Awards season started off in style as some of the biggest names in film and TV gathered in the Beverly Hilton for the 77th annual Golden Globes on Sunday night.
Though the Oscars have the edge when it comes to industry prestige, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's ceremony is unofficially known as one of the best parties on the awards circuit - and as such, it always manages to attract a star-studded cast of characters to guarantee a memorable night.
From the major wins to the standout outfit, these are the biggest talking points from the ceremony...
Ricky Gervais takes aim at everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Martin Scorsese
Ahead of his final Golden Globes hosting gig, Gervais vowed not to hold back when it came to offending the biggest names in Hollywood. A quick look at his opening monologue shows that he certainly kept his promise, as he fired off jibes that targeted everything from DiCaprio’s propensity for age-gap romances to Scorsese’s height.
He also made a joke about box office bomb Cats that broadcaster NBC deemed so offensive, they bleeped it out, before taking aim at Hollywood activists, telling them: “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.”
A reaction shot of a less-than-impressed Tom Hanks seemed to sum up the prevailing mood towards Gervais’ incendiary approach.
And Tom Hanks' reaction to him
While most of Gervais' jokes landed, one (rather important) audience member was seen looking more than a little unimpressed.
Hanks, who would later give one of the best speeches of the evening, was caught on camera frowning and grimacing during the opening monologue, gifting us one of the first new memes of 2020:
An angelic Billy Porter steals the show on the red carpet (again)
The star of Pose never fails to up the stakes when it comes to red carpet dressing, having previously sported a dramatic tuxedo gown for the Oscars and been carried into the Met Gala on a chaise lounge.
For this year’s Golden Globes, the Best Actor nominee opted for a white suit complete with a celestial train of white feathers, which required an assistant to expertly keep the train in place.
A double win for Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Fleabag star and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge followed her Emmys sweep with another successful night, taking home awards for Best Actress in a TV Musical or Comedy and for Best TV Comedy.
She used her speeches to pay tribute to ‘hot priest’ Andrew Scott, who she joked “could have chemistry with a pebble,” and to Barack Obama, after the former US President named Fleabag as one of his favourite TV shows of 2019.
Harking back to an infamous moment from the show’s first series, she said: “Personally I would like to thank Obama for putting us on his list, as some of you may know, he has always been on mine.”
Brad Pitt's girlfriend joke (and Jennifer Aniston's response)
Taking to the stage after winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Pitt thanked his parents, remarking: "I wanted to bring my mom, but I couldn’t because any woman I stand next to, they say I’m dating. It would just be awkward."
And of course, cameras panned straight to his ex, Jennifer Aniston.
Ellen DeGeneres' lifetime achievement award
The trailblazing talk show host was honoured for her contribution to the TV industry with Ghostbusters actress Kate McKinnon introducing the star.
Praising DeGeneres, McKinnon said the presenter had made it "less scary" for her to be gay in Hollywood.
She told the audience: "In 1997, when Ellen’s sitcom was in the height of its popularity, I was in my mother’s basement lifting weights in front of the mirror and thinking, 'Am I gay?' And I was, and I still am.
“But that’s a very scary thing to suddenly know about yourself. It’s sort of like doing 23andMe, and discovering that you have alien DNA. And the only thing that made it less scary was seeing Ellen on TV.
“She risked her entire life and her entire career in order to tell the truth, and she suffered greatly for it.
“Of course, attitudes change, but only because brave people like Ellen jump into the fire to make them change.
“And if I hadn’t seen her on TV, I would have thought: ‘I could never be on TV. They don’t let LGBT people on TV.’"
Olivia Colman admits she’s ‘a little bit boozy’
As she accepted her second consecutive Golden Globe (she received the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for The Favourite in 2019, and this year was named Best Actress in a TV Drama for her royal role in The Crown) Colman admitted that she “had money” on not winning and revealed that she was “a little bit boozy” as she thought she wouldn’t have to give a speech.
All hail Queen Olivia!
Rita Wilson’s make-up artist drama
The Golden Globe for Most Compelling Pre-Show Drama should surely be awarded to Rita Wilson, who kept her social media followers on tenterhooks with a string of tweets revealing that her make-up artist had not turned up.
In an initial post, she wrote that her “hair and make-up person is one hour and twenty minutes late,” adding that she was “trying to be zen” and even admitting that she had “booked this person in September.”
Wilson never gave her followers closure by telling them what happened to the wayward beautician, but judging by her radiant appearance at the ceremony, we can happily assume that they either eventually arrived or the star managed to source a last minute replacement.
Stars share messages for Australia as devastating bushfires continue
Russell Crowe, who won the award for Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie, was not able to attend the ceremony as he was in Australia protecting his family and home from the wild fires.
In lieu of an acceptance speech, Crowe provided a message which was read out by Jennifer Aniston.
“Make no mistake, the tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate-based,” it read. “We need to act based on science, move our global workforce to renewable energy and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is.
Cate Blanchett also mentioned the fires before she presented an award, telling guests that she and other Australian attendees “are all very grateful for the callouts to our fellow compatriots who are suffering.”
She gave a “special callout” to volunteer firefighters and described the situation as a “climate disaster.”
Michelle Williams’ powerful speech
After receiving the award for Best Actress in a Limited TV Series for her role in Fosse/Verdon, Michelle Williams gave a powerful and moving speech.
The actress, who is currently expecting a baby with fiance Thomas Kail, advocated for abortion rights, noting that she would not have been able to have the same career if she had not been able “to choose when to have my children and with whom, when I felt supported.”
She went on to urge women to vote “in [their] own self-interest” as “it’s what men have been doing for years.”
Her words were well received inside the auditorium. Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish loudly cheered during the speech and Williams’ close friend Busy Phillips looked tearful.
Awkwafina’s historic win
The actress and rapper became the first ever woman of Asian American descent to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role in The Farewell.
Written and directed by Lulu Wang, the film tells the story of a young American woman whose grandmother does not know she has a terminal illness.
Hers wasn’t the only historic win, as Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite became the first ever South Korean film to receive the award for Best Foreign Language movie.
