Marking the beginning of the official awards season, the Golden Globes got under way in style as stars graced the grey carpet in rain-soaked Los Angeles.
The 80th anniversary of the Golden Globes kicked off at 11am on Wednesday (AEDT) with Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh among the first to arrive, followed by most of the nominees.
Missing in action were Australian star Cate Blanchett, who won best actress for her performance in Tar, Zendaya who won best actress in a TV series for Euphoria, and Kevin Costner awarded best actor for Yellowstone.
Veteran Hollywood director Steven Spielberg turned up to accept his best director and best film awards for his semi-autobiography The Fabelmans.
British-Irish director, screenwriter and and co-producer Martin McDonagh won for The Banshees of Inisherin, as did Colin Farrell, who won best actor for the dark tragi-comedy.
Austin Butler won best actor for his interpretation of Elvis, and Australian rising star Milly Alcock was thrilled to be on stage as part of the winning team for best TV series House of the Dragon.
There were some snubs, though!
Nothing for Severance, Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, Glass Onion, Better Call Saul, The Crown, Hacks, Wednesday, Only Murders in the Building, Pam & Tommy or Triangle of Sadness.
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There were also fewer parties.
As the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the awards, rebounds from two years of controversy, organisers promised to restore the lustre to what had been one of the biggest stops on the industry’s awards circuit.
President Helen Hoehne pitched the Golden Globes as the “party of the year”, and by all accounts the Champagne was flowing and key players worked the room during ad-breaks on the three-hour-plus ceremony inside the Hilton, its home for the past six decades.
Australian Margot Robbie, nominated for Babylon but losing out to Michelle Yeoh, was seen toasting with pink champagne on her table alongside a beaming Brad Pitt, celebrities posed for photos together, while couples including Rihanna and A$AP Rocky kept to their tables.
The White Lotus writer and director Mike White, while accepting his award for best limited TV series, said he was going to give the speech in Italian – where his show was filmed – but was too drunk because there was no food.
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With the Globes broadcast live on a weekday, it meant parties were on the weekend before, and the week after.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed Netflix hosted a “Celebration Toast” two days before the Globes, with no mention of the Globes on its invitation; Warner Bros Discovery was hosting a party to celebrate Elvis Presley’s birthday on the same day, with Elvis star Austin Butler and director Baz Luhrmann, but also with no official mention of the awards.
The BAFTA tea party, which traditionally took place the day before the Golden Globes, is now scheduled for January 14, the day before the Critics Choice Awards.
“The only official afterparty appears to be a celebration hosted by Billboard, taking place around the Beverly Hilton pool right after the ceremony,” The Hollywood Reporter stated.
But, as the first official red carpet for awards season, how did it fare?
There was a mix of sparkles, low-key glamour, colourful suits, lots of black dresses, capes and suits, some tributes to old Hollywood, and some sheer gowns only stars like Jessica Chastain can pull off.
There were also a few raised eyebrows with Heidi Klum and Severance star Britt Lower.
You be the judge.
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