Golden Globes 2015: Stars pack after-parties to eat, drink, take selfies
They were impossible to miss — the millennial power set, gliding down a Beverly Hilton hotel staircase, headed by ringleader Taylor Swift.
Even if she weren’t the most famous 25-year-old on the planet, the pop star would have been easy to spot walking into HBO’s Golden Globes after-party, dressed in a sunny marigold ball gown. But she and her posse were also encircled by a team of stern bodyguards with earpieces. And she was holding fellow Grammy winner Lorde’s hand. While motioning to members of the band Haim and model Jaime King to keep up so they wouldn’t be separated in the crowd.
When they all got to the literal center of the bash, they found even more pretty young things: the cast of “Girls” and Selena Gomez — sans new Calvin Klein model and sometime-beau Justin Bieber. Perennial Globes favorite HBO may have gone home largely empty-handed Sunday, but trophies be damned. These chicks had made plans to party.
Only a few hours before, inside the Beverly Hilton ballroom, Lorde and “Girls” creator Lena Dunham had solidified their plans.
“Ella! Taylor’s gonna meet us at HBO,” the actress had said, calling Lorde by her given first name. “I’ll text you!”
At the parties following the Golden Globes, people who would otherwise never be in the same room — think Monica Lewinsky and Jennifer Aniston, or Lisa Rinna and Matthew McConaughey — converged. Six fetes within walking distance of the ceremony were stocked with plenty of booze and food for stars too anxious to indulge during the show. Some of parties were held in the Hilton’s event spaces — HBO takes over the Circa 55 restaurant — while others popped up in parking lots or tricked-out tents. Which could make getting around kind of confusing.
In the lobby of the Hilton, where onlookers toting iPhones and selfie sticks served as de facto paparazzo, many partygoers stood frozen in front of an arrow-heavy party map.
“To get to the Netflix and the Weinstein Co. party, take a U-turn?” one confused guest asked.
That party was in the nearby parking lot of the old Robinsons-May department store, which had been dolled up with plush couches and ferns glowing with tea lights. Wide-eyed ladies were allowed to grab all the free lip gloss they could fit in their clutches, and huge bottles of 50 Bleu vodka had been placed in every VIP booth.
That’s not 50 Cent’s vodka brand, by the way, though the rapper was on site hanging with Jake Gyllenhaal. The bearded nominee for “Nightcrawler” arrived with his sister, “The Honorable Woman” winner Maggie, and Salma Hayek. The actresses had barely sat down when they were offered a tray of Fatburgers. Hayek took one, split it apart so only one side of the bun remained, and took a bite.
Studio honcho Harvey Weinstein was stationed at a nearby bar. Though his critical darling “The Imitation Game” didn’t win any awards, the movie mogul didn’t seem to be drowning his sorrows. He was in good spirits as he exchanged handshakes and backslaps — though not cheery enough, apparently, to speak to the press.
“You’re from the L.A. Times? Well, I’m from the New York Times,” he quipped.
Back at the HBO party, “True Detective” star McConaughey also declined to share thoughts about the telecast.
“We’re not talking. We’re just here to have a fun night,” said Vince Vaughn, who will star in the second season of the network’s cop drama.
The HBO party, which featured an aqua-and-gold Romanesque design scheme, served up pumpkin gnocchi, red snapper paella and plenty of chocolate for guests who had yet to break into the Godiva boxes provided at the show. The desserts at the late-night affair were gluten-free.
The fare at the Warner Bros. and InStyle party included an entire bar devoted to grains: black rice and carrots, farro and kale, quinoa. “Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez, whose dad was showing off her new trophy in its distinctive box, was too busy talking with admirers to eat. Patricia Arquette appeared to be in a similar state of reverie, clutching her trophy close to her bosom while a male companion showered her with kisses.
The “Boyhood” cast members congregated together, though its younger, less famous stars seemed a tad more out of place than Arquette. Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater, both still one year away from legal drinking age, stood near the front of the party looking solemn.
But even those 21 and over had trouble finding something to sip on at NBCUniversal’s event, where Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Heigl and Hailee Steinfeld stopped in. A Champagne bar ran out of bubbly, and its servers began turning guests away. Even water was in short supply. One bartender said she’d begun “rationing” the few bottles left.
That was a cue for many to leave, and some of the 1,300 who had attended the Globes ran to pick up swag bags full of goodies before getting in their limos. Women were gifted with perfume, cellulite cream and sunglasses — none of which was the best freebie of the night. That prize went to the rolled-up ballet slippers given at the WB party to ladies with aching soles.
Times staff writers Saba Hamedy and Deborah Vankin contributed to this article.
Twitter: @AmyKinLA, @saba_h, @debvankin
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
