“Everybody says it’s a great party,” noted Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey as he and I checked out the scene at the red carpet at the 63rd Annual Golden Globes ceremony. “It’s my first time here,” continued the actor, looking less doctor-ly but more McDreamy than usual in his natty Neal Barrett tuxedo. “So far so good.” I’d like to say Patrick was the first big-deal celeb I encountered on the sunny Beverly Hills afternoon, but it wasn’t true–a few hours earlier I was stall-by-stall alongside Hugh Laurie in the men’s room. But it got a lot more glamorous after that.
Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry was definitely not showing any favoritism toward any of his series’ quartet of nominated actresses. “I’m just hoping one of the four wins. I don’t care who it is. I’m a proud father so whoever one of my gals wins, I’d be happy.” But only one could win–did that mean Marc would have to send a little consolation gift to keep the empty-handed ones happy? “Just a little Valium and they’ll be fine,” he grinned.
Like his pal Patrick Dempsey, Grey’s Anatomy’s Isaiah Washington was taking in the whole scene with his wife with a good degree of contemplation as another Globes first-timer. “I’ve been to a couple Emmys, but this is my first Golden Globes,” he explained. “We’ve been invited to some nice parties. It’s good to see my peers. Particular kids I’ve known for 15 years, sharing this carpet with me, on other hit shows, who I know have worked just as hard as I have. Just to see him or her right next to me. It’s a good feeling watching them get attention for doing what they do.”
I spotted Lost’s Cynthia Watros wandering down the carpet, politely but conspicuously skipping by the press (and the Moet & Chandon servers) after her recent DUI mishap in Hawaii. She definitely looked far more glamorous and sexy than in that late-night mug shot. Her co-star Matthew Fox swung by next, clad in chic Calvin Klein tux (“I literally got dressed in about seven minutes,” he admitted). Fox felt the Golden Globe for best TV drama was Lost’s to lose. “I think if Lost doesn’t win some of the cast will probably start throwing stuff. The Lost table could be pretty rowdy because Dominic [Monaghan] is out of his mind now. The fame has gone way to his head.” Matthew then insisted he was just kidding. “He’s going to love me. But he’s the one who floated the naked thing on me so I’m just getting him back.”
Even the seemingly sedate Yunjin Kim was ready to cut loose and celebrate: “There’s seven of us here. We’re going to have a good time. They’re serving real wine, I heard. We’ll drink up and just enjoy the moment.”
“Don’t we look smart?” asked Dominic when he stopped by dressed in Dolce & Gabana “all over–except my underwear. I’m wearing invisible underwear today.” He flashed a pin with the image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.–the awards took place on the national holiday named for the pioneering civil rights leader–just given to him by his old pal and Lord of the Rings co-star Viggo Mortensen, whom he hadn’t seen in, oh, “27 hours. We tend to live in each other’s pockets when we’re in LA. We went to Dan Tana’s. We closed that place down!”
Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams were the first humongo movie stars to sail down the carpet–or rather sprint down the carpet, as the couple assiduously avoided interviews. Then Anne Hathaway bobbed and weaved, taking but a moment to inform me that her dress was a Marc Jacobs creation. I had more of a moment with Linda Cardellini, the Ralph Lauren-clad ER star who also had a turn opposite Heath in Brokeback Mountain. “I’m so proud to be in this movie and I’m so proud of the work they did. I hope they win,” said Linda. “It almost doesn’t sink in until you’re at something like this. It’s always a slowly evolving process. We all thought of it as a small movie. Now it’s become this huge critical success. It’s a huge privilege to be part of it.”
The ever-intense actor Robert Patrick, there to root on his film Walk the Line, proved prophetic. “I’m going to watch Joaquin take home a trophy and Reese Witherspoon. And hopefully the movie will win as well.” Ultimately all three collected trophies later that evening, cleanly sweeping the Musical or Comedy categories. Patrick also effectively predicted the reaction of the famously attention-shy Joaquin Phoenix: “I think he’ll be very gracious and very humble. He’ll be overwhelmed by the whole situation just like anybody else.”
Kevin Dillon came to me cracking up after having to explain to a foreign reporter that was not brother Matt. I asked him if he and the Entourage entourage were coming in feeling nervous or cocky about their nominated comedy’s chances. “We’ve got that cocky thing going on,” he postured, but then admitted that the success of the show felt like a blessed payoff after many years as a struggling actor. “I’ve been doing this for 22 years. It’s nice to have a hit show for a change.” I wondered which one of gang might need a little extra looking after if their celebration at the Globes, with its notoriously available alcohol, hit high gear: “Me or Kevin Connolly. Usually it’s the two Irish guys you have to keep an eye on.”
Another Grey’s Anatomy star, the devilish Kate Walsh, proudly gave me the details on her Cynthia Rose gown and Munuu gems, but I couldn’t help wondering what the star of the sex-centric show had on under the designer duds: “A very good bra and a very small pair of panties–I’m not going to lie to you. That’s the good thing about taffeta. Most of these ladies are probably going solo downstairs.”
Camryn Manheim, a nominee for playing mama Gladys Presley in the miniseries Elvis, flashed an ring with the image of the King on it, a little lucky charm to match her gunmetal gray gown. “I was a little shocked when they wanted me to play his mother. I thought, ‘Really? She was old.’ But she wasn’t. She died when she was 46. We played her from about 38 on. I really wasn’t too old. It was wonderful. The whole experience was brilliant. Though the truth is… I don’t really know if I fell in love with Elvis or Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I fell in love with one of them, let me tell ya.”
Ed Harris, a nominee for HBO’s acclaimed mini Empire Falls, told me working with the powerhouse cast–which included Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Helen Hunt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright-Penn–was like an athlete playing in an all-star game: “You could look at it like that. It was the finest group of actors I’ve ever worked with at one time, and I really got to work with every one of those actors.”
By this point the fashion parade was on–as was the rush to get inside the Beverly Hilton in time for the show. The stars barely had time for a shout-out for their dressmakers: Scarlett Johansson in racy red Valentino, Geena Davis in Escada, Mandy Moore in Ralph Lauren, Queen Latifah in Carmen Marc Valvo, Heidi Klum in Costume Nacional and Ellen Pompeo, also in Valentino. Then there were enough pretty pregnant stars to start the world’s most glamorous maternity ward, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz, Mira Sorvino and Debi Mazar all dressing for two.
The award for the flashiest and most enthusiastic carpet walk had to go to Terrence Howard, who showed his love for fans and reporters alike, even stopping to plant a kiss on the cheeks of several comely journalists. Instead I opted for a quote from drop-dead gorgeous nominee Maria Bello from A History of Violence, a radiant white vision in Ellie Saab and Jimmy Choo shoes. “We had such an amazing time making this film,” she gushed. “To be here for it is incredible. It’s icing on the cake.”
But in the sea of congratulations, backslapping, kiss-kissing of the highest Hollywood order, I think I have to thank bombshell Pamela Anderson for cutting right through it. First, she called me out when I complimented her on her elegant frock: “You know you wanted me to show up in a bikini and I didn’t do it! And do some somersaults, but I’m trying to behave!” Next, when a reporter told the pneumatic presenter that she hoped she’d be nominated next year, Pam stared her down in all seriousness.
“For what?”
