Styles & Scenes

Rating the hottest Globe bashes

Who cares about the awards show. Let's talk about the post parties!

Film studios and TV networks spend beaucoup bucks on the food, décor, booze and service staff for their official Globe after-parties. But that’s just smoke, black velvet and mirrors. The true test of a party’s hotness is the star power. The after-bash with the hottest gals, coolest dudes, cutest couples and award-clutching stars wins.

Here’s a quick rundown of who-got-who-and-where.

Host: In Style/Warner Bros.

Where: The Oasis, formerly Palm Court. Think a cavernous blue-lit disco space with spiky Giger-esque red glass tumor-lights over an enormous bar, big dance floor and outdoor smoking area.

Difficulty factor: Piece of cake. The best arrival viewing party and a chance for fans to scream at stars, ask for autographs and take photos. Stars DO stop to sign when they come and go. But once inside, good luck getting through the throng of tuxes and gowns to find them. Tip: head for the small outdoor smoking areas. Or try the dance floor, where Bill Macy and his Globe-winner wife Felicity Huffman were rocking out like teenagers at their high school prom.

Star count: George Clooney and Charlize Theron. Need we say more? OK, George was with his publicist, she was with her boyfriend, Stuart Townsend. Other hot couples: Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, "OC" cuties Rachel Bilson and Mischa Barton, hardly desperate Nicollette Sheridan with Michael Bolton (creepy), Seal with Heidi Klum (creepier).

This was definitely THE hot babe bash: Jessica Biel, Jenna Elfman, Natasha Henstridge, Natalie Portman, Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, Virginia Madsen and Rose McGowan, Melanie Griffiths’ daughter, Dakota Johnson. And Adrien Brody.

Host: Universal/Focus Features/NBC

Where: An elevator ride up to the hotel’s garage rooftop.

Difficulty factor: From a 10 minute to half hour wait to get in. No one wanted nasty fire marshals to shut it down, which they’d do if the body count went over 800. Linger outside the big tent to catch red carpet action: Keira Knightley, Ang Lee and Rachel Weisz clutching their awards and talking about how surprised/nervous/happy they are.

Star count: Second place for celeb sizzle. Major points for “King Kong” director Peter Jackson.

Hot couples: Former Hobbit Dominic Monaghan and his "Lost" costar-squeeze Evangeline Lily, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, Zach Braff with Mandy Moore.

Hot dudes: Eric Bana, Cillian Murphy and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Hugh Laurie, Matt Dillon, Luke Wilson, Patrick Dempsey. Oh, and Adrien Brody.

Memorable moment: Keira Knightley dancing up a storm, spinning around and giggling, while holding a glass of champagne. That’s what we call multitasking.

More parties…

Photo: Hot couple Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend definitely add some sizzle to the Warner Bros./In Style official Golden Globes after-party.
(Kevin Mazur / WireImage)

Let the pre-Globe parties begin!

Judging by this weekend’s schedule of pre-parties and events, Hollywood’s hot list may be pretty fried by the time the actual Golden Globes Awards start Monday night.

The American Film Institute hosts its annual luncheon at the Four Seasons on Friday to honor high-profile films such as “Brokeback Mountain,” “Capote,” “Good Night and Good Luck,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “King Kong,” “A History of Violence,” “Munich,” “The Squid and the Whale,” and “Syriana.”

And some of the films' stars and some big directorial guns -- George Clooney, David Cronenberg, Steve Gaghan, Bennett Miller, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg and Ang Lee -- are expected to be on hand.

Also honored at the AFI lunch will be the cast, crew and creators of TV shows such as “24,” Battlestar Galatica,” “Deadwood,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House,” “Lost,” “Rescue Me,” “Sleeper Cell,” ”Sometimes in April,” and “Veronica Mars.”

Friday night is the first GQ magazine and American Cinematheque bash will be held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, with big stars conveniently supplied by Creative Artists Agency.

On Saturday, ICM will host its pre-Globes bash at the Mondrian's Skybar; HBO will host a big pre-Globes blowout at the infamous Chateau Marmont on Sunset, while Lions Gate and Showtime will have a combined supper soiree  at Morton's restaurant in West Hollywood.

On Sunday, the Los Angeles chapter of the British Association of Film and Television Artists (BAFTA/LA, for short)  will hold its annual tea and crumpet crumble at the Park Hyatt.

Expected stars include: Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, Felicity Huffman, Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maria Bello, Jeff Daniels, Ziyi Zhang, Terrence Howard, Q'Orianka Kilcher, and “House” star Hugh Laurie, who, although he plays an American doc, is really a Tea Bag (that means a Brit).

And the usually star-studded Mike Medavoy-Vanity Fair soiree will crank up Sunday night at the Argyle Hotel, not at Medavoy's pad as in years past. Rumbles of VF's West Coast Editor/Mistress of Impoliteness Krista Smith exercising too much control over the guest list may mean this is the last year for the joint venture.

Backstage battles at Critics' Choice Awards

Not all the entertainment is onstage at awards shows. Often, the juicy stuff is behind-the-scenes.

Take Monday's Critics' Choice Awards. There was a teensy turf tiff between the “Access Hollywood” camera crew and Pat O’Brien’s “The Insider” crew. Seems that the PR folks had given “Access,” where O’Brien was once co-anchor, better, well, backstage access than “Insider," and Pat was none too happy about it. But he did snag a few on-camera interviews in the talent-only gift lounge where stars were being handed everything from fragrance to lip gloss, sunglasses to sexy undies.

OK, since you asked, here are some freebie highlights: Stella McCartney shades (Terrence Howard). Dior sunglasses (Eric Bana). Armani eyewear (Dennis Miller). Black lace panties (Ludracris, for his wife). Fake diamond jewelry (Brendan Fraser, for his pregnant wife).

