Stars say 'Time's Up' wearing black on the Golden Globes red carpet

LOS ANGELES - From flowing gowns to tailored tuxedos, Hollywood's film and television stars dressed in their finest black on the Golden Globes red carpet on Sunday in solidarity with the Time's Up campaign to fight sexual harassment in the workplace.

Jessica Chastain, Laura Dern and Natalie Portman led female and male nominees as well as attendees dressed in black at the awards show where the sexual harassment scandal roiling Hollywood is expected to dominate the conversation.

"We're here for the Time's Up movement. Octavia (Spencer) is my date -- girl power! We stand in solidarity against any abuse of power," Chastain, nominated for "Molly's Game" and wearing a black velvet gown with a silver sequined back, said in a televised interview with NBC on the red carpet.

"It's about people who are voiceless, and it's about empowerment," added Spencer, who is nominated for "Shape of Water."

In the week leading up to the awards ceremony, more than 300 Hollywood industry figures including actors, directors and writers, launched the Time's Up campaign to address workplace sexual harassment misconduct.

Portman, who joined Instagram in the past week to promote awareness of Time's Up, opted for a black velvet dress and accompanied a pregnant America Ferrera, wearing a black sequined dress with a tuxedo jacket, on the carpet.

"It's an incredible opportunity to get to go with a friend, an activist, someone who can have our voices together because we've been separated for so long ... and how much louder and stronger our voices can be when we come together," Portman said.

Dern, in a strapless black gown, was accompanied by Monica Ramirez, the co-founder and president of the National Farmworker Women's Alliance (Alianza Nacional De Campesinas), which represents more than 700,000 women working in the agricultural industry, fighting workplace sexual misconduct.

"It's time for us to make a difference," Dern said.

While black was the palette of choice on Sunday, stars spun their own twist with an array of textures and silhouettes.

"Black-ish" star Tracee Ellis Ross donned a black headwrap with her black satin Marc Jacobs halterneck dress, "The Crown" star Claire Foy opted for a black tuxedo suit, twinning with her co-star Matt Smith, and "Will and Grace" actress Debra Messing wore a black sequined Christian Siriano dress with trousers.

"Get Out" actress Allison Williams wore a strapless sequined Armani Prive black gown with a bold orange and silver bodice, while Mandy Moore opted for a black sleeveless halterneck Rosie Assoulin gown with a red sash.

Angelina Jolie, accompanied by her son Pax and nominated for her film "First They Killed My Father," wore a black gown with sheer sleeves embellished with black feathers.

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'Three Billboards,' 'Lady Bird' win top Golden Globes

LOS ANGELES -- Dark drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" was the big winner with four Golden Globes awards on Sunday on a night marked by scathing jokes about sexual harassment and passionate odes to those breaking their silence.

Mother-daughter comedy "Lady Bird" was named best comedy film and the indie A24 movie's star Saoirse Ronan won for comedy actress.

Gary Oldman was named best drama movie actor for his role as British wartime leader Winston Churchill in Focus Features' "Darkest Hour" and Frances McDormand took home the award for drama actress for her role as an angry mother seeking vengeance in Fox Searchlight's "Three Billboards."

James Franco won the comedy actor award for his cult movie homage "The Disaster Artist," also from A24. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro won best director for magical fantasy "The Shape of Water."

However, the night was dominated not by who took home prizes but by jokes and speeches about the sexual misconduct scandal that has rocked Hollywood.

"Happy New Year Hollywood! It's 2018. Marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment finally isn't," quipped Globes host Seth Meyers in his opening remarks, bringing wild applause from the A-list audience in Beverly Hills.

Multiple allegations against actors, filmmakers and Hollywood agents since October 2017 have led to many of the accused being fired, forced to step down, or dropped from creative projects.

Referring to the male nominees gathered in Beverly Hills for the top television and movie awards, Meyers said: "This is the first time in three months it won't be terrifying to hear your name read out loud."

The evening began with the normally colorful red carpet transformed into a sea of black gowns as every actress showed solidarity with victims of sexual harassment inside and outside the entertainment industry. Many have given their own harrowing accounts.

Women kept up the theme inside the Beverly Hilton ballroom.

"This year, we became the story," Oprah Winfrey said in a rousing speech while accepting the annual lifetime achievement award.

McDormand said she was proud to be a woman in the industry. "It's great to be here and be part of the tectonic shift in our industry's power structure," she said.

Laura Dern, a supporting actress winner for "Big Little Lies," said: "May we teach our children that speaking out without retribution is our culture's new north star."

The HBO TV series was one of several female-driven winners on Sunday.

The Golden Globes ceremony, the first of the major awards shows in the run-up to the Oscars in March, marked the first big test for how Hollywood would handle the scandal.

Meyers joked that, as the first of the hosts, he felt like "the first dog they shot into outer space."

He appeared to have found the right balance, getting cheers in the room and warm early reviews. Industry website Deadline.com said Meyers "deftly executed a seemingly impossible task," while E! News said he "made lemonade out of lemons."

