This week in Hollywood was packed to the gills with parties, screenings combined with glad-handing receptions, luncheons, galas, you name it, as awards season shifted into high gear. The Golden Globe Awards came back, with nary a swag suite nor a studio afterparty in the usually packed Beverly Hilton environs and low ratings on the NBC broadcast. Will they be back next year? If all the stars who DID show up and cried when they won have a say, the answer is apparently “yes.”
National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala
Cipriani 42nd Street, New York
“Let’s start taking a drink every time someone says the f-word,” joked one of the guests at the National Board of Review Gala held at Cipriani on 42nd Street in New York City.
From actors Gabriel LaBelle (“The Fabelmans”) and Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) both crediting “Steven F–king Spielberg” for their success to Daniel Craig (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”) admiring co-star Janelle Monae’s pronouns as “free ass motherf–ker” while presenting her with the Best Supporting Actress prize, no swear word was off limits at the annual awards ceremony.
While presenting to writer and director Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) with the award of Best Original Screenplay, actor Oscar Isaac recalled the first time he watched McDonagh’s 2011 short “The Pillowman,”
“What twisted f-ck came up with this and when can I meet him?” he joked. Within the first 48-hours of meeting, Isaac admits they “were tripping on magic mushrooms together.”
Meanwhile, when it came time for actress Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”) to accept her award for Best Actress, she was quick to set expectations immediately stating, “I’m not sure how to use the f word or put it in the right place.”
The evening ended at 11 p.m. with attendees from Spielberg to supermodel/actress Brooke Shields singing “Happy Birthday” to “Women Talking” writer and director Sarah Polley, while she blew out her candles on a cake from Magnolia Bakery.
From awards to birthday cake, no one was left empty handed, either, as guests took home goodies including copies of the book “Women Talking,” “Top Gun: Maverick” jackets, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”-themed booze and more. – Emily Vogel
Netflix Nominees Toast
Catch Steak, Los Angeles
Netflix and its CEO Ted Sarandos love to throw parties, so they held a rollicking bash at Catch Steak to celebrate all the nominations that their films and streaming TV shows have racked up this season so far. Catch Steak is a perfect venue for parties with its winning combination of a very cool bar outfitted with comfy banquettes, its large central high-ceilinged main room with more banquettes (perfect for celebrity seating) and its fun upstairs “secret” room that looks out over the whole scene.
Gaggles of stars turned out to nibble on swooningly good tiny pasta pillows dotted with black truffles and other delectable culinary delights, but when Sarandos took to the mic to make his toast, everyone stopped everything and paid attention.
“I am going to raise a glass to all our nominees,” Sarandos told a rapt crowd filled with actors, directors and other key creators of all the company’s biggest films and series, “but anyone who’s been a veteran of these events knows that there was a day when I could literally name check every single nominee. But the last time we did that, I was cut it off at 270, because it became a very dull party at that point! So tonight I will name check every single project and we’ll raise a glass to you all. From all of us to all of you, thank you for what you do.”
As “The Watcher” star Christopher McDonald pointed out to us, “It’s director’s row right there, what a place to be right now!” as he gestured to the banquettes packed with Oscar winners like “Pinocchio” writer-director Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu (“Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”), along with “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” writer-director Rian Johnson and Taika Waititi, who’s set to direct a number of Roald Dahl stories for Netflix in 2023.
McDonald joined numerous Netflix favorites, including Kate Hudson, Eddie Redmayne, Keegan-Michael Key, Jenna Ortega, James Marsden, Niecy Nash-Betts and Penelope Ann Miller, who brought her daughter, actress Eloisa Huggins, to the celebration.
But out of all those people, we wanted to have some time with Guillermo del Toro, who has spent this whole awards season saying things about animated films that everyone needs to hear while promoting his gorgeous take on “Pinocchio.”
“The thing that I am very happy about this year is that it is a great year for animation,” he said. “The thing that I think needs to be repeated over and over again in the next few years is animation is a medium, not a genre for kids. It’s about saying we have screenplays, we have production design, we have cinematography, we have directing – we are film. That needs to be in the conversation, we are no different than live action. For me, that’s the important thing.”
A Golden Salute to Black Actresses
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Marina del Rey, CA
It was a family affair at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey hotel as W.P. Miller brought together some of Hollywood’s hottest Black actresses to honor two women whose careers are reaching into the stratosphere – Sheryl Lee Ralph and Niecy Nash-Betts.
