It’s been seven months since Meryl Streep’s show-stealing “worst performance of the year” tribute to then President-Elect Donald Trump at the Golden Globes, which means the industry calendar has tilted back towards awards season yet again.
But first, the profits from 2017’s Golden Globes show.
On Wednesday, a month before this year’s awards season launches in earnest at the Telluride Film Festival, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association hosted its Installation and Grant Banquet. During the annual event, a slew of stars help to fulfill their charitable mission by emptying the coffers of all that cash that comes in from the broadcast rights deals for the Globes telecast and heavy-duty sponsorships that finance the organization.
Emmy nominees Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) and Chrissy Metz (“This is Us”) joined Ava DuVernay, Anthony Mackie, Matt Bomer, Armie Hammer, and “13 Reasons Why” stars Katherine Langford and Dylan Minnette to present donations to groups like Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, the Lollipop Theater Network, and scholarships to Santa Monica College.
Chelsea Handler hosted the night at the Beverly Wilshire and brought the laughs.
“Let’s celebrate the three things Donald Trump hates the most: foreigners, the press, and actually donating money to charity,” Handler cracked in her opening monologue. She would go on to smooch presenter Dustin Hoffman on stage and broadcast her room number at the hotel.
“See you upstairs – 1025 – that’s my room,” she instructed Hoffman before sauntering off stage.
The night also served as a debut for new HFPA President Meher Tatna (pronounced ‘muh-HAIR TAT-na’). The Globes elected the Indian journalist, who writes for a Singapore newspaper, as their new leader back in June.
“Part of the mandate is to make (the 75th Golden Globes in January) bigger and better and more special than ever,” Tatna told The Party Report earlier in the night.
The HFPA members represent 56 countries with a combined readership of 250 million. The Globes’ perennial popularity within the industry and high ratings with consumer audiences have allowed the group to donate nearly $30 million to charities over their years.
The milestone 75th Golden Globes take place on January 7, 2018. Jimmy Fallon returns as the host.