Pinoy-made gowns on the red carpet at Golden Globes

HOLLYWOOD - Hollywood A-listers paraded on the Golden Globes red carpet wearing dresses made by the world’s top fashion designers.

Filipina designer Monique Lhuillier created the intricate gown worn by "Into the Woods" star Anna Kendrick.

Alan del Rosario made the white gown modeled by Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) member and former Miss Universe Margaret Gardiner.

Hollywood-based Oliver Tolentino, who has dressed Globes stars in previous years, created a gown for television comedy best actress winner Gina Rodriguez for a pre-Globes red carpet event.

Meanwhile, Philippine designer Francis Libiran came all the way to Hollywood to attend the ceremony.

"This year, we really plan to dress up Hollywood stars. That’s one of our plans here. Gawang Pilipino, Disenyong-Pilipino," he said.

HFPA Filipino member Janet Nepales wore a couture gown by Michael Cinco. She and her husband and fellow member Ruben Nepales actively promote Filipino designers within Hollywood.

"Kapansin-pansin ang gawa ng Pilipino at very detailed, very artistic, very colorful," she said.

But the Golden Globes serves a higher purpose apart from the glam and glitz that it is famous for.

The HFPA earns millions of dollars from its annual Golden Globes telecast which allows them to donate funds entertainment-related charities and scholarship programs.

Filipino resort owners Richard and Phoebe Lim attended the event hoping to promote their business to Hollywood.

Read more from Balitang America

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Boyhood, 'Grand Budapest' take top Golden Globes

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Coming of age tale "Boyhood" won the coveted Golden Globe for best drama on Sunday, while the quirky period caper "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was the surprise winner for best comedy or musical, in a big upset to awards season front-runner "Birdman."

The first major awards for the Hollywood film industry this year were scattered widely among many films, potentially setting up a complex race towards the industry's top honors, the Oscars on Feb. 22.

"Boyhood" took three Globes, including the night's top honor, a reward for the unprecedented cinematic venture of making a film over 12 years with the same actors. The man behind the low-budget experiment, Richard Linklater, won best director and Patricia Arquette won best supporting actress.

"Birdman," a satire of show business that led all nominees with seven nods, picked up best screenplay and best actor in a comedy or musical for Michael Keaton, embodying a comeback in film and real life.

"Alejandro, there is not a person in this room who won't show up for your next gig," said Keaton of "Birdman" director Alejandro Inarritu.

But "The Grand Budapest Hotel" from director Wes Anderson was the big surprise of the night as best comedy or musical, although it only took home that one award.

Civil rights drama "Selma" won one award, for best song, while "The Imitation Game" walked away empty-handed.

The outcome of the 72nd Globes will not influence the Academy Awards slate, since voting for next week's nominees announcement is closed. But it can give crucial momentum to the Oscar race.

Other top actor awards went to performers who portrayed the pain of illness.

Julianne Moore won best actress in a drama as an early-onset Alzheimer's patient in "Still Alice," while Eddie Redmayne took best actor in a drama for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything."

It was a more somber night than usual for the Golden Globes, usually one of the more rambunctious events in the awards season, organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Politics played heavily into acceptance speeches, from support for the Hispanic and transgender communities to calls to protect freedom of expression and solidarity after the deadly attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

George Clooney, receiving a lifetime achievement award and sporting a lapel pin declaring "Je suis Charlie," noted the "extraordinary day" in Paris and around the world as millions of people and world leaders marched to pay tribute to victims of Islamist militant attacks.

"They marched in support of the idea that we will not walk in fear," said Clooney. "Je suis Charlie."

The following are film and television winners at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on Sunday.

FILM

BEST DRAMA
"Boyhood"

BEST COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, "Big Eyes"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

BEST DIRECTOR
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Leviathan," Russia

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"

BEST SCREENPLAY
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, "Birdman"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Glory," for "Selma" - John Legend, Common

TELEVISION

BEST DRAMA SERIES
"The Affair"

BEST COMEDY SERIES
"Transparent"

BEST MINI-SERIES OR TV MOVIE
"Fargo"

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Ruth Wilson, "The Affair"

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Gina Rodriguez, "Jane the Virgin"

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

The ultimate Golden Globes fashion accessory: Amal Clooney

LOS ANGELES - Amid a wave of nominees and stars wearing red and white, all eyes were on the new Mrs. George Clooney as she made her red carpet debut in a striking black Christian Dior gown at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.

Amal Clooney, who married Clooney in a lavish Italian ceremony last year, offset her one-shouldered flowing gown with her own white opera gloves as she accompanied her husband, who will receive a lifetime achievement award on Sunday.

The human rights lawyer added a "Je Suis Charlie" pin on her purse while Clooney wore one on his lapel, in support of the victims of the attack on French satirical newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" last week.

Since getting engaged, Amal Clooney has earned praise for her high fashion picks, opting for French, Italian and British designers and becoming a staple on best dressed lists. Her gloves on Sunday set off their own viral Twitter trend, #GoldenGloves.

"Amal is the big 'get' in the fashion world right now," said Eric Wilson, fashion news director at InStyle fashion magazine.

"Wearing gloves on a red carpet, as simple as it sounds, is a very dramatic move," he added.

