It’s no surprise that the tastemakers behind the mega-popular celebrity lifestyle magazine InStyle would know how to throw a pretty grand shindig, especially when the occasion was to celebrate the 62nd Annual Golden Globes ceremony. While the invitations were sent out by Warner Bros., whose film Million Dollar Baby snagged some of the night’s top trophies, you can be certain that the bash was a major blowout.
I mean, when trophy-toting Teri Hatcher and Desperate Housewives co-stars Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman shook their not-so-desperate groove thangs with another Globe winner, Mariska Hargitay, on the dance floor where a 12-piece R&B band funked up the house, while Halle Berry huddled in a corner booth with P.Diddy as Usher and Kevin Spacey look on approvingly, you know the party’s on the sizzlin’ side of hot.
The Palm Court of the Beverly Hilton was transformed by event designer Thomas Ford into a sexy, “baroque-a-go-go” scene with purple satin walls, teal silk sofas and a jaw-dropping 30-foot mobile made of chartreuse floating discs, crystal chandeliers, water-filled orbs and icicle-shaped mirrors.
Along with the boogieing Housewives, the clear belle of the ball was the Million Dollar babe herself, Hilary Swank, who made the rounds with a perma-grin as dazzling as the Golden Globe trophy in her hand, stopping only occasionally to nuzzle her hubby Chad Lowe‘s nose. Clint Eastwood, the triumphant director, looked on admiringly, and Morgan Freeman explained that the party was “fun” and then, under his breath, “noisy, but fun.”
An effusive Debra Messing–in a gorgeous Vera Wang wedding-style gown she had specially made in chocolate brown and big black Fred Leighton pearls–was one of the first on the red carpet, and she had clearly enjoyed the free-flowing Moet & Chandon at the tables during the ceremony. After gushing effusively over her newly minted fellow NBC star Patricia Arquette of the hit crime drama Medium, Debra confided to her husband Daniel Zellman and Patricia’s hubby Thomas Jane that “I’m drunk, and she’s my very favorite person on television!”
On a more sober note, Debra told Hollywood.com that Globe winner Jamie Foxx‘s emotional win provided her favorite moment of the evening. “He’s a very charismatic person, and he’s clearly multitalented,” she said, “so to have someone who has had such an extraordinary with so many different projects out there celebrated for something that he was really magnificent in, and to evoke his grandmother–I don’t know, there something very special about that. It makes you root for him.”
Meanwhile, Patricia was concerned that her snug orange Valentino was about to fall apart. “It’s getting all these snags–it’s this bracelet [that’s doing it]” she explained, showing me her shredded and frayed hip and her diamond-encrusted cuff. “It’s eating away at my dress. It’s cannibalistic on my gown.” I told her I’d check in with her in about three hours and see what was left of the dress. “I think I’ll be wearing Thomas’ coat about then,” she giggled.
We thought InStyle was all about the glamorous clothes, but nudity definitely seemed to be on the guests’ minds. Gigantic Rebecca Romjin (who slipped inside separately from boyfriend Jerry O’Connell) showed me how nearly transparent her black dress was. “I’ll show you–This dress is made out of some really sheer material, and I started getting nervous that it would be really see-through with the lights and the flashbulbs, so I took out a sewing kit on the ride over and stitched it together [over my breasts] so you can’t see through it. At least I hope so–I guess I’ll find out when I see the photos!”
As she stretched out her dress to show me how it now neatly covered her breasts, I admitted to her: “I LOVE my job.”
You’d think Globe winner Jason Bateman‘s mind might be on other things, but he was thinking about his mishaps on the way to the ceremony. “We had to walk the last half-mile because I was late getting in the limo,” said Jason. “There was a big football game on, y’know? I still don’t know who won.”
Beautiful Garcelle Beauvais also got caught in a limo crush. “We were stuck in traffic for a long time! We actually got out of the car and walked, at least 100 yards. In these shoes!” And Brenda Strong, the “dead” Desperate housewife, said her driver got creative: “My really brave limo driver who pulled a U-y on Wilshire. That was pretty exciting. I haven’t had that happen in a while.”
The party chatter continued to focus on Jamie Foxx‘s moving acceptance speech. “It was so emotional,” Foxx‘s Ray co-star Regina King told me. “I felt like I drank that water that he said he wished he could infuse with what he was feeling. I feel like I had a sip of it, and he did infuse it.”
Of course, you have to love when celebs bump into each other on the way in. Towering Mischa Barton nearly stepped on her co-star Rachel Bilson as they found themselves face to face, then both girls launched into a dialogue that went something like “You look so pretty!” “No, YOU look so pretty!” and on and on like that.
Meanwhile, Zach Braff collided with Matt LeBlanc as Matt waited for security guards to help his wife Melissa navigate her way to the restroom. After Matt and Zach had a big mutual–and literal–backslapping session, Zach told me who else he was excited to encounter: “I met Dustin Hoffman tonight. That’s gotta be one of the coolest things ever.” I suggested that Zach should tap Dustin for his next big film, and Zach agreed: “From your mouth to God’s ears.”
Not everyone was happy to be knee-deep in a Hollywood schmooze-fest. “I do think everyone’s really got their egos out tonight,” said sassy iconoclast Thora Birch. “I’m just going to go out and throw that in someone’s face, because people are feeling really hoity-toity.”
Egos were indeed unchecked, and some celebs even won Hollywood versions of a door prize. Angie Harmon and L.A. Laker Rick Fox randomly won ritzy Raymond Weil watches. Poor Christine Lahti was bummed she had to skip out on the fun when the party was in full swing: “I have an early call tomorrow,” she pouted. “I wake up at 3:45. Jack & Bobby‘s not taking a holiday on Monday. I have to go home.”
On her way out the door, Halle Berry told me the best part of the InStyle/Warner Bros. bash was “just to see all my friends all dressed up looking pretty. It was so nice!” For nominee Emmy Rossum, the big thrill was “sitting next to Halle Berry.”
But perhaps the booze was shared a little too liberally among those Will & Grace cast members. When I asked Eric McCormack what his favorite part of the party was, he slurred: “I’m too loaded to remember. No! Don’t quote that!” His devilish grin suggested that he was acting–I think.
