Sunday night’s Golden Globe parties were not what they used to be, and the blamed is laid at the feet of talent agencies like CAA and WME. Even though HBO, Weinstein/Netflix, NBC Universal, Fox, Amazon, and InStyle.Warner Bros all threw bashes at the Beverly Hilton, most of them have turned into photo ops and quick stops for most stars. Then they head out to CAA’s private party at Sunset Tower or William Morris Endeavor at Chateau Marmont.
It didn’t help that this year’s “hot” winner, “La La Land,” took all their people and headed to Craig’s LA restaurant on Melrose. They shut the doors to the press who helped promote them to a seven Globe win. They even uninvited some people who’d already been invited. (Not yours truly. Like most press, I was ignored.)
But it didn’t matter because literally everyone who was anyone went to HBO’s annual shindig downstairs at the Hilton restaurant and pool. Traditionally, this is where the elite meet post-show, and Sunday night was no exception. HBO didn’t win any Globes (a rarity) but they have the shows, and the talent. That’s where Best Actress Isabelle Huppert came straight away, along with Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bryan Cranston, Joan Collins, Sting and Trudie Styler, all the “Game of Thrones” cast at the show, and even Joely Fisher, on her first event after the death of her half sister Carrie Fisher.
Another mourner, Zsa Zsa Gabor’s widower Frederic von Anhalt, was there. Somehow he scores two or three Globes tickets. Zsa Zsa, 99, was a contemporary of some of the elder Globes voters.
HBO also had a great “younger” crowd with Malin Akerman, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Francesca Eastwood, Clifton Collins Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, Evan Rachel Wood, and lots of the folks from “Westworld.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon hosted Lorne Michaels, Justin Timberlake, and pals at a club called Delilah in West Hollywood, where sources tell me Jon Hamm also showed up, as well as Hollywood’s favorite couple of wild and swinging guys, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.
But these agency no-press, no outsiders things: they make the Globes a buzz kill. On Friday night, the CAA party was so overstuffed at Catch LA there was a brief crowd bunched up at the door. It was more fun across the street at Craig’s, where Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner were at one banquette, Cuba Gooding Jr. was hosting his own party, and the buzz was high and the food was great.
