golden globes press room

George Clooney brought his charming smile, sense of humor, and girlfriend Stacy Keibler backstage to the press room after winning best actor in a drama at the Golden Globes in LA this evening. His The Descendants also took home best dramatic picture, so it was a triumphant night for George. In between his typical funny quips and jokes, George chatted about going up against his friend Brad Pitt this award season and what he thinks fellow nominee Ryan Gosling is getting up to in Thailand. Check it out:

On any award season rivalry or wagers with Brad: I’ll tell you quite honestly: the truth of the matter is, Brad is my friend. I've never felt competition with him. I've only felt a great deal of friendship and support from him and for him. We don’t wager. We don’t bet. We just look at each other and slap each other on the back and wish each other the best because he's a friend.

On why people connect to this film: Alexander Payne knows how to tell a story. It's a coming-of-age film for a 50-year-old. A lot of us have dealt with issues or people like that. I have people coming up to me all the time. I think it touches a lot of people like that.

On Ryan Gosling being a no-show: He's in Thailand or something, and you know what you do in Thailand. He wrote me a nice email this morning and I found out that he wasn’t able to be here. It happens, you gotta work. He's gotta make a living, he's a struggling actor.

On adopting dogs: I've always had dogs. I've almost always had them out of the pound. Seems like a good place. They have a lot of them. It brings me a lot of joy to do it and they seem like the happiest dogs in the game. I only have one, but he eats for, like, four.

On the honor of being nominated: Both of these films [The Ides of March and The Descendants] being nominated, was three years of work and three years of things that mattered to me. What I really remember and what I do this for is filmmaking. I love being a part of film. I know film history. In 1976 there was All the President's Men, Bound for Glory, Network, Taxi Driver and there was Rocky, which won. But I remember all five of those films. The acknowledgement is unbelievably nice and complimentary, but that’s not why I do it.

Memorable moments from tonight's Globes: Here’s two moments that really struck me: I am in awe of Sidney Poitier. When he walks out on stage and he’s there to present, and he gets the longest standing ovation, earned, I found that to be very emotional to everyone in the audience. And the other is Jane Fonda in that dress. My god. She looked great, didn’t she?

On Ricky's hosting: I thought he did a great job. I think tonight was a much tougher gig because there's so much build-up to it. It's almost like how rough can you go at that point. I thought he handled tonight like a proper good host, again. It was fun. People were expecting a lot of trash talk. He did what he does, and he does it well. He makes me laugh.

On Mitt Romney's anti-gay stance: Well I’m not much concerned until there is an actual nominee, but I think it’s the wrong side of history. I think everyone understand it's the last leg of the civil rights issue. It's certainly not the wedge issue it was in 2004.

Matt LeBlanc finally took home a Golden Globe tonight for his work in Episodes, after being nominated three times for playing Joey on Friends all those years ago. In the new series, Matt plays a version of himself and they're currently in the middle of shooting season two in London. When asked about a possible Friends movie, Matt said he doesn't think that is a good idea at all and he's just happy for the writing on his new series. Check it out:

On playing a version of himself: When we started to do the show, my initial reaction was, "What do you mean play myself? I’m not really comfortable with this. We're not doing a documentary." I don't mind being the brunt of a joke if it’s a good joke. So far it's good jokes.

On real Matt Leblanc vs. Episodes Matt LeBlanc: Hopefully the Matt LeBlanc in real life is less damaged. I like to think I have less emotional problems than he does. Hopefully. My job is to make people laugh. If that’s happening than I’ve done my job. It doesn’t really matter if I’m being myself or being the character.

On finally winning, but not for Friends: This is my fourth nomination, I was nominated for the last three years of Friends. When you don’t win you always says it's nice to be nominated, but I gotta say this feels pretty good. Friends was an awesome experience and this is a similar experience. I can't say enough about the writing on the show. I learned my lesson when I did the spin-off, it wasn’t the same. Now I have good writing again and it makes all the difference in the world.

On knowing what is funny: How do I know what's funny? When you read the script if you laugh, chances are it's funny. If you’re rehearsing, if the grips laugh it's probably funny. It nobody’s laughing, it's probably not funny. It’s a pretty simple equation.

Homeland is already having quite a night at the Golden Globes! The show took home best dramatic series, and when the cast stepped back to the press room, the creators revealed a little about what we can expect in season two, saying, "Don’t expect next season to start where this one left off. The Brody-Carrie relationship is going to be front and center. The international aspect of the show, we plan to exploit that and shoot on some fun locations." Just a few minutes later, Claire Danes won for playing Carrie, which brought her back to talk as well. The HFPA member who brought her on stage introduced Claire saying, "We have Claire Danes, who we see here every year.":

On how Homeland has changed her as an actress and an American: Which comes first? It's been a real blessing this role. It's very, very unusual that I get a chance to take a character like this on. So layered, so dynamic. I've never seen a character this layered. It’s a great thrill to be able to explore something that interesting. The quality of writing on this show is spectacular. I’m having a fabulous time with that. I certainly got a work out this season. They asked me to do more than I've ever been asked to do. It was fantastic to develop that flexibility and strength, but it's exhausting. As an American, when I met with people and agents from the CIA, I was really struck by their patriotism. That’s something I’ve taken for granted and I guess I have learned through this story that it's something to take more seriously.

On knowing Homeland would be a hit: One never knows. It’s always a risk whenever you start any project, but I was absolutely riveted by the pilot and I trusted Alex and Howard to be able to sustain that level of writing through this season and seasons into the future. It’s a leap of faith and I’m just so profoundly relieved and more than flattered to think that is has captured the audience's imagination. It has really landed and resonated.

On Homeland changing the way she sees the news: Maybe it has to a certain extent. I think the older I get the greater responsibility I feel about being a citizen and being an American. I pretend to be this person more than anything else. We should all be very grateful that I am not actually in homeland security, since we would not be that secure. Carrie is much better at that than I am.

On researching the character: It was a pretty elaborate process. I like nerding out in that way. I like having a homework assignment of this scale. I delved into a lot of books about the CIA and bipolar disorder. I work with a CIA officer who is very senior and introduced me to people. I happen to have a number of friends who are psychologists, who I talked to about their bipolar clients. I actually went on YouTube, which was a really valuable resource. There is a lot of material. Bipolar people who are up all night and have no one to talk to, talk to the camera, and post it. I gorged on these videos. I tried to extrapolate from that. I have great respect for the illness. It’s no joke.

Peter Dinklage took home yet another accolade, winning the best actor in a drama TV series Golden Globe for his work in Game of Thrones this evening. During his acceptance speech Peter revealed it's the first night he and his wife have left their newborn baby girl at home with a babysitter, so his first press room question was about checking in on the little one. From there, he gushed about the GOT writing staff and said there are some more surprises — and deaths — coming our way in season two. Check it out:

On checking in with the babysitter: Yes. Texting is everything. She’s a baby. Crying never killed anyone. Well, maybe that’s not true.

On what makes his role so important: The fellow cast and crew make it so much fun to go to work. Even the mountains of Northern Ireland would get old. The cast and crew is incredible. The character is a lot of fun.

On this proving action fantasy series can work: Yeah, it depends on the writing. We have a handful of the greatest writers in the business. They have such incredible source material. That is everything to me. Doesn’t really matter about the genre, just the great writing. Hopefully it will give that genre a little more respect.

On season two: Just like the end of the first season, you never know what's going to happen. It's a really smart narrative. I’m sad that was so surprising, writing has gotten so formulaic. You have to push the envelope and challenge people's expectations. That adds to the addiction of the show. You never know what's around the corner. We are not done killing off people and it's amazing the people they choose.

Madonna took home the Golden Globe for her song "Masterpiece" from her movie W.E. at this evening's big show. She stepped backstage after her acceptance speech and was in great spirits, joking about everything from how she tones her famous behind to what she makes sure not to travel without. While talking about the sound of her upcoming album, Madonna showed off a few dance steps. Check out the quotes:

On her current fitness regime: "I’m not really doing Pilates anymore. I’m just dancing. You know, dance aerobics. I kind of do that, but the best thing for your bum is dancing."

On her first post-win call:"Well I’m probably not going to call anybody, I’m going back to my seat, but my daughter will be."

On her Globes dress: "I love it because I feel like I’m wearing chain mail and I’m ready to go to battle."

On beating Elton John: "I hope he speaks to me for the next couple of years. He’s known to get mad at me. He's brilliant and I adore him. He’ll win another award, so I don’t feel bad."

On what she never travels without: "My passport, a pair of tweezers."

Favorite things in her closet: "I'd say my fishnets, but I'm not wearing them tonight. My Victoria's Secret underpants."

On all her upcoming projects: "Well it took me three years to make this movie, and while I was making the movie all these things were pushing the train behind me saying, "What about me?" I do have a recording career to pay attention to. And I do have to pay my rent. Making a record was always on my mind, and then I was asked to do the Super Bowl, which is an honor but takes a lot of planning. Then it’s a tour."

On the sound of her new record: "Well I did a good majority of the record with Martin Solveig, who is a DJ/producer. His sound is really fresh. His music is happy, it puts a smile on your face and I hope my record does too. Also, it will be introspective and thoughtful. It’s a good combination of the light and the dark."

On what inspires her: "Life inspires me."

Kate Winslet stepped back into the Golden Globes press room shortly after accepting the latest statue for her collection. She won for her work in Mildred Pierce, but backstage, talk turned to future roles. She apparently has her eye on playing Elizabeth Taylor as well as taking on the part of a man someday. Plus, Kate told us why roast chicken became a favorite in her household:

On the rumors both she and Lindsay Lohan want to play Elizabeth Taylor: "I think I’ll decline to comment, that’s the first I’ve heard of that story. It’s a massive undertaking for anybody who should be fortunate enough to get that part. I’m not gonna go there, dude!"

On dream future roles: "I would like to someday play a man. That is something that I do know. I don’t know what kind of man. I don’t know whether that would ever happen or not. That would be the ultimate challenge."

On learning to cook for the part: "I was taught to section up a chicken by Tom Colicchio! He used a technique that was quite old-fashioned so it married up. My children were eating a lot of chicken!"

On how Ricky Gervais is doing as a host: "He seems to be doing absolutely fine. I’ve been back here for about the past half-hour, so unless he’s fallen over or started drinking too much, I think he’s doing OK."

Best fashion advice she's ever received: "Wear something that I feel comfortable in, not to wear something just because someone else is telling me to. I think that is true of life as well."

Christopher Plummer was the first winner at this year's Golden Globe Awards, receiving the best supporting actor trophy for his work in Beginners. On stage Christopher apologized to his fellow nominees, which he also joked about when he went backstage to the press room. Here's what he had to say:

On all the nice things being said about him: "Usually no nice things are said about me at all, so it’s a great relief."
On the antigay protests outside the awards: "Gay characters are human beings. we’re all exactly the same. That's the reason I played it the way I did, not as a caricature. They're a part of our society since the Egyptians, the Greeks — it's part of the human condition. I know there is a lot of antigay sentiment in our society at the moment and I abhor it."
On apologizing to his fellow nominees: "That was humor. I always like to salute my competitors since no one is better than the other, it just happens that someone has to win. If it's me, that's wonderful, but I must congratulate all of them because they are wonderful."
On what about this role in particular affected him: "This role particularly affected me because it was such an understated human kind of creature that I hadn’t played for a long time. It's someone's actual father, the director's real father, so I was really apprehensive about it at the beginning. Michael told me to be myself which I did, which is also my father."