Local Leo and his Malibu pals were on hand as the Hollywood Foreign Press rang the opening bell for the 2017 awards season.
It was a who’s who of Hollywood that turned out to watch “La La Land” sweep the program, running away with all its nominated categories (seven in all) — from best song and score to best director and from lead acting honors for Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone to best picture for a musical or comedy. The drama win went to “Moonlight.”
Could “La La Land” be the front-runner for the reddest carpet of them all at the Oscars? That’s the buzz in Hollywood. Plus, with a seven-row sweep, the film has already turned into a record breaker, kicking “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Midnight Express” from their previous perches.
Ben’s bro Casey Affleck won the statuette for his role in the best actor drama category with “Manchester by the Sea.”
It was a night of surprises, beginning with host Jimmy Fallon’s snappy opening numbers at the Beverly Hilton and plenty of unexpected cameo appearances.
Jimmy glided through the opening remarks despite losing his prompter. Instead, he offered to do impressions to fill the time. But Jimmy was soon in his groove with off the cuff quips like, “The Golden Globes is one of the few places that still recognizes the popular vote.”
Another highlight came when Meryl Streep took the stage to accept the Cecil B. DeMille Award. The three-time Oscar winner and multiple nominee had a few choice words for the present-elect, who shot back with one of his famous tweets calling her one of the most overrated actresses around.
Other winners included Isabelle Huppert and Paul Verhoeven for “Elle.”
In the film, Huppert plays a woman who is raped and decides to shift the power from victim to avenger.
So, there’s the heads up before the Oscar nods are announced later this month.
AND THE WINNER IS….
Well, 2016 is not the best year I can remember. But it will go down with wins and losses — and the Cubbies won.
Leonardo, who has been nominated five times, finally won his Oscar for last year’s “The Revenant.” It was a shocking split for Brad and Angelina. There was a similar surprise for Malibu’s Yolanda Hadid and David Foster. But what goes around comes around. Longtime local Dave is said to be seen to be in the company of another blonde beauty — the 62-year-old natural wonder and former supermodel Christie Brinkley. Good luck to all in 2017!