White was the chosen hue for the chilly night.

Nominee Emily Blunt spun a Grecian twist on the classic white dress in a draped Michael Kors gown, while Kate Hudson opted for a flesh-baring Versace fitted dress with cutouts.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus kept a sleek look in one-shouldered Narciso Rodriguez, while Rosamund Pike divided critics with her white Vera Wang dress with cutouts.

Sienna Miller in Miu Miu and a pregnant Keira Knightley in Chanel opted for white with floral prints.

Red, often regarded as a risky choice for stars for fear of blending into the carpet, was featured in all silhouettes, from Helen Mirren in a fitted Dolce and Gabbana embellished gown to "Girls" stars Lena Dunham in a backless satin Zac Posen and Allison Williams in a strapless sequined Armani Prive number.

Viola Davis won praise for her fitted strapless Donna Karan embellished red gown, while Taylor Schilling opted for a deep red Ralph Lauren halterneck gown with a flowing skirt.

But welcome pops of color amid the red and white came from nominees such as Amy Adams, who opted for a periwinkle Versace one-shouldered gown, and Naomi Watts in a yellow Gucci column accessorized with a Bulgari snake necklace.

Maggie Gyllenhaal opted for a dusky pink strapless dress and Anna Kendrick channeled her "Into The Woods" character Cinderella in a blush pink embellished Monique Lhuillier gown.

Last year's red carpet darling Lupita Nyong'o stood out in a purple Giambattista Valli gown covered in ruffled flower motifs, which Wilson said led the trend for texture tonight.

"There's a real movement in 3-D texture in fashion, and it looks like Lupita is wearing fireworks," he said. "She wears bright colors so beautifully, it's quite stunning."

Jessica Chastain led the metallic trend in a bronze Versace plunging number, while Reese Witherspoon went for all out glamour in silver sequined fitted Calvin Klein.

Jennifer Lopez shimmered in a plunging silver Zuhair Murad dress while best actress nominee Julianne Moore wore a gun-metal Givenchy gown.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Hollywood set for Globes after website 'winner' glitch

LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood is holding its breath ahead of Sunday's Golden Globes, with dark comedy "Birdman" leading the race for awards glory ahead of next month's all-important Oscars.

While an eve-of-show computer glitch appeared to suggest two other films could take the top prizes, "Birdman" is still in strong position, earning a string of accolades and other nominations leading up to the Globes.

Unusually rainy weather looks set to dampen the arrival of A-listers on the red carpet in Beverly Hills for the Globes, second only to the Oscars in terms of Tinseltown awards buzz.

"Birdman," which stars former "Batman" Michael Keaton as a washed-up film actor trying to revive his career on stage, has earned the most nominations with seven.

Coming-of-age drama "Boyhood" and Nazi code-breaking thriller "The Imitation Game" starring Britain's Benedict Cumberbatch are also hotly tipped to take home trophies with five nods apiece.

British actors feature strongly at the Globes: Cumberbatch and his co-star Keira Knightley are among a batch of British nominees in both the film and television categories.

Comic actresses Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be hosting the show for the third straight year at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the festivities will begin at 5 p.m. (0100 GMT Monday).

Some industry experts have highlighted the lack of a clear frontrunner, in contrast to previous years like in 2012, when "The Artist" had a virtual lock on Best Picture prizes straight through to the Oscars.

"It seems like a real toss-up," Tom Nunan of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television told AFP, adding that actors in this year's race had all turned in "career-best performances."

Did glitch reveal winners?

This year's crop of nominated movies is heavy on true stories: four of the five Globes best drama contenders are based on real-life events. Among the historical figures featured are British geniuses Stephen Hawking and Alan Turing, and Martin Luther King Jr.

In the best musical or comedy category, the widely acclaimed "Birdman" still seems to be the film to beat.

The movie also earned nods for best actor for Keaton, best supporting actor (Edward Norton), best supporting actress (Emma Stone) and best director (Mexico's Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu).

Its rivals include Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel," Disney's dark musical fairytale romp "Into the Woods," "Pride" and "St Vincent"

On the drama side, the best film contenders are: "Boyhood," "Foxcatcher," "The Imitation Game," "Selma" and "The Theory of Everything."

Barely 48 hours before the curtain goes up for the 72nd Globes ceremony, a website glitch appeared to suggest that "Selma" and "Into the Woods" could be set for best film honors.

The films were briefly posted on the Globes website as winning the best drama and best musical/comedy film awards, before the captions were taken down, according to industry journal Variety.

A spokesman said the films were chosen "randomly" from nominees' lists as Web technicians fine-tuned the website ahead of the show, and that the captions should not have been live.

Open TV field

On the small screen, "Fargo" took the most nominations with five.

In the television categories, critics see a free-for-all now that the widely acclaimed "Breaking Bad" is no longer on the air or in the running.

Victories for either "House of Cards" for best drama series and "Orange is the New Black" for best comedy would be sweet for online streaming giant Netflix as it battles the traditional broadcast and cable networks.

Unlike the Oscars, which are voted on by some 6,000 industry members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Globes are selected by fewer than 100 journalists from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

But a Globes win can still provide a huge boost for an Oscars campaign.

Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday. The Academy Awards will then be held on February 22.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com