Both women brought their grown sons to the luncheon event, Etienne Maurice and Dominic Nash, who took to the stage early to make sure everyone in the crowded ballroom knew just how much those two best friends both love their moms. They were preaching to the choir, as many of the people in the audience, including everyone from Marla Gibbs to Lela Rochon, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Jessica Betts and actress-turned-top-director Salli Richardson Whitfield are already big fans of both women.
Sheryl’s “Abbott Elementary” co-star and good friend Lisa Ann Walter joined in the fun, explaining to us that “when Sheryl and I met on the set, it was like we had known each other our whole lives. She’s an amazing woman!”
Even Oprah Winfrey agrees with that assessment, as she and Gayle King sent a video to congratulate both Ralph and Nash – that BFF duo was supposed to make the scene, but the rains in Montecito kept them from making it down the coastline that day.
It didn’t matter, as the audience that did brave the crummy weather to be there (we also spotted Colman Domingo, Victoria Rowell, Vanessa K. Williams and a host of other familiar faces) gave honoree Niecy Nash-Betts exactly what she needed on a rainy day.
“It’s very, very wonderful to be honored,” the “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” star exclaimed, “but it’s a blessing to be loved. And that’s what I’m feeling in this room, so much love!”
The Golden Globe Awards
Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills
The Golden Globes returned to NBC after more than a year in disarray and many of the nominated stars got dolled up and joined the Hollywood Foreign Press for their 80th annual awards show. Eddie Murphy stole the show with a very funny (and slightly filthy) Will Smith joke as he accepted his Cecil B. DeMille career achievement prize, while Brad Pitt won the popularity contest (with a strong showing from Rhianna) for the most shout-outs from the stage. The nominated actor didn’t win, but didn’t seem to care.
Lots of nominees chose to stay away, including Tom Cruise, who after the news broke that the HFPA didn’t have a single Black member, washed his hands of the organization by sending back his three trophies, as well as Brendan Fraser, Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman, Cate Blanchett and Daniel Craig. No actual statements were made as to why they didn’t show, except by Fraser, who referred to his allegation of sexual harassment by one of the HFPA’s long-time leaders.
But lots of famous faces turned up and filled the Beverly Hilton ballroom, including Colin Farrell, who took home his second Golden Globe and seemed pretty stoked about the whole thing. After the show, attendees found a vast wasteland of after parties. with only a single Billboard-sponsored bash to be had, in stark contrast to the normal gaggle of six or seven big celebrations held all over the hotel and beyond.
Even the traditional luxury swag suites that lead up the show were nowhere to be seen this year. Of the numerous companies that usually shower celebrities with swag during Golden Globes weekend, only DPA stepped up with their “DPA Golden Globes nominees CONGRATS gift bags” which they delivered to nominees. Valued at over $3,500, that goodie bag boasted everything from Teuscher Chocolates to Garo Cigars, Social sparkling wine and Pasadena Candle Company candles, just the thing for a little party at home, since there wasn’t anywhere to go after the show!
“A Man Called Otto” Special Screening
Dotdash Meredith, New York
When does a cat walk the red carpet of a big movie’s special screening event? When it is one of the stars, that’s when! At the “A Man Called Otto” event in downtown New York City, Tom Hanks gamely carried the cat (named Smeagol) on the carpet, proving that he’s one A-list actor who’s up for anything!
He and his wife Rita Wilson produced the film, an adaptation of the best-selling Swedish novel “A Man Called Ove,” and they made it a real family affair. Their son Truman Hanks co-stars with his dad in the comedy about a grumpy old man, while Rita composed and performed the song “Til You’re Home” for the movie.
She took to the stage to sing that Oscar short-listed tune as the rest of the film’s stars (Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Alessandra Perez, Christiana Montoya and Mike Birbiglia) and director Marc Forster cheered her on. No word on what the cat thought, however.
“Missing” World Premiere
Alamo Drafthouse, DTLA
Nia Long and her on-screen daughter Storm Reid headed to Downtown L.A. to celebrate the world premiere of their new film “Missing,” a dark tale of mystery and intrigue. But they were all smiles at the opening, along with the film’s directors Will Merrick and Nicholas D. Johnson and other supporting stars Amy Landecker, Sharar Ali-Speakes and Megan Suri.
