Hollywood parties return as stars arrive at Golden Globes

BEVERLY HILLS, California: Top film and television stars walked a windy red carpet on Sunday at the Golden Globe awards, Hollywood's first big celebration since twin strikes shut down most of show business last year.

The champagne-fueled ceremony was set to honor the best of movies and TV shows selected by a new group of 300 entertainment journalists from around the world, part of reforms made after a diversity and ethics scandal among Globe voters.

"Barbie," the summer blockbuster starring Margot Robbie as the iconic doll, led all nominees going into the ceremony with nine nominations. Historical drama "Oppenheimer," about the making of the atomic bomb, followed with eight nods.

"Saltburn" star Rosamund Pike, "American Fiction" actor Jeffrey Wright and "Abbott Elementary" creator and star Quinta Brunson were among the first to arrive on the red carpet outside the Beverly Hilton hotel. Designer gowns swayed in winds of roughly 15 miles (25 km) per hour. Afternoon temperatures hovered around 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius), a chilly day for Southern California.

The Globes kicked off Hollywood's annual awards season, which culminates with the Oscars on March 10, and brought top stars together after six months of strikes by actors and writers in 2023.

"It's such an exciting time. You can feel it," "The Holdovers" star and nominee Da'Vine Joy Randolph said. "Everyone is so excited to be back."

The ceremony hosted by comedian Jo Koy was scheduled to be broadcast live on CBS and streamed simultaneously for subscribers to Paramount+ with Showtime PARA.O starting at 8 p.m. ET (0100 GMT on Monday).

Acting nominees included Robbie and "Barbie" co-star Ryan Gosling, plus "Oppenheimer" stars Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, who starred in Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," also are up for trophies.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift also could join the A-list crowd as a nominee for "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," her concert film that was in the running in a new category for cinematic and box office achievement.

In the television field, "Succession" was expected to win accolades for its final season about the high-stakes battle for control of a global media empire. It led all nominees with nine nods, followed by restaurant dramedy "The Bear" with five.

There were 27 first-time nominees for this year's Globes.

Known as a boozy celebration more relaxed than the Oscars, the Globes nearly became extinct. A 2021 Los Angeles Times report revealed ethical lapses and a lack of diversity among the roughly 80 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group that previously voted on the Globes. The 2022 ceremony was scrapped while the organization made reforms.

Last year, the Globes were sold to new owners and the association was disbanded. Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions now operate the awards, with a voting body of 300 journalists from 75 countries with 60% racial and ethnic diversity.

The changes have persuaded Hollywood's top talent to embrace the show and its voters again.

Read the latest news here