The Party Report: Hollywood Stars Roll Into January’s Nonstop Awards Season Scene

The Golden Globes returned to Los Angeles in a revamped format, and most of the bedecked and bejeweled nominees came back to their awards party. Meanwhile in New York, critics groups bestowed their own prizes for favorite 2023 films with plenty of star power of their own.

Back in L.A., Vanity Fair joined up with Amazon MGM Studios to celebrate all things entertainment at a raucous bash, while the Independent Spirit Awards had a more sedate brunch toasting their 2024 nominees. And apparently, the classy move of the season is to bring a non-industry date, from moms (Bradley Cooper) to spouses (Matt Damon) to children (Reese Witherspoon, Heidi Klum, Lisa Ann Walter) to besties (Taylor Swift).

The Golden Globes 2024: Top Fashion Moments

Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills

We’re all excited to see the beautiful Hollywood people back in force after the strikes’ resolution, and the 2024 Golden Globes set a high bar for gorgeousness on the red carpet. Here are our favorite couture looks on women of all ages who made the scene that night.

The National Board of Review Awards/NY Film Critics Circle Awards Gala

Ciprani 42nd Street and Tao Downtown, New York City

How do you know the awards ceremonies are in New York and not Los Angeles? Everyone is wearing black, of course!

At the National Board of Review Gala in the Big Apple, actress Anne Hathaway donned a sleek embroidered Armani gown to present the group’s Icon Award to her “dear friend” Bradley Cooper, recalling Cooper’s prowess in the kitchen, for it seems he can do much more than act, direct, sing and write movies.

“As I watched Bradley make pizza for 20 adults and countless clamoring children, never breaking his rhythm, focus or his connection to whomever he was speaking with, I was struck by how rare a creature Bradley is,” she said.

In a room jammed with some of the world’s biggest stars (from Daniel Day-Lewis to Mark Ruffalo, Zac Efron, Jessica Chastain and Ethan Hawke) the “Maestro” director-star geeked out over getting to meet “The Holdovers” actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph earlier in the evening. “That was a big thing for me. I got to tell her how inspiring she is,” Cooper gushed.

“Bradley, my agents now have strict instructions to contact your team!” Randolph joked, accepting her award for Best Supporting Actress. Last week, Randolph was also honored at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. There, Randolph used her acceptance speech as a platform to ask for to-go boxes of leftover food – and she got them, too!

“Killers of the Flower Moon” star Lily Gladstone and director Martin Scorsese likewise took home trophies at both award shows. While accepting her NYFCC Award, Gladstone pulled her speech out of her cleavage with a laugh, but at the NBR Gala, her tone was different. Gladstone received her Best Actress Award from singer Patti Smith in tears, saying, “Patti, I’m truly in awe of your integrity, your artistry, your approach to art and life. I try to emulate it. I even changed my wardrobe to impress you tonight.”

Into a long black gown, naturally. – Emily Vogel

Vanity Fair and Amazon MGM Studios Awards Season Celebration

Bar Marmont at Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles

When Vanity Fair puts on a party, pretty much everyone shows up, even if it isn’t Oscar Sunday. That’s why their celebratory “awards season” fete at Bar Marmont in L.A. was so jammed it seemed like a New York subway at rush hour – but with much better-dressed and beautiful people along for the ride.

Look one way, there’s Rosamund Pike, sleekly lovely in an ethereal, gauzy pink Molly Goddard gown; look the other and Rachel Brosnahan is channelling her Midge Maisel character in a David Koma ’60s-inspired black minidress. Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Colman Domingo, Trevor Noah and James Marsden brought the testosterone level up, joining EIC of Vanity Fair Radhika Jones and Amazon boss Jennifer Salke for the hot-ticket party.

It was definitely a family affair, too, as Heidi Klum brought her 19-year-old daughter Leni Olumi Klum, a vision in red, while Lisa Ann Walter also went with a form-fitting Zhivago red gown and her son Jordan Baum as her escort. Reese Witherspoon’s son joined her, too, while Alex Borstein left her two kids at home, but brought the accessory of the evening with a piano-shaped patent leather purse.

“I love this purse, isn’t it amazing?” she asked TheWrap with a giggle. She admitted she bought it at DTLA’s Santee Alley street market, not at a designer’s atelier. “I love finding things like this,” the diminutive actress added. “I don’t use a stylist, because who knows better than I do what will look good on me? And who would find me an evening bag like this for 20 bucks?”

2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch

Casa del Mar Hotel, Santa Monica

On a beautiful afternoon at the beach, the Film Independent Spirit Awards held their annual nominees brunch, the warm-up to their actual awards that also happen on the beach in February.

Nominees filled the ballroom and spilled out onto the sunny patio of Santa Monica’s Casa del Mar Hotel, starting the day drinking early with Brad Pitt’s easy sipping Miraval Côtes du Provence Rosé and Petite Fleur Rosé Champagne. Having that pink Champagne flowing made it easy for cohosts Lily Gladstone and Colman Domingo to toast the three winners of the organization’s annual Emerging Filmmaker Awards, after announcing the $25,000 grant winners (Set Hernandez, Monique Walton, Monica Sorelle) to the excited crowd.

“In this room in particular, we’re able to change the way we are all seen, the way work gets done, the way that we all feel valued. We do that here, that’s the spirit of independent films, we continue to rise,” Domingo, a past Spirit Award nominee, said, cheering on the assemblage that included Spirit Award winner Troy Kotsur and current nominees Jeffrey Wright, Erika Alexander, Cord Jefferson, Todd Haynes and Trace Lysette.

Universal Pictures Post-Golden Globes Bash

Tommy’s Restaurant, Beverly Hills

Unlike past Golden Globe Award evenings, when there were countless over-the-top parties swirling around the Hilton Hotel after the show ended, this year the studios and networks stayed away. But over in Beverly Hills, Universal Pictures pulled out all the stops to commemorate their “Oppenheimer” achievement, which carried off four awards, including Best Picture Drama.

All the main players turned up at the party hosted by Universal head honcho Donna Langley, ranging from producer-director-writer Christopher Nolan and his very-much-in-the-business spouse Emma Thomas – they both clutched their trophies for Best Picture – to fellow winner and composer Ludwig Göransson.

Best Actor Drama winner Cillian Murphy – who had Yvonne McGuinness, his wife of 20 years, and their 16-year-old son Aram along for the fun – happily shared his prize with the family. Robert Downey Jr. had his own statue, enjoying the night with his film-producer spouse Susan and a gaggle of his “Oppenheimer” costars including Matt Damon, Alex Wolff, David Dastmalchian, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Olivia Thirlby and Emily Blunt, who was escorted by her non-Oppy-involved actor-director hubbie John Krasinski.

Damon and his wife Luciana looked like the power couple they are, married for almost 20 years and still happy as clams about most things – except for their shoes. While he mused on his “Oppenheimer” experience, saying that he felt like he “was like a musician on a Beatles album, who got to play with the best in the world,” in actuality, the night was all about his shoes. Both he and Luciana wore their brand new party shoes, to mixed feelings.

“We both wore new shoes tonight, and it was a big mistake,” Damon told us mournfully, to which Luciana added, “I’m going to take these things off when I get home and throw them in the trash!”

We diplomatically didn’t ask who made the shoes, but just a note to designers out there: everyone needs comfortable footwear to make it through Hollywood Awards Season!

Please send party/event invitations to Jenny.Peters@thewrap.com

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