George Clooney
Check out some fun facts and trivia for viewers to know before the 2015 Golden Globes. George Clooney (pictured) will take home the Cecil B. DeMille Award this year. Reuters

The Golden Globes kicks off Hollywood's winter awards season as movie and TV folks gather to receive accolades handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Beyond that, the public knows little about the awards show. To help viewers get ready for the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, which will unfold at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California Sunday, we've compiled some fun facts and trivia, courtesy of the New York Daily News, Extra TV and Awards Shows. Check 'em out:

1. Celebrities didn’t start handing out awards until 1958, when the Rat Pack -- led by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. -- rushed to the stage with whiskeys and cigars to give them out. Before that, HFPA members used to hand out the awards.

2. The Golden Globes wasn’t televised nationally until it appeared on a segment of "The Andy Williams Show" in 1964 and 1965. Before that, it was on the air only in Los Angeles. Now, the show can be seen via live stream for people who can’t be near a television.

3. It’s hard to get a seat if you’re not a Golden Globe nominee. Fewer than 1,300 people get invited.

4. The stars can eat, but only if they get there on time. The Beverly Hilton Hotel’s chefs provide a three-course meal for people with the coveted tickets around 3:30 p.m.

5. The first actor to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama was Paul Lukas for "Watch on the Rhine" in 1944.

6. Meryl Streep has been nominated for the most individual Golden Globes.

7. Jamie Foxx has the record for most nominations in one year.

8. In 1962, Judy Garland became the first woman to take home the Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is given for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment."

9. George Clooney will get the Cecil B. DeMille Award for 2015.

10. Marlon Brando refused to accept his award in 1973 for “The Godfather.” He protested “imperialism and racism.” He did likewise at the Oscars that year, sending a representative to give a political statement instead.

11. The Golden Globes doesn’t use seat fillers, so when an actor gets up to receive an award, his or her seat will be empty afterward.

12. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is the only film to win all five major Golden Globes. In 1976 it won for Best Motion Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay.

13. The 1976 film “Nashville” got the most nominations ever (nine), but it took home only one award at the 1977 show.

14. Celebrities didn’t attend the 2008 Golden Globes, when the Writers Guild of America was on strike. The actors wanted to show solidarity. The winners were announced on live news.

15. Stars get to drink champagne when they go to the awards show. There will reportedly be 400 magnums of Moet & Chandon on hand.

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella