Only at the Golden Globes can you feel like you’ve been around the world–or at least around all of Hollywood–and never left your hotel.
The hotel in question, of course, is Merv Griffin‘s famed Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, which served not only as the site of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 60th Annual Golden Globes ceremony, but also as ground zero for all of the fabulous post-gala parties to follow. That meant the stars were not only out, they were shooting across the hotel all evening hoping to make a perfect grand entrance at the most happening moment possible at each bash.
The first stop was the HBO soiree at Griff’s restaurant alongside the Hilton’s picturesque pool, which had been enhanced by party planner Billy Butchkavitz with floating silver floral statuary inspired by the décor of the luxury liner Normandy, while the other areas featured cream-colored carpeting and silver-potted white lilies.
Dozens of familiar faces from several of the pay cable net’s acclaimed series–especially recurring guest stars such as Six Feet Under’s Joanna Cassidy and Sex and the City‘s James Remar and Evan Handler–noshed on fettuccini and penne as they watched the final hour of the awards broadcast on several big screens; meanwhile, early Golden Globe winner Uma Thurman posed coyly for photos.
After learning that The Shield had scooped them in the best drama category, the Six Feet Under team–including stars Rachel Griffiths, Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Matthew St. Patrick and series creator Alan Ball–skipped out of the International Ballroom and were among the first of the heavy-hitters to hit the cream carpet and join the fun. Arliss‘ Robert Wuhl puffed a stogie poolside, chatting with an old stand-up pal, the now-bearded Tim Allen; and while you’d think another ex-comic, Curb Your Enthusisam’s Larry David, would be loving the world after his show’s big win, you’d be wrong. Just as flinty as his character, David grabbed a plate a food and indulged in a few executive backslaps before telling the press he was tired of interviews and ducking fan requests for snapshots.
As the party began to amp up, you could generally tell where Sarah Jessica Parker and hubby Matthew Broderick were by the flood of flashbulbs and spotlights that surrounded them as they booth-hopped with HBO execs, while a joyous Kim Cattrall revealed that while she enjoyed gleaming in the Fred Leighton jewels she had on, the glittery Golden Globe she was toting was her new favorite accessory: “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
A the other end of the party, an upbeat Alec Baldwin–a rumored ex-paramour of Kristin Davis–asked James Remar if he knew when Kristin and the other girls were going to show up, while lanky John Corbett was hard to miss when he showed up with gal pal Bo Derek on his arm. And even though Mr. Corbett had many of the female partygoers ready to swoon as he passed by, Ms. Derek‘s cool glances made sure none of them got any bright ideas about chatting up her man.
Among the non-HBO guests, Corbett‘s big-screen squeeze Nia Vardalos soon bounded into the bash with her green-apple-martini-clutching hubby Ian Gomez (Felicity) leading the way. “I’m wearing Badgley Mischka and they told me I get to keep it!” Nia managed to gush as Gomez dragged her toward the bar. “Win or lose, they don’t care!”
Soon enough, the pool area was peopled with a sea of splashy celebs: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford, Marg Helgenberger and Alan Rosenberg, William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman, Susan Sarandon, supermodel Molly Simms, LeAnn Rimes, Golden Globes telecast producer Dick Clark and many, many more. Perhaps most conspicuous was Robin Williams, who posed puckishly for photos and even snatched cell phones from fans to prove his presence to their disbelieving friends.
Williams was on hand primarily to support his good friend, DeMille Award recipient Gene Hackman. “I enjoyed being there for Gene…He was very elegant and once it was over he was like [gasps for air]. He was really very happy,” said Williams, who noted that Hackman
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is not the kind of actor who revels in hype and hoopla. “He’s a great actor who does the work. And for him, he’s like [shrugs] ‘hey.’ But he was very happy he got it.” As for his thoughts on the equally iconic Jack Nicholson, who claimed the best dramatic actor trophy, Williams giggled: “As always–he’s Buddha. And he took a Valium, so you didn’t get the whole hard-core. You didn’t get deep Jack.”
From the HBO party it was time to venture out into the Hilton’s lobby, where Hugh Grant stepped out of an elevator just as Katie Couric jumped into one; Marg Helgenberger showed off her bejeweled Neil Lane butterfly pins; and Michael Chiklis, winner of the Globe for TV’s best dramatic actor, proudly displayed his trophy to the delight of the fans who had booked rooms at the Hilton in hopes of getting a glimpse of their favorite stars. They got their wish: celebs were streaming out of the InStyle party in droves. The reason why was revealed by ravishing lady in red Julie Benz (SciFi’s Taken), who explained that the power had just gone out inside the fete.
It was also a mad mosh pit at the Miramax party inside the hotel’s venerable Trader Vic’s restaurant, initially labeled as lame by some bash-hoppers but which heated up once the cast of Chicago arrived. The tumult grew as Nicole Kidman and her dark-haired but otherwise look-alike sister Antonia exited the site (Nicole admitted she had stashed a rubber clown nose in her shoe, a riff on her prosthetic proboscis in The Hours, but chickened out of donning it when she won her Golden Globe as best dramatic actress).
As stars like The West Wing’s Janel Maloney and John Spencer got caught up in the crowd when access was denied by security, others like Kristin Davis–still sans Alec Baldwin –made a quick getaway, even stopping to warn Kim Cattrall that the wait was too long as her co-star headed toward the door.
On her way up to the Focus Film fete on the fifth floor, Kristin looked radiant in her shimmery white Donna Karan gown and proudly showed off her beaded black Judith Leiber handbag. Her look was perfectly put together, and she admitted that she had barely lifted a finger this awards season: “I didn’t work at all on picking it out–I hired the brilliant [stylist] Elizabeth Stewart.”
Focus, being one of the newer kids on the block, appealed to a lot of the young up-and-comers, including Dule Hill and Marley Shelton, but also attracted some big-name power players such as director Michael Bay. It also had the added allure of two actresses whose daring décolletage gave new meaning to the phrase Golden Globes: American Dreams star Gail O’Grady, who blew her “TV mom” image away with her sexy, plunging white gown, and curvaceous, bodacious Heather Graham, whose low-flying bodice made it hard to notice that her date was screenwriter Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy).
Another up-elevator ride, another party: This time Paramount’s party on the rooftop honoring its dramatic film winner The Hours–only the hours were getting late and the film’s winners Nicole Kidman and Stephen Daldry had already moved on to other shindigs. Celeb wattage was low at 11:30 p.m.–only celeb super-stylist, the ever-entertainingly fey Phillip Bloch (he handles Halle Berry‘s haute couture, among others) and his frequent muse Maria Conchita Alonzo were in sight, but on the way out a fresh round of stars, including the towering Mira Sorvino and ebony-clad Omar Epps, were looking to liven up the room.
By the end of the night, the evening’s bashes were on the wane, with only the Miramax event still going strong–but no new faces were being admitted without a Golden Globe in hand or a three-picture deal in the bag. In fact, the only remaining spot in the hotel with action even approximating Harvey Weinstein‘s soiree was the Glamour Magazine gift bag stand by the valet station, where the staff not only had its hands full accommodating the many VIP’s collecting their swag, but also contending with numerous non-VIPs trying to sweet-talk their way into a tote packed with goodies.
