By Jay A. Fernandez and Matthew Belloni

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual Golden Globes festivities will take over the Beverly Hilton Hotel January 17.

Yes, that’s three weeks from now. But it’s never too early to map out your afterparty attack.

The Beverly Hilton will once again be the Big Top under which the various celebrity circuses will sparkle and whirl, spilling one into the next. Here’s a partial list of locations for all your cocktail and canoodling needs.

(Be sure to check back for updates, as more events and relevant commentary are sure to be added.)

1. Warner Bros. Studios/InStyle — Oasis Courtyard

You get the most bang for your buck at the WB/IS shindig, since it  merges fashion with the famous and anyone else who’s got even a tenuous relationship with celebrity. Plus, the Bros. had a mighty fine, eclectic year — “The Hangover,” “Harry Potter,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Watchmen,” “The Blind Side,” “The Final Destination,” “Sherlock Holmes” — so expect the babes, bubbly and back-slapping to be free-flowing.

*Note: InStyle is also having its annual GG viewing dinner, hosted by managing editor Ariel Foxman.

2. HBO – Circa 55 + Poolside

While not quite the critical dynamo it was two years ago, HBO still fields a splendid Globes bash with a reliable hip quotient. Keep in mind: as the night goes on, this thing gets packed, so go early if you want to hang there. With a sublimely resurgent “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (jammed full of “Seinfeld”), the ratings-happy “True Blood” and newcomer “Hung” carrying the series mantle, the cabler also did well with “Grey Gardens” and “Taking Chance” on the feature side. And don’t forget the comedy fixtures — from Will Ferrell and Robin Williams to Wanda Sykes, Danny McBride and Zach Galifianakis — that ramps up the unpredictability factor should they swing by.

3. NBC Universal – Hotel Rooftop

Putting NBC Universal that far off the ground with minimal safety railings seems like a bad idea given the year the film division has had. Better install some kind of aerial netting for when things get drunkenly bleakest. And don’t loiter on the sidewalks.

4. Summit Entertainment – Stardust Room

Summit’s critical breakout, “The Hurt Locker,” has been feted by just about every critics group in the country — for picture, director Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal’s screenplay. The Globes followed with its own tank load of nominations. So here’s looking to an explosive party.

5. The Weinstein Co. – Old Trader Vics space

Yes, TWC still has a party. And this year they actually have a reason to throw one. “The Road” may have dead-ended and “Halloween II” may have run out of candy, but homegrown hero Quentin Tarantino delivered his biggest hit with “Inglourious Basterds.” Between that, “Nine” and Colin Firth’s vaunted turn in “A Single Man,” the glamour and movie geek chic should be thicker than Brad Pitt’s Tennessee accent.

By Jay A. Fernandez

Bono received news of his sixth Golden Globe nomination for original song today, for the new U2 song “Winter” from the soundtrack to Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers.” As part of the awards-season ritual, he got on the phone with me today to relay his reaction to the honor.

What follows is an unexpected Q&A with a rock legend about the band’s process for selecting which movies to get involved with, his predilection for Colin Farrell movies and tying the Pixies‘ shoes.

Oh, and the singer-activist also threw in an impression of Bugs Bunny while relating a story about an unrealized U2-Spike Jonze video collaboration. Read on…

THR: This is not new for you. This is number six!

Bono: [laughs] We’re often left waiting at the altar on occasions like this. It’s a big thrill. And more than that, because of our relationship with Jim Sheridan. It goes back to really the first year of our band’s life, we’ve known him that long. It’s a very special feeling. And it’s going to be tricky because people think of songs that are involved in movies like this as non-integral. And this is not the case here. But it’s gonna be hard to convince people of that. We were involved in the very earliest stages of this movie—before it was a script! When it was just Jim pitching it! He wanted a complex song for a complex character. And we wrote two—one that referred particularly to the brothers that was called “White As Snow,” and this is called “Winter,” one that is just really a more universal song about the experience of the armed forces in Afghanistan. “No army in this world can fight a ghost,” in an asymmetrical war. The brave men and women of the United States military have their work cut out for them.

How do you write these songs at the script stage?

Well, we were in songwriting mode, actually, when Jim first told us about “Brothers.” So we were actively looking for subjects. And I was trying to give myself a break from writing in the first person anyway. [laughs] I was bored, and I reckon our audience were bored hearing about my every whim and aspiration and fear. So I really jumped on the idea of trying to get into this guy’s head. I am so pleased it turned out very well. It’s had a few iterations. We did a kind of rock band version of it, we did an acoustic version of it. And even yesterday [laughs] I caught Edge—because we were supposed to be working on something else—I caught him working on an electronic version! [laughs] He’s very proud of it. We are very proud of it. Songs like this, if you’re a songwriter, don’t come about every year.