Special guest Ryan Coogler, the director of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” escorted his wife Zinzi Evans to the event, where everyone stayed put after the screening to hear the cast and crew of “Missing” discuss just how they made the cutting-edge thriller.
Elvis Presley’s Special Birthday Party Celebrating “Elvis”
Formosa Cafe, West Hollywood
Looking back on the Sunday, Jan. 8, birthday party celebrating what would have been Elvis Presley’s 88th is now a bittersweet memory. For no one who joined Warner Bros. and the “Elvis” duo of director Baz Luhrmann and star Austin Butler will ever forget that Lisa Marie Presley made the effort to not only be at Graceland in Memphis for her father’s birthday celebration there, she also flew back to her hometown of Los Angeles to attend the party at the Formosa Cafe with her daughter Riley Keough to celebrate on both coasts.
Now, as this column goes out into the world, Lisa Marie Presley is gone at 54 years old, suffering a fatal heart attack on Jan. 12, just two days after attending the Golden Globes and watching Austin win the prize for Best Actor in a Drama for his uncanny portrayal of her father.
They were together to also celebrate the new HBO Max documentary, “Just a Boy from Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen” that also launched on Jan. 8 on the streamer for Elvis’ birthday.
Baz came early and stayed late, as the Formosa got more and more jammed full of people, with everyone vying to first put on white cotton gloves to actually touch one of Elvis’ capes and bejeweled belts on display in the railroad car that forms the back wall of the cafe.
Warner Bros. bosses Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca hosted, as famous fans poured in. Look down, there was Danny DeVito and Bill Maher; look up, Taika Waititi and Rita Ora (dressed in a reveal-all lacy number) were laminated together in the squished-in crowd.
Young and old Hollywood turned out to remember Elvis, including Jaden Smith and George Lopez, and when the massive birthday cake arrived, Luhrmann led the crowd – including Lisa Marie, Riley, Austin and “Elvis” creatives including Baz’s wife and longtime collaborator, Catherine Martin, who produced the film, did the production design and costume design as well – in singing “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” It’s a night everyone will store in their memories, listening to Lisa Marie Presley sing her father’s beautiful song for one last time.
“Glass Onion” Day
Netflix Tudum Theater, Los Angeles
It was eventful “Glass Onion” (Satur)Day at the Netflix Tudum Theater in the heart of Hollywood as fans of Rian Johnson (and voters in Tinseltown guilds and the Academy, too) had a chance to experience a special afternoon with the “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story” director. First came a big-screen look at the critically acclaimed film, followed by a special conversation with some of Johnson’s collaborators on the hit mystery flick. Composer Nathan Johnson, costume designer Jenny Eagan, cinematographer Steve Yedlin, production designer Rick Heinrichs and editor Bob Ducsay shared fascinating insights into how they collaborated on making the film the visual and aural feast that it is.
Then Rian Johnson took the stage to speak about his creation of the project and taking inspiration from Agatha Christie. Johnson also gave props to the actors on set, including Daniel Craig, Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson and the rest of the talented ensemble.
“I could not have pulled this off without this amazing cast, everyone gave it their all,” Johnson said, adding that he’s already started work on the third “Knives Out” movie. – Elijah Gil
“Tár” Special Screening and Party
The London Hotel, West Hollywood
There’s still time to garner votes for everything from the Academy Awards to the Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and many more guild accolades, which is why “Tár” stars Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss joined writer-director Todd Field for a special Sunday night screening of their acclaimed film at the London Hotel in West Hollywood, followed by an intimate after party.
And with numerous other celebrations going on around town that night, the trio drew quite a starry crowd. Finneas O’Connell hosted the celebration (but no sign of his sister Billie Eilish at the bash), along with Peter Kujawski, the chairman of Focus Features, who brought the drama to audiences. Spotted in the crowded scene were an eclectic group, ranging from Rebel Wilson and Thora Birch to Andrea Riseborough, Maria Conchita Alonso, Jacki Weaver, Justine Bateman and director David. O. Russell, whose star-studded film “Amsterdam” fell flat in 2022 with both audiences and awards voters.
Even mega-producer Barbara Broccoli stopped in, leading us to dream that perhaps Cate Blanchett is in the running to replace Daniel Craig in her James Bond film franchise. Ok, we know that’s a crazy dream, but who says 007 can’t be a woman?
Please send event invitations to Jenny Peters at jenny.peters@thewrap.com