Zwecker takes you to Golden Globes red carpet

7:39 p.m.

What a special night for Chicago! Our Town’s Gina Rodriguez won on her first Golden Globe nomination — taking home the award for best actress in a TV comedy or musical series for “Jane the Virgin.” The understandably emotional actress thanked all her professional associates, but then noted how this was a huge win for the Hispanic community. After thanking her parents and sisters (including Evelise Rodriguez, her date for the night), the actress said this award was for “a culture that needs to see themselves as heroes.” She added that her dad always told her to say to herself, “Today is a great day. I can and I will.” Rodriguez paraphrased it by adding, “Today IS a great day and I can and I did.”

• No sooner had Rodriguez left the stage, than the award for best TV series/comedy or musical went to “Transparent,” a show with strong Chicago ties. The show’s creator is Jill Soloway, who is from Chicago, plus it stars Chicago’s own Amy Landecker and Alexandra Billings.

• Among the unusually large number of good acceptance speeches at the Golden Globes, Chicagoan Common’s for winning best song (with John Legend) for “Glory” for “Selma.” His articulate, thoughtful, issue-centric speech made clear the issues in “Selma” from 1964 or 1965 still reasonate today.

6:35: Along with George Clooney and his wife Amal wearing “Je suis Charlie” [I am Charlie] buttons to honor those killed in Paris at the Charlie Hebdo magazine, actresses Diane Kruger, Helen Mirren, Kathy Bates and Patricia Arquette paid tribute at the Golden Globes by holding up signs proclaiming “Jes Suis Charlie.” Actor William H. Macy, nominated for best actor in a TV comedy for “Shameless” told Variety on the red carpet, “I am Charlie,” also taking the opportunity to pay tribute to the Charlie Hebdo Tragedy at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards.

“Je Suis Charlie,” French for “I Am Charlie,” is the slogan adopted by supporters of press freedom around the world, and the French version has fast become one of the most-used hashtags ever on Twitter.

French composer Alexandre Desplat, nominated for his “Imitation Game” score, also brought a copy of the sign as he walked the carpet. Earlier, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein had penned a column for Variety supporting the need for political satire, and expressing the hope that either co-hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey or honoree Clooney would mention the tragedy in Paris and the need to defend press freedom.

6:21: When George Clooney got over to Ryan Seacrest’s spot on the red carpet, the evening’s recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award was surprised by Seacrest with a “Game Over” T-shirt, featuring a drawing of a bride and groom — a shirt also being worn by Seacrest’s entire E! News camera crew and producers standing behind the cameras. Both the actor and filmmaker and his wife, Amal Clooney, appeared very amused by the stunt.

6:03: One of the first stars at the Golden Globe Awards to make reference to the tragedy in Paris, George Clooney, joined by his new wife, Amal, was wearing a black and white lapel button proclaiming “Je suis Charlie,” a touch of solidarity with the killing of the editors, writers and cartoonists at the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. His wife had the same button attached to her purse. “I thought it was amazing,” said the Oscar winner, well-known for his political and social activism, referring to the estimated one million people who showed up in Paris Sunday for a march in support of freedom of expression.

On a much lighter note, the actor quipped, “I didn’t do it just for them,” when told that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were surprised he had finally married — something he claimed he would never do again. As for the new Mrs. Clooney, she told NBC anchors Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie she felt some responsibility for the recent rain in usually sunny Los Angeles. “Sorry, I’ve brought the British weather with me.”

5:48: Already cracking jokes, Golden Globes co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler told Ryan Seacrest, they would have “50 dress changes and 10 emotional changes” during the night’s show. Since it’s the duo’s third and final time hosting, they did say they know they can do whatever they want. “For sure. It doesn’t matter,” said Fey. “I hope everyone at home knows that too.”

“We’re going to have fun. We’ll make it a party. What are they going to do, fire us?” laughed Poehler, talking about the Hollywood Foreign Press.

• “Girls” star Lena Dunham joined by her date Andrew Rannells, said that she had “deleted Twitter… need to be in a safer place for myself,” explaining that she was tired of seeing so many tweets where she had people “threaten my life and tell me what a cow I am,” adding that because of all that she no longer “is not so co-dependent [on Twitter], as I once was.”

As for her gown, she said she was wearing “Zac Posen, my former babysitter,” who the “Girls” star said she thought her parents paid something like $4.50 … but it was back in the ’90s!”

5:34: When Ethan Hawke arrived for his very first-ever Golden Globe Awards show, he asked Ryan Seacrest if “they feed you” at the event. Just then Globes veteran Kevin Spacey stepped up to assure the “Boyhood” star “No food. You just get drunk at this event,” admitted he already had started drinking champagne.

Spacey admitted to Seacrest that he thinks he previously has “jinxed myself,” since he has shown up seven previous times (when nominated) and had never won. “Tonight is the 8th time, so we’ll see how it goes,” said Spacey, nominated for “House of Cards.” Clearly, this eighth time was what it took. He won.

On the red carpet earlier, asked who he was wearing, the actor quipped, “Joseph A. Banks, and I bought 14 more tuxedos in addition to this one,” an obvious reference to the budget clothing chain’s frequent TV commercials touting, “Buy one, get three free,” campaigns.

5:21:

Amy Adams kept with young Hollywood mommy theme, started by Rosamund Pike’s earlier reference to her 5-week-old baby son. Adams, nominated for best actress/drama movie for “Big Eyes” blew a kiss and waved to her 4 1/2-year-old daughter as she chatted with E! News’ Giuliana Rancic on the red carpet. As for winning, Adams (who won last year) laughed off her chances this year, claiming, “I think I know who will be walking up there,” to pick up a Golden Globe. “I’ll be cheering for her. It won’t be me,” said Adams, not revealing who she thinks will win in her category. (My guess? Julianne Moore, the expected winner). “I like to see it spread around,” Adams added — referring to the awards. Of course she was totally wrong. Amy Adams won.

5:10 p.m.

Hollywood’s iconic “Award Season” moved into high gear Sunday night as the Hollywood Foreign Press’ Golden Globes attracted some of the most famous faces on the planet to the Beverly Hilton Hotel’s red carpet.

One of the first stars to step out of their limo was new mom Rosamund Pike, nominated for “Gone Girl,” said she expected Julianne Moore would win their best actress in a drama film category. But feeling very relaxed with Ryan Seacrest so quickly after giving birth five weeks ago, Pike almost revealed the name of her baby son, whose name she “hasn’t yet announced!” Said he was likely watching her “from our suite here at the Beverly Hilton upstairs.”