Dystopian tale "The Handmaid's Tale" won best TV drama series and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Amazon's new series about a 1950s housewife who become a stand-up comedian, took best TV comedy or musical series.

Fox Searchlight and parent company Twentieth Century Fox were the big winners in terms of studios, with their films winning seven awards. Indie movie studio A24 had three.

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'Moonlight,' 'Arrival' win top Writers Guild of America awards

Writers for the films "Moonlight" and "Arrival" won top Writers Guild of America awards on Sunday, boosting the films' chances in the upcoming Academy Awards, Hollywood's biggest honors.

Barry Jenkins and Tarell McCraney won the original screenplay award for "Moonlight," a drama about a young black Miami man's life and struggle to forge an identity.

Eric Heisserer took the Writers Guild of America's prize for adapted screenplay for the science fiction film "Arrival," based on a short story by Ted Chiang.


Both films are nominated for the best picture Oscar, which will be handed out at a gala ceremony in Hollywood on February 26. The writers for both films are also Oscar-nominated, but will compete against each other in the adapted screenplay category after the Oscars decided the "Moonlight" script was an adaptation of a McCraney play.

"Command and Control" won for best documentary screenplay.

Among television honors, "The Americans" won the Writers Guild prize for drama series, while "Atlanta" took the award for best comedy series as well as for best new series.

The Writers Guild is an industry group representing film, television, radio and other media writers.

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Awards season kicks into high gear with Golden Globes

LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood's awards season kicks into high gear on Sunday (Monday morning in Manila) at the Golden Globes, with a movie about reporters investigating abuse in the Catholic Church and Leonardo DiCaprio touted as likely winners.

The show, the industry's biggest party of the year, is seen as a good indicator of films and actors destined for Oscars glory on February 28.

This year the show promises not to disappoint as British comedian Ricky Gervais returns to dish out his biting jokes, sparing none of the stars guzzling champagne at the gala, or even members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which picks the Globe winners.

Pundits said that while predictions indicate that "Spotlight" -- a movie about the Boston Globe journalists who uncovered sexual abuse in the Catholic Church -- will win for best drama, the race was really up in the air.

"I think 'Spotlight' is going to win partly because it's a celebration of journalism and there is some 90 journalists who are voting on this," said Timothy Gray, awards editor for trade magazine Variety.

"But I wouldn't bet my money on it because there are other possibilities," he said. "This year there is genuine suspense."

Other films vying for top honors include the lesbian romance "Carol" starring Cate Blanchett, epic survival thriller "The Revenant" with Leonardo DiCaprio, the harrowing kidnap tale "Room," and the summer blockbuster "Mad Max: Fury Road."

The frontrunner for best comedy is "The Big Short," based on a book about the financial crisis of 2007-2008.

Also running in that category are the dramedy "Joy," space blockbuster "The Martian," zany caper "Spy," and Amy Schumer's breakout film "Trainwreck."

DiCaprio appears well ahead in the race for best actor in a drama for his strong performance as fur trapper Hugh Glass in "The Revenant."

Critics are widely predicting the 41-year-old actor will take home his first Oscar for the role.

"There is a feeling that it's his year," said Tom O'Neil, founder of awards tracker GoldDerby.com. "All 17 GoldDerby experts have him unanimously out front to win."

Also nominated for best actor in a drama are Bryan Cranston as a blacklisted 1940s screenwriter in "Trumbo," Eddie Redmayne for the transgender tale "The Danish Girl," and Will Smith for the hard-hitting sports drama "Concussion."

For best actress in a drama the nominees are Blanchett and her co-star Rooney Mara in "Carol," Brie Larson for "Room," and Alicia Vikander who plays alongside Redmayne in "The Danish Girl."

'Edgy and naughty'

Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes also honors television shows, and two nominated series are creating a buzz: "Mr Robot," about a computer programmer and vigilante hacker, and "Narcos," Netflix's take on the infamous Medellin drug cartel.

Other nominated TV series include Netflix's women's prison show "Orange is the New Black," HBO's fantasy epic "Game of Thrones," and the transgender comedy "Transparent."

In the best foreign movie category, four European films and one from Latin American are vying for an award, including Hungarian Holocaust drama "Son of Saul," and "Mustang," a French production about the life of subjugation of five Turkish sisters.

Movies aside, all eyes will be on Gervais, who raised eyebrows for his off-color jokes when he hosted the show for three years starting in 2010.

The caustic comedian, who takes over from co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, comes with a reputation of fearlessly poking fun at A-listers from Mel Gibson to Angelina Jolie and even the Hollywood Foreign Press. No one expects him to hold back this year.

Gervais has apologized in advance for what he will say, and has been asking fans on his Twitter account for advice on who his victims should be this year.

"I think he is going to touch on politics and show business," Gray said. "But people kind of enjoy him because he is so edgy and naughty."

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