A view from inside the 67th annual Golden Globes ceremony in Beverly Hills

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A view from inside the Golden Globes ceremony

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The Golden Globe Awards is like a fancy dinner party in an alternate universe where everyone is famous and beautiful. There’s a fully stocked bar — and a fully stocked makeup station in the bathroom. A-listers in their finest attire fill almost every seat in the Beverly Hilton Hotel’s International Ballroom. Here’s a running view from inside the festivities.

Rain on the red carpet meant the Beverly Hilton Hotel’s International Ballroom filled up fast this year. With red-carpet schmoozing limited by the weather, nominee Edie Falco and her date got an early start on their dinner. Rex Lee of “Entourage” milled about with a cocktail and Mike Tyson greeted a friend before finding his seat.

Not everyone brought their appetites to the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards, but all the smokers seemed to bring their tobacco. Guests who skipped the dinner noshed on cheese and fruit in a bar area adjacent to the ballroom. Meanwhile, the smoking patio quickly filled to capacity.

Among the first to arrive at the smoking patio was “The Hurt Locker” star Jeremy Renner, who held off all the way until the show’s first commercial. Others seen lighting up there included “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner, who shared a cigarette with one of his show’s stars, January Jones.

Oops! “Up in the Air” co-stars and supporting actress nominees Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick were heading to the ladies’ room together when Farmiga suddenly realized she had to stay behind to present the next award. She wasn’t the only one who had to tough it out. In accepting his Golden Globe for best motion picture director, James Cameron said he would make his speech quick so he could get to the bathroom.

“Dexter” star Michael C. Hall, who recently announced he’s being treated for cancer, arrived at the awards show with a black turban on his head and his wife and co-star, Jennifer Carpenter, on his arm. He left with a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV drama series. Hall, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, says the disease is in remission.

Not everyone goes home a winner from the Golden Globes, but no one goes home without something. As soon as the show ended, the stars lined up for their swag bags, leather satchels filled with such goodies as cosmetics, a book on Hollywood style and a film by Martin Scorsese.

And then it was time to party: At the Instyle Magazine soiree, Topher Grace stopped to chat with Lindsay Lohan, who had set photographers’ cameras to flashing upon her arrival. A few feet away, U2’s The Edge held court.

The cameras and the crowds never tire of Sophia Loren. That was made clear as the 75-year-old star stopped to collect kisses all the way to her table at Sunday’s Golden Globes, while photographers never stopped snapping pictures of her.

Martin Scorsese, arriving on stage to accept the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement, received the night’s second standing ovation. The first one went to Loren when she came on stage to present the Golden Globe for best foreign language film. Rounding out the night’s standing ovations was just one more, for Jeff Bridges, who won his first Golden Globe, for best motion picture actor for “Crazy Heart.”

It may have been raining outside but the stars were in clear view inside at the Golden Globes. Super couple Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon hugged and visited with Julianna Marguiles and Jane Lynch of “Glee” as the members of the “Entourage” cast joined their co-star Rex Lee. Morgan Freeman, nominated for a best actor award for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in “Invictus,” made his way through the crowd, followed not far behind by Amy Poehler, who was wearing a red over-one-shoulder dress.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the … ”

Well, it was just one of the Beatles, but Paul McCartney still gets a round of applause from Hollywood when he shows up to take his seat at the Golden Globe Awards.

The show hadn’t even started and already Heather Graham and Kevin Connolly were trading information about what parties they should hit afterward. Meanwhile, Sedgwick and Bacon chatted with Sandra Bullock and her husband, Jesse James, as Falco and Glenn Close greeted each other with kisses. With three minutes to showtime, a voice was heard over the loudspeaker: “Take your seats and settle down.”

The stars settled down a little but there was still time for some schmoozing out of camera range and during commercial breaks throughout the show. At one point Jennifer Garner chatted with Amy Adams while Fergie greeted Quentin Tarantino across the room. As John Lithgow accepted his award for best supporting actor in a television series, miniseries or movie, Tobey Maguire kept to himself, sitting solo on the stairs just off-camera.

Even on a rainy night, there’s still a last-minute rush to get in before they close the doors and the cameras roll. This year’s fashionably late crowd included: Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, and Harrison Ford with fiance Calista Flockhart. Bringing up the rear right behind them: director James Cameron.

There was plenty of graciousness to go around as the show unfolded. Christoph Waltz congratulated fellow Globe winner Drew Barrymore as Courteney Cox and husband David Arquette held court in the bar area. Jeremy Piven, who spent most of the show milling about the ballroom, fixed himself a black coffee to fuel up for the show’s home stretch. Meantime, Steve Carrell kindly posed for photos with a couple of attendees.

Associated Press writer Lou Ferrara contributed to this story.

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter. Follow her at twitter.com/APSandy.