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It was a night of moving speeches, socially conscious messages and gobs of eye shadow.

The shiniest stars from TV and film gathered at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Sunday night for the 72nd Golden Globes– my fav awards show of the year.

Returning hosts– comedienne/actress/writer/asskicker duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were witty and wise, as expected. It was their third time hosting, but likely the last for a while, Fey told reporters last week. 

Art Streiber/NBC/NBCU Getty Images

Let’s start with the fashion…..I watched two hours of red carpet arrivals and never got bored. I’m a sucker for glamour.

RED CARPET WOWS:

There were a lot of A+ outfits this year but my favorite looks of the night were Julianne Moore, J Lo, and Sienna Miller.

–Loved Naomi Watts’ amazing Bulgari diamond snake necklace and canary yellow Gucci sheath dress.  Does she ever make a fashion mistake? Classic, sophisticated, regal.

—Christine Baranski from both the Good Wife and Into The Woods killed it in a raspberry Zac Posen that was chic, sexy and fit like a glove.

–My hero, Lena Dunham loves a bold color and her red Zac Posen satin dress worked well with her new brown bob. Fun fact: Posen was her babysitter when she was growing up in NYC, does that mean she gets a friends and family discount?

–Winner Amy Adams proved less is more in a grey-blue one-shouldered Versace sheath with pretty lines.

—Emily Blunt hit a fashion home run in her white Michael Kors Grecian gown with halter and cutouts. The loose, dreamy braided up-do with chandelier earrings made her look like a romantic Juliet.

—Jessica Chastain’s very low-cut halter copper gown was sexy in the front, and had a fancy bustle in back. With her starlet hair down and behind one ear she looked svelte and gorgeous.

— And let’s hear it for the boys…. I liked Ethan Hawke‘s grey tux with black accents. Retro cool and snug fit was working for me. Seth Meyers went with a navy tux that fit well with a Rat Pack vibe. John Legend made his modern tux look effortlessly handsome. Adam Levine graduated from jeans and leather jacket to a  tux and shaggier hair that looked great.

–Loved Helen Mirren’s pen pin on her dress, to show her solidarity with the Charlie Hebdo victims and upholding the ideal of free speech.

–Most daring risk that paid off goes to Lupita Nyong’o, who made a Giambattista Valli strapless gown with 3D purple and white flowers over most of the bodice work.

–Although it wasn’t the best dress of the night, I can’t avoid mentioning the smoking hot Kate Hudson in Versace. The white sheath with black and beaded accents and cutouts showed off her curves, and was so tight and hugged her ass so nicely that even Jennifer Aniston couldn’t resist grabbing it on the carpet.

All the entertainment sideline reporters were salivating over the new Mrs. Clooney, Amal Alamuddin. Her Audrey Hepburn -inspired look– a strapless Dior black column with side train and white elbow length gloves– was elegant but did not stand out. She also didn’t say much in interviews. Is she shy or just over the Hollywood bullshit?

I’m a sucker for metallic and these ladies hit the carpet with magnetic force: Dakota Johnson in strapless Chanel with a sexy slit…Diane Kruger owned Hollywood glam with hair down and behind the ear in an elegant silvery sheath with a low back. Eli’s take on Reese Witherspoon‘s sleek metallic beaded Calvin Klein sheath: “Wow, that’s stunning!” Nuff said.

But the best metallic goes to …..Julianne Moore in the dress of the night. Her Givenchy metallic sequin halter dress  was cool and modern on top and then flowed down to an ambre darker sequined skirt accented with ostrich feathers, and a black train.  The diamond flower earrings and natural hair completed her look. Fabulous.

—Sienna Miller– Her Miu Miu low-cut halter had beautiful beading on the bodice and skirt. The back looked nude but had stitching and gorgeous beading that looked like it was floating on her skin. The dress was whimsical and different than anything else I saw.

— And oh, that J Lo:  Sexy big hair, glowing skin, killer low cut, high slit dress,  amazing, long dazzling earrings, smoky eyes, and fabulous legs. The dress had a cape-like thing that was part super-hero, part goddess. No one does Hollywood glam better. Red carpet perfection!

THE STARS WHO CHANNELED BJORK:

—Tina Fey had 3 looks and frankly I didn’t dig any of them. But the red carpet dress and high ponytail was the worst of the bunch. The dress was black, and white, and crystally and too prom queen for me.

–Love Allison Williams, didn’t love her severe side-parted hair and thick makeup. The pundits were gushing so maybe it was better in person but on TV her red Armani looked like a Christmas ornament gone wrong. She’s young and beautiful and doesn’t need to be over-styled. A rare miss for her. See Catherine Zeta Jones for how to wear a gorgeous strapless red dress.

–Lovely Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike wore an ill-fitting white Vera Wang that looked more designer’s unfinished pattern than gala gown. But I give her props for having the guts– and the body– to wear cutouts 5 weeks after having a baby.

–Melissa McCarthy needs to get a new stylist. She looked like a pilgrim on steroids. There had to be a better option.

—Ruth Wilson needed to monopolize all the attention she’s getting for The Affair, but she missed the mark in her green Prada sheath dress. The high neck and boxy shape didn’t do anything for her figure and the design seemed more suited to an office than a red carpet.

—Kevin Hart is hilarious but short so he probably shouldn’t have drawn attention to his vertical challenges with the white piping on his black tux. He looked like a mini band leader.

You can see all the fashion in this New York magazine slideshow.

THE SHOW:

Amy and Tina brought their unique brand of funny and cool as they opened with trademark jabs at celebrities in the room, and the self-obsessed, privileged Hollywood culture. Comedienne Margaret Cho dressed as a Korean military rep monitoring the awards. Her photo op with Meryl Streep, photobombed by Benedict Cumberbatch was perhaps an homage to Ellen’s celebrity selfie. that broke Twitter records during last year’s Oscars.

I wanted more Tina and Amy but I guess the show is too tight. NBC’s going to have a tough time replacing them next year.

Early in the evening, the head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association received a standing O when he pledged to support freedom of expression in the wake of both the Sony hack and the French attacks. “Together we will stand united against anyone who will repress free speech, anywhere, from North Korea to Paris,” said HFPA chief Theo Kingma.

—Richard Linklater’s extraordinary film Boyhood — shot over a period of 12 years– won the night, taking best screenplay, best actress for Patricia Arquette, and best picture drama.

–Gina Rodriguez‘ sweet speech after winning best actress in a TV comedy made me want to watch Jane The Virgin. Her dad’s daily advice as a little girl was to get up every morning and say “I can, I will,” and tonight she said , “Dad, I can and I did!”

— The Hollywood Foreign Press loves to honor new series. Shows that got some Globe love included Showtime’s The Affair for best drama and Ruth Wilson as best actress… Maggie Gyllenhaal forThe Honourable Woman …and two awards for Fargo, including Billy Bob Thornton for best actor.

–Another newcomer, the new Amazon series Transparent won best comedy series and Jeffrey Tambor won best actor for his role as a transgender woman finally revealing her true identity to her family. Wilson and I have watched several episodes and loved it. Another content creator is born.

Amazon

WHO NAILED IT:

–The charming, sincere Joanne Froggatt– who won for playing Anna on Downton Abbey— made a beautiful speech referring to her storyline as a rape victim and gave voice to other victims.

—Michael Keaton won a best actor Globe for Birdman and got choked up when he thanked his family and his “best friend.” He used a bunch of superlatives and the long dramatic pause that followed made me think he was going to make some big confession like when Jodi Foster came out last year, but he was moved by his love for his son.  Sweet.

CRINGEWORTHY MOMENTS:

–Fey and Poehler included a bit about Bill Cosby “admitting” he drugged and attacked women, with separate impressions of the accused comedian. I wonder if they felt compelled to address the scandal as the elephant in the room. I get that it’s comedy and they have a right to say whatever they want, but the schtick made me uncomfortable. With all the ridiculous people in that room of egos to poke fun at, why include Cosby? His victims are already facing doubt and rage after bravely telling their stories, why add to their pain?

–Another comedy bit that fell flat was Kristin Wiig and Bill Hader announcing best screenplay and saying the wrong lines from iconic movies. It wasn’t funny and went on for a painfully long time as the two seemed completely unaware they were on live TV and not goofing in the SNL writer’s room.

FAVORITE MOMENTS: 

–While accepting his Globe for best original song for Selma with John Legend, rapper Common gave a powerful speech about identifying with the movie’s characters and carrying their message into modern times as we continue to fight for change and justice.   A cutaway to Oprah showed her on the verge of the ugly cry.

–Hollywood’s favorite son, George Clooney was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award and although he’s not all that old, looking at the scores of movies and TV shows he’s done, he deserved it. Stud Clooney made a classy speech, including a romantic nod to Amal, and ended it by referencing the marches in France and around the world in support of freedom. He closed saying “We will not walk in fear. Je suis Charlie.”

Did you watch? Tell me your highlights and misses in the comments.