The Golden Globes officially kicked off awards season in Hollywood.
By Vincent De Paul
Vincent De Paul at the Golden Globes (Photo by Vincent De Paul)
It was chock full of surprises for the 19.3 million people who tuned in to the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards this past Sunday, as awards season officially kicked off in Hollywood.
Travelling out to Los Angeles from Washington with my DC beauty, Elizabeth Webster of the Office of DC Councilman Vincent Orange (which encourages filming in DC), the weekend was full of delightful surprises. The SNL duo of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey enraptured the audience with their shocking shenanigans, and the unexpected victories and tearful speeches kept us all engaged.
It was heartening to see fellow producer and great actor Kevin Spacey of Netflix’s House of Cards (I made an acting appearance on the 2nd Season, Chapter 17) pick up his very first Globe win for the critically acclaimed series after eight tries, and the post-parties at the Beverly Hills Hilton were full of merriment and camaraderie. Moreover, it was so wonderful to see my dear friends Mrs. Stanley Kramer and her daughter Kat Kramer. Spacey in his speech mentioned Mr. Kramer as a great producer who always wanted to do more in his contribution to the film world. The Kramers are actually the reason I was inspired to join the PGA.
Vincent De Paul and Kevin Spacey (Photo by Vincent De Paul)
No one seemed particularly bothered that Spacey, after picking up his first win after being nominated eight times, delivered an F-bomb after winning best actor for his role as power-hungry Washington pol Frank Underwood. One could not help but think that the profanity (bleeped out for the TV audience) was more than justified, given his multiple previous nominations without a win.
Hosting the Globes for the third time since 2013, Poehler and Fey also announced that it would be their last time as presenters. They wasted no time in making a few deflating jabs at the star-studded audience. Their gags were mostly lighthearted, taking aim at everything from beleaguered Bill Cosby to George Clooney’s nuptials to North Korea’s Sony hackers.
“George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year,” Fey said. “Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an advisor to Kofi Annan regarding Syria and was selected for a three-person U.N. commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza Strip. So tonight, her husband is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award.”
The Golden Globe’s big winners this year were “Boyhood” for Best Motion Picture-Drama, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” for Best Picture-Musical or -Comedy, and Richard Linklater, who took home the Globe for Best Director for his film “Boyhood.”
Eddie Redmayne picked up Best Actor in the category of Motion Picture-Drama for his outstanding performance as Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything,” and Julianne Moore for “Still Alice” in the actress category.
For the Comedy/Musical category, Amy Adams won for the second year in a row (she took the Globe for “American Hustle” in 2014) with “Big Eyes,” and Michael Keaton beat out fellow actors in the same category for his standout performance in “Birdman,” which tells the story of a washed-up actor who stars in a Broadway play to jumpstart his failing career.
There were other surprising wins, including the well-groomed and talented Matt Boemer (“White Collar” & “Magic Mike”) winning for “The Simple Heart,” and the original network series “The Affair” (Showtime) and “Transparent” (streaming on Amazon), which swept the best actress and actor categories.
“Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez won Best Actress in a TV Series, landing the CW Network with their first Golden Globe winner. “My dad used to tell me to wake up and say ‘I can and I will,’” a teary Rodriguez said. “Well, Dad, today is a great day…I can and I did!”
After the awards ceremony, the party kept going at the Beverly Hilton. The elegant Elizabeth Webster, wearing Sue Wong, and I made our first stop at the Weinstein Company and Netflix’s 2015 Golden Globes After Party, a lavish affair held in the Robinson May parking lot adjacent to the Hilton, and presented by FIJI Water, Lexus, Laura Mercier, B Philip, Lifeway and Marie Claire.
Inside, there were beautifully appointed sofa and tables overflowing with towers of Moet Chandon that gave off a ’40’s vibe. At the head table, studio legend Harvey Weinstein could be found entertaining young Hollywood. The actor Channing Tatum (“Magic Mike”) and Jenna Dewan (“Step Up”) arrived at the party, looking fantastic as a couple. While the Associated Foreign Press did not nominate Tatum for his transformational role in “Foxcatcher,” he clearly looked like he was still having a fabulous time at the party.
Best Actor awardee Kevin Spacey was missing from the party scene, having been told earlier that he would need to leave the Beverly Hills Hilton early to be on set the next morning.
The second stop of the evening was the Fox Studios party, where we caught up with Best Actress for her role in “Big Eyes” Amy Adams, along with her talented fiance Darren Le Gallo (“Stuck”).
The Fox Entertainment party was vibrant and overflowing with energy and talent, including the likes of international fashion designer Sue Wong and scores of Golden Globe nominees.
In the end, I was so proud of my fellow actors and producers for being nominated this year, and especially happy to see Golden Globe recipient George Clooney give the absolute best speech of the evening.
Vincent De Paul is an award-winning actor and producer and a member of the Producers Guild of America. De Paul appeared on the March 2014 cover of Washington Life. He has starred in many independent films including “Silver Case” and has just wrapped on “A Beverly Hills Christmas.” He has played various roles in several blockbusters, including Poseidon, Hitch and Hairspray.
