In its 75th edition, this year's Golden Globes has been exceptional – beginning with the red carpet turned black with actresses dressed in a color-coordinated statement against sexual harassment and gender inequality.
The awarding ceremony, accompanied by protest rally and party, launches the entertainment industry's award season leading to the Oscars in the post-Harvey Weinstein era.
'Elephant not in the room'
"Good evening ladies and remaining gentlemen," joked Seth Meyers at his opening speech.
Meyers, who is hosting the Globes for the first time, spared no time to address the sex scandals that have embroiled the industry and referred to Weinstein as "elephant not in the room".
"There's a new era under way, and I can tell because it's been years since a white man was this nervous in Hollywood."
"For the male nominees in the room tonight, this is the first time in three months it won't be terrifying to hear your name read out loud," said Meyers.
'Power of women'
The first award of the night, perhaps fittingly, went to one of Hollywood's most powerful women: Nicole Kidman, for her performance in HBO's "Big Little Lies", a series she and Reese Witherspoon also produced. She chalked the win up to "the power of women" as she paid tributes to her female co-stars.
"I do believe and hope we can elicit change through the stories we tell," Kidman said in her acceptance speech.
"Let's keep the conversation alive," Kidman said. Later, Kidman's co-star on the show, Laura Dern, took home the best supporting actress TV award.
Other early awards continued the theme of female empowerment. Rachel Brosnahan won best actress in a TV series musical or comedy for the recently debuted "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."
Elisabeth Moss, accepting an award for her performance in Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale," movingly dedicated her award to Margaret Atwood, whose book the show is based on, and the women who came before her and after her. "The Handmaid's Tale" later added the award for Best TV Series - drama.
"We no longer live in the blank white spaces at the edge of print," said Moss, referencing Atwood's prose. "We no longer live in the gaps between the stories. We are the stories in print and we are writing the stories ourselves."
The Globes had long been the stomping grounds of disgraced mogul Weinstein, whose downfall precipitated allegations against James Toback, Kevin Spacey and many others. Weinstein presided over two decades of Globes winners and was well-known for his savvy manipulation of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the 89-member group that runs the Globes ceremony.
