What to watch: You're looking Golden, 2025

Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.

The beginning of 2025 is looking golden. Globes, that is.

Like all of us, the entertainment world is starting to get back to it after taking a holiday break – hope yours was fab! – and it's a pretty slow process. With no big new movies at the cineplex, all eyes are on Sunday's Golden Globes: It's the first major awards show out of the gate in the new year and the first step on the road to March's Academy Awards. Now's a good time to prep for that and to catch up on stuff in general. For yours truly, that meant finally bingeing "The Madness" and "Black Doves," but make sure you also stream Michelle Buteau's new Netflix comedy special and get your vamp on with "Nosferatu." Things are going to get real soon enough with Sundance Film Festival, Grammys, Super Bowl and all things Oscars, and we all need to pace ourselves for a busy 2025. So buckle up.

Now on to the good stuff:

Get ready for 'Anora' vs. 'Wicked' at Golden Globes on Sunday

Oscar hive, your time has come. The Golden Globes on Sunday begins the march to Oscar night that will fete a new best picture, actor, actress and more, and we've got your hookup. My bud Marco della Cava put together a roundup of everything you need to know about the Globes ceremony, including tune-in info plus details on who's hosting and presenting.

I've also put together predictions of who will win and who should win for the night's biggest prizes: "Wicked" probably has an edge over "Anora" for best comedy/musical, while "The Brutalist" should conquer an impressive best drama field that also features "Conclave," "A Complete Unknown" and "Dune: Part Two." Many of the nominated films made my ranking of the best movies of 2024, so give that a look if you haven't yet.

Find out how Bill Skarsgård did his 'Nosferatu' vampire voice

Unfortunately, "Nosferatu" might not be much of an Oscar player outside its impressive technical achievements but Bill Skarsgård, who plays the vampire Count Orlok, did his part to add to the creepy atmosphere of the horror remake. And as cool as he looks as an undead Romanian nobleman, the most impressive aspect of his performance is Orlok's low, deep growl of a voice. Which is, for the record, all him and no extra Hollywood magic.

Artificially modulating his regular voice down an octave was something he was "vehemently against," the Swedish actor told me. So he worked with an Icelandic opera singer in his efforts to go full Orlok. “A lot of it was just the technicality of rooting the voice as deep as you can in your body and using your entire body to make the voice resonate," Skarsgård says. (And if you've seen "Nosferatu," he and co-star Lily-Rose Depp spill on that intimate final scene. Spoilers ahoy!)

Stream Michelle Buteau's new comedy special on Netflix

You might have seen comedian Michelle Buteau in movies like "Babes" and "Happiest Season," or her comedy series "Survival of the Thickest," but she recently made history as the first female stand-up comedian to film a special at Radio City Music Hall. In her hourlong set streaming now on Netflix, the 47-year-old comedian covers everything from marriage to marijuana in a famous venue that's a definite step up from her “really terrible road gigs" earlier in her career.

Buteau stopped by our New York City office and talked with my colleague Patrick Ryan about her upbringing and success, plus how 9/11 inspired the former journalist to be a comedian: “When I was editing really sad stuff, I was like, ‘There’s so much death. I might as well live.’ ”

Even more goodness to check out!

• Duchess Meghan is back on screen – but not in that new "Suits" show. See the trailer for her Netflix lifestyle series "With Love, Meghan" featuring a cameo from Prince Harry.

• Speaking of fresh footage, lay your eyes on a cool look at the airborne thriller "Flight Risk" with Mark Wahlberg as a bald psychopathic hijacker. "It’s about Mark letting his dark side out in between running his empire and eating lunch with his kids," says director Mel Gibson.

• Who wants to live forever? Bryan Johnson does, for one. A Netflix documentary chronicles his efforts to never die.

• An "Abbott Elementary"/"It's Always Sunny" crossover episode sounds absolutely delightful. Hopefully a Philadelphia Eagle also shows up.

• I grew up watching old "Alice" reruns with my grandma, so let's pour one out for Linda Lavin.

Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch: Golden Globes, Michelle Buteau streaming special