Stars could even get vision advice in the Talent Lounge. A surgeon at a laser eye center booth told show host Miller he could get rid of those big black eyeglasses forever. The diagnosis? “Dennis is far-sighted and has presbyopia”, said Gary Kawesch. That’s a polite way of saying Miller’s aging eyes are losing elasticity and he needs strong reading glasses. Thankfully, both presbyopia and far-sightedness are quite treatable with lasers, unlike Miller’s ultra-conservative political views.

Anyway, back to O’Brien, who seemed in a foul mood from the get-go. Briefly entering the pressroom early in the evening, O’Brien stepped onto the podium to survey the crowd when a reporter shouted, “Hey, Pat! Wanna answer a few questions for us while you’re up there?"

“No, thanks,” the pancake-faced “Insider” host said, oozing sarcasm. “I’ve answered enough questions” — presumably when he discussed his drug and alcohol rehab on Dr. Phillast year.

By show’s end, O’Brien got plenty miffed when his good friend, Julia Roberts refused to do a quick on-camera interview with him. Heading home with hubby Danny Moder after presenting the Freedom Award to George Clooney, she purred, “Not tonight. This is George’s night.”

Ouch.

"Vengeance" author weighs in on "Munich"

To say that Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” has been a hot topic of controversy during this awards season is putting it mildly. But one person who hasn’t been heard from is George Jonas, author of the book, “Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team,” on which Spielberg’s film is based.

According to Jonas, he was never shown the "Munich" script during its many incarnations. Nor did he speak to any screenwriters or to Spielberg, even after the production was finally greenlit in spring 2005. His sole contact has been "Munich" producer Barry Mendel, who had initially contacted Jonas in July 1998, asking about film rights to the book. When Mendel called in spring 2005 to tell Jonas that filming was moving to Budapest, Hungary, Jonas offered his help, saying Budapest is his native city.

"Help? Maybe you can recommend some restaurants,” was Mendel’s reply.

Jonas had planned to see "Munich" at the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. screening on Dec. 6. When Mendel heard this, he called Jonas to ask if he would consider not going, promising a private showing instead. Jonas agreed, and Universal Studios set things up at the Varsity Theatre in Toronto on Dec. 7.

Jonas understood the producer’s hesitancy. In a revealing and provocative personal piece titled “The Spielberg Massacre” written for MacLean’s, a leading Canadian weekly news magazine, he writes, “There's no telling how an author might react to the Hollywood version of his book under the best of circumstances, and here the circumstances may not be the best. The sixty or so voters for the Golden Globes will be at the L.A. screening. The producers don 't want to take a chance that I might rain on Spielberg's parade.”

His thoughts after seeing the film? "Moral posturing allows you to have it both ways. In Tinseltown terms, after the gunslinger blows everyone away, he has a proper crisis of conscience."

Did his “Vengeance” source, “Avner” (not his real name), really have a moral crisis, as he did in “Munich?” “Avner may have questioned the futility of his mission toward the end — targeted assassinations barely slowed down terrorism, let alone stopped it — but he never questioned the morality of what his country had asked him to do. He had no pangs of guilt.”

On the difference between "Vengeance" and Spielberg’s movie: “'Munich' follows the letter of my book closely enough,” he writes. “The spirit is almost the opposite. 'Vengeance' holds there is a difference between terrorism and counterterrorism; 'Munich' suggests there isn't. The book has no trouble telling an act of war from a war crime; the film finds it difficult. Spielberg 's movie worries about the moral trap of resisting terror; my book worries about the moral trap of not resisting it.”

Does he think Spielberg should not get an Oscar for not solving the problems of the Middle East?

“Spielberg should get an Oscar for making 'Munich,' the gritty Hollywood flick. For not solving the problems of the Middle East, he should get a Nobel Peace Prize, like everyone else.”

Steven, Angelina and Brad show up for Munich

It wasn't really a premiere. But last night's special private screening of "Munich" at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater was about as close to one as Steven Spielberg's controversial, but still Oscar-hopeful film is gonna get.

According to his reps, Spielberg flew in from New York early and drove straight from the airport to make an appearance at the film's 6 p.m. reception in the lobby of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Other than Spielberg's presence, it was a low-key affair, offering light fare, drinks and a dessert table. There was no "red carpet' to walk. A small group of photogs were allowed to shoot the director posing with "Munich" stars Eric Bana and Daniel Craig, screenwriter Tony Kushner and producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Spielberg talked to a few friends such as Variety's Army Archerd and TV talk show host Larry King. "He hasn't seen his friends in a long time. Steven released 'War of the Worlds' and 'Munich' this year and has been working for the past 18 months," explained Spielberg's longtime PR spokesman, Marvin Levy.

The loudest party buzz was over Patrick Goldstein's column yesterday in the Los Angeles Times about the "Munich" awards marketing mess. Levy shook his head when he spoke of Goldstein's piece, then waved his hands as if to shoo the story from existence or memory or both. But Spielberg did, as Universal reps had hoped, speak briefly to two trade reporters and commented on his film's personal and political messages to The Envelope.

"I hope that people who see this movie understand that it's a human story above all else," Spielberg said. "This film is about these five characters. Before all the other noise gets in the way of what our intentions were, this is a human story, told with a tremendous amount of empathy and told in a very balanced fashion and I'm very proud of that."

But Spielberg's appearance was just the first surprise. A veritable second coming occurred when all the hushed party whispers about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie being "on their way" turned out to be true. The hot couple walked into the almost-empty lobby minutes before the 7 p.m. screening began and mere moments after Spielberg had left.

Photo: Daniel Craig and Eric Bana with "Munich" director Steven Spielberg at a special screening of the film at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
(Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage)