One Battle After Another"
Renate Reinsve--"Sentimental Value"
Amanda Seyfried--"The Testament of Ann Lee"
Emma Stone--"Bugonia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Benicio del Toro--"One Battle After Another"
Jacob Elordi--"Frankenstein"
Paul Mescal--"Hamnet"
Sean Penn--"One Battle After Another"
Adam Sandler--"Jay Kelly"
Stellan Skarsgard--"Sentimental Value"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elle Fanning--"Sentimental Value"
Ariana Grande--"Wicked: For Good"
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas--"Sentimental Value"
Amy Madigan--"Weapons"
Wunmi Mosaku--"Sinners"
Teyana Taylor--"One Battle After Another"

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS:
Everett Blunck--"The Plague"
Miles Caton--"Sinners"
Cary Christopher--"Weapons"
Shannon Mahina Gorman--"Rental Family"
Jacobi Jupe--"Hamnet"
Nina Ye--"Left-Handed Girl"

BEST DIRECTOR:
Paul Thomas Anderson--"One Battle After Another"
Ryan Coogler--"Sinners"
Guillermo del Toro--"Frankenstein"
Josh Safdie--"Marty Supreme"
Joachim Trier--"Sentimental Value"
Chloe Zhao--"Hamnet"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer--"Jay Kelly"
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie--"Marty Supreme"
Ryan Coogler--"Sinners"
Zach Cregger--"Weapons"
Eva Victor--"Sorry, Baby"
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier--"Sentimental Value"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Paul Thomas Anderson--"One Battle After Another"
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar--"Train Dreams"
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee--"No Other Choice"
Guillermo del Toro--"Frankenstein"
Will Tracy--"Bugonia"
Chloe Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell--"Hamnet"

BEST CASTING AND ENSEMBLE:
Nina Gold--"Hamnet
Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold--"Jay Kelly"
Jennifer Venditti--"Marty Supreme"
Cassandra Kulukundis--"One Battle After Another"
Francine Maisler--"Sinners"
Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey--"Wicked: For Good"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Claudio Miranda--"F1"
Dan Laustsen--"Frankenstein"
Lukasz Zal--"Hamnet"
Michael Bauman--"One Battle After Another"
Autumn Durald Arkapaw--"Sinners"
Adolpho Veloso--"Train Dreams"

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis--"The Fantastic Four: First Steps"
Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau--"Frankenstein"
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton--"Hamnet"
Jack Fisk, Adam Willis--"Marty Supreme"
Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne--"Sinners"
Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales--"Wicked: For Good"

BEST EDITING:
Kirk Baxter--"A House of Dynamite"
Stephen Mirrione--"F1"
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie--"Marty Supreme"
Andy Jurgensen--"One Battle After Another"
Viridiana Lieberman--"The Perfect Neighbor"
Michael P. Shawver--"Sinners"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Kate Hawley--"Frankenstein"
Malgosia Turzanska--"Hamnet"
Lindsay Pugh--"Hedda"
Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella--"Kiss of the Spider Woman"
Ruth E. Carter--"Sinners"
Paul Tazewell--"Wicked: For Good"

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP:
Flora Moody, John Nolan--"28 Years Later"
Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey--"Frankenstein"
Sian Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry--"Sinners"
Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal--"The Smashing Machine"
Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins--"Weapons"
Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount--"Wicked: For Good"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett--"Avatar: Fire and Ash"
Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson--"F1"
Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, Jose Granell--"Frankenstein"
Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall--"Mission: Impossible-- The Final Reckoning"
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean--"Sinners"
Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stephane Naze, Guy Williams--"Superman"

BEST STUNT DESIGN:
Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, Jackson Spidell, Jeremy Marinas, Jan Petrina, Domonkos Pardanyi, Kinga Kosa-Gavalda--, "Ballerina"
Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby--"F1"
Wade Eastwood--"Mission: Impossible-- The Final Reckoning"
Brian Machleit--"One Battle After Another"
Andy Gill--"Sinners"
Giedrius Nagys--"Warfare"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
"Arco"
"Elio"
"In Your Dreams"
"KPop Demon Hunters"
"Little Amelie or the Character of Rain"
"Zootopia 2"

BEST COMEDY:
"The Ballad of Wallis Island"
"Eternity"
"Friendship"
"The Naked Gun"
"The Phoenician Scheme"
"Splitsville"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
"It Was Just an Accident"
"Left-Handed Girl"
"No Other Choice"
"The Secret Agent"
"Sirat"
"Belen"

BEST SONG:
"Drive"--Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin--"F1"
"Golden"--Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy--"KPop Demon Hunters"
"I Lied to You"--Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Goransson--"Sinners"
"Clothed by the Sun"--Daniel Blumberg--"The Testament of Ann Lee"
"Train Dreams"--Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner--"Train Dreams"
"The Girl in the Bubble"--Stephen Schwartz--"Wicked: For Good"

BEST SCORE:
Hans Zimmer--"F1"
Alexandre Desplat--"Frankenstein"
Max Richter--"Hamnet"
Daniel Lopatin--"Marty Supreme"
Jonny Greenwood--"One Battle After Another"
Ludwig Goransson--"Sinners"

BEST SOUND:
Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John--"F1"
Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman--"Frankenstein"
Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor--"One Battle After Another"
Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, David V. Butler--"Sinners"
Laia Casanovas--"Sirat"
Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner--"Warfare"

Editor's Note: Be sure to watch The 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. (ET/PT), live on E! and the USA Network. Information used in this report obtained from the Critics Choice Association publicity department.