BRAD Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Cannes this year. They are always seated at the prime table. AFP
LOS ANGELES—Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are expected to occupy the prime table inside the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills during the 69th Golden Globe Awards this evening, January 15 (Monday morning in Manila).
But The Weinstein Co. table may be equally interesting based on its nominees—imagine the conversation between Meryl Streep, Madonna and Michelle Williams.
George Clooney, who is nominated for Best Actor-Drama (“The Descendants”) and Best Director (“The Ides of March”), is expected to attend with his girlfriend, Stacy Keibler.
DreamWorks’ nominee slate should also make for a remarkable group—Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Mary J. Blige.
Viggo Mortensen, up for the Best Supporting Actor prize (“A Dangerous Method”), and Pedro Almodovar, whose “The Skin I Live In” is in the Best Foreign Language Film race, are part of the Sony Pictures Classics’ camp which has 10 nominations. The actor, who speaks fluent Spanish, will have plenty of opportunity to chat with Pedro. Who knows? The dinner conversation may result in a film collaboration between the two.
Morgan Freeman will also be one of the room’s main attractions since he is receiving the night’s big honor, the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.
In addition to Madonna and Mary J. Blige, the Globes party will feature other music stars such as Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Chris Cornell and Queen Latifah.
The ballroom will be full of established and emerging filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Michael Hazanavicius, Rodrigo Garcia (Glenn Close’s “Albert Nobbs”), Asghar Farhadi (the excellent Best Foreign Language Film nominee, “A Separation”) and Bennett Miller (“Moneyball”), just to mention a few.
Among the stars presenting awards honoring excellence in film and television are Johnny Depp, Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Helen Mirren, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Biel, Freida Pinto, Adam Levine, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Ewan McGregor, Rob Lowe, Channing Tatum, Jane Lynch, Harrison Ford, Jane Fonda and Bradley Cooper. Even Arnold “The Governator” Schwarzenegger is coming.
And with Ricky Gervais presiding over the festivities, count on him to inject a dose of unpredictability into the much-anticipated Hollywood party of the year.
E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.