Richard Linklater's Boyhood took the top prize, Michael Keaton bagged long overdue recognition, Tina Fey and Amanda Poehler got the laughs, and George Clooney's smirk lost a few centimeters.

The Golden Globes, the first major awards show of the season, consolidated its reputation as a more fun version of the Oscars. Hosted by comic talents Fey and Poehler and organised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the ceremony recognised auteur-driven films such as Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel but largely ignored Selma and The Imitation Game. Wes Anderson's gorgeously designed Grand Budapest picked up a gong in the Best Drama Comedy and Musical category. The prodigious American director paid tribute to his European admirers in his hilarious acceptance speech.



Fey and Amy Poehler rolled out the zingers right from word go, with references to the Sony hack, North Korea and the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award for George Clooney, who is married to the over-achieving lawyer Amal Alamuddin.



In his acceptance speech, Clooney paid tribute to the victims of the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

The better speech of the evening was from Michael Keaton, who won the Best Actor trophy for Alejando Gonzalez Iñárritu's Birdman.
In the household in which I was raised, the themes were pretty simple: Work hard, don't quit, be appreciative, be thankful, be grateful, be respectful, also to never whine ever, never complain, and, always, for crying out loud, keep a sense of humor.

My name's Michael John Douglas, I'm from Forest Grove, Pennsylvania. I'm the son - seventh child - of George and Leona Douglas. And I don't ever remember a time when my father didn't work two jobs. When my mother wasn't saying the rosary or going to mass or trying to take care of seven kids in a rundown farmhouse, she was volunteering at the Ohio Valley Hospital where I was born in the hallway.



One of the evening's big surprises was singer-song writer Prince. He presented the award for Best Original Song to Common and John Legend for Glory, from the civil rights drama Selma.


The first award of the night was given to J.K. Simmons in the Best Supporting Actor for his role as a demanding music teacher in Whiplash. The movie releases on February 20 in India along with a number of other Golden Globe winners and potential Oscar nominees.



Benedict Cumberbatch may have lost out to Eddie Redmayne in the Best Actor, Motion Picture Drama category, but he sure did steal the night with his usual photobombing stunt. This time, his chosen victim was Meryl Streep.

While presenting the award for Best Actress, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, Ricky Gervais mispronounced the name of Annie actor Quvenzhané Wallis.

The Golden Globes also includes a category for television. Fargo took home the prize for Best TV Movie or Mini-Series. This series stars Billy Bob Thorton, Matin Freeman and Allison Tolman. The show is inspired by the film of the same name from 1996 that was written and directed by the Coen brothers. They also serve as executive producers of the show.



What is a film awards ceremony without a parade of haute couture?


Meryl Streep



Amy Adams



Jessica Chastain



Kevin Spacey and Kate Mