LIVE BLOG: Bill Zwecker blogs the Golden Globes

As has long been the case, the Golden Globe Awards is an important event in the annual run-up of what has come to be known as the movie “Awards Season” — the road to the Oscars.

Yet due to the split of awards between comedy/musical and drama among the films contending at Sunday nights cocktail-fueled gala at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills — this year’s Globes proved to be more of an homage to the overall strength of filmmaking in 2013.

Despite the usual Globes category divisions, it WAS an excellent night for “American Hustle.”

The film got a big boost with its wins for best film, comedy or musical, and for Amy Adams (best actress, comedy or musical) and Jennifer Lawrence (best supporting actress).

It was also a good night for “Dallas Buyers Club” with both Matthew McConaughey winning best actor, drama and his co-star Jared Leto winning the supporting actor Globe.

However, for the rest of the films — many with multiple nominations — they took home only one award as Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor, comedy/musical for “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Cate Blanchett for best actress, drama for “Blue Jasmine,” Spike Jonze won the screenwriting Globe for “Her,” Alex Ebert’s score won for “All Is Lost,” and U2 won best song for “Ordinary Love” for “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”).

At the end of the evening, “12 Years A Slave” — the winner of a slew of critics awards and long considered the frontrunner for the best picture Oscar, plus other awards — finally won the big one: best film, drama.

Among the filmmakers and actors going home empty handed were the nominees for “Captain Phillips,” “August: Osage County,” “Nebraska,” “Inside Llewyn Davis”

9:19

One of the more charming acceptance speeches came from Alfonso Cuaron for best director for “Gravity” — telling a cute anecdote. Joking about his thick accent, Cuaron thanked “Gravity” star Sandra Bullock for “not quitting” when he told her “I was going to give her herpes.”

What he ACTUALLY said was “I’m going to give you an earpiece,” during filming.

8:42

While France’s “Blue is the Warmest Color” has won a number of key critics awards, it was edged out by “The Great Beauty,” the best foreign film entry from Italy. You have to remember, the Golden Globes are voted on by approximately 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — many with fairly sketchy credentials as journalists.

By the way, “The Great Beauty” — which is a terrific film — is showing now at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago and the Wilmette Theatre.

8:29

Loved Emma Thompson coming out holding her shoes and sipping a martini — to award the best screenplay to Spike Jonze for “Her.”

8:24

After not making a film for nearly six years, Jared Leto’s performance as the AIDS-afflicted transgendered Rayon in “Dallas Buyers Club” was truly as “transformative” as he said it was Sunday night — picking up his Golden Globe for best supporting actor in a film. Many think this could be a key stop for Leto on his way to winning an Oscar this year.

8:09

Amy Adams gave a super speech — first joking about “crying when I’m not supposed to,” but being unable to when asked to by directors. Usually I hate those thanks to managers and agents, but in Adams’ case she quickly put it into context — thanking her manager for just “having a feeling” Adams would have a career — when the actress walked into her office as a total unknown 15 years ago.

Amy Adams (right) and Jennifer Lawrence in “American Hustle.”

8:03

Jon Voight’s best supporting actor win for “Ray Donovan” was something of a surprise, since most expected Aaron Paul to be part of the “Breaking Bad” sweep at the Golden Globes.

7:56

In the midst of the Golden Globes nonsense — Bono gave a fantastic speech about Nelson Mandela & his importance to the world — as he and the U2 team accepted the award for best song for “Ordinary Love,” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.”

7:36

Kudos to Jonah Hill for revealing that a technical screwup had the wrong TelePrompTer copy was facing them. … He and his “The Wolf of Wall Street” co-star Margot Robbie were great — quickly reading from a printed copy.

7:35

The president of the Hollywood Foreign Press showed good humor — calling his speech “bathroom break.”

7:29

It was only a quick flash as the Golden Globe Awards went to a commercial break — but wouldn’t it be fun to know what fellow-77-year-old actors Bruce Dern and Robert Redford were saying to one another? Both are up for best actor — but in the opposite drama and comedy/musical categories tonight. At least tonight, they are not competing against each other — that won’t be true if both get nominated for the Oscars this year.

7:25

Elisabeth Moss — another seemingly shocked winner for best actress in TV mini-series or TV movie — followed Jaqueline Bissett with letting loose with a “s-bomb” — but ended with a nice homage to her brother and mother.

7:16

Jennifer Lawrence was so clearly so verklempt that she neglected to mention “the man who made my career” — her director for both her Oscar-winning role in “Silver Linings Playbook” and tonight’s Golden Globe win for “American Hustle.” … But, that was nothing. Jacqueline Bisset almost didn’t get through her rambling speech — which came after long, bizarre pauses. Could she have been drinking a bit too much? Oh dear…

Jacqueline Bissett

7:06

The best lines so far — “George Clooney would rather float off into space and die, rather than spend another moment with a woman his own age.” … Congratulating Matthew McConaughey on his performance in “Dallas Buyers Club” — losing 45 pounds for the role, or “as actresses would say, being in a movie.”

7:01

In the opening sequence of the Golden Globes, Amy Poehler got off a good funny line: Thanking “all the women and gay men watching at home.”

6:55

Kate Beckinsale looks amazing in her very fitted beaded gown. But apparently it was a bit too fitted. She admitted the zipper broke en route to the Golden Globes and “I had to be sewn into the dress in the car — or else the world would have “seen golden globes — in a bad way.”

6:30

Bradley Cooper joked with Carson Daly about being asked “about five times” by reporters on the red carpet — why he HADN’T reprised his tight perm hairstyle from “American Hustle” for the Golden Globes.

“Of course, if I had, I would have had to get started getting ready about 9 a.m. this morning,” joked Cooper.

Bradley Cooper — and his perm — in “American Hustle.”

6:21

Tinely joke from Jimmy Fallon — explaining he was delayed arriving for the Golden Globes “because Chris Christie is directing traffic out there” — funny reference to the New Jersey governor’s big traffic scandal.

6:15

Just got a message from a top Hollywood stylist who told me that she’s already had five texts from reps for famous designers — concerned that the big sewage pipe burst on the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton would ruin their couture gowns!

6:05

Classy moments on the red carpet: Bono of U2 reminiscing about Nelson Mandela — “who we worked for since the ’70s,” when the band first did an anti-apartheid concert “when we were teenagers.” Cool to see the whole group together. For most award show appearances it’s usually only Bono and The Edge. … Then came the absoutely gorgeous Cate Blanchett, talking about her time spent in New York to learn the nuances — vocal and otherwise — of the upperclass woman she played in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.”

5:58

A bit of an embarrassing moment for Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet — during a split-screen with his co-host Guiliana Rancic. He was with Jonah Hill. Rancic was with Jonah’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” co-star Margot Robbie. When asked if he had ever met Robbie, Seacrest said no, but was quickly corrected by Robbie who reminded him they had met in “gym in Argentina.”

Oops!

5:44

Don’t know if they were joking, but Amy Poehler and Tina Fey said they had not said any of their opening monolgue jokes “out loud” during rehearsals for the Golden Globes tonight. It would have kept anything from leaking out — let’s see if the jokes all work. Knowing those two ladies — I’m sure they will kill.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on the red carpet at the Globes.

5:36

Will Forte may have showcased his dramatic chops in “Nebraska” — but he proved he still can get his funny on — wearing his “lucky [L.A.] Clippers” socks for his first-time going to the Golden Globes.

5:02

LOVE Zooey Deschanel — she was cute talking about her TV show “New Girl” — and Prince guest starring on the sitcom for their post-Super Bowl show. ….

But Zooey made a classic fashion boo-boo — wearing a gorgeous Oscar de la Renta gown — but those pale tones RARELY look good on television. And let’s face it, the red carpet is mainly a big TV event.

5:22

Here’s that Oscar de la Renta gown Zooey Deschanel is wearing tonight at the Golden Globes. Just is too pale to “pop” on the red carpet.

Zooey Deschanel in Oscar de la Renta

Photo by: bchabrow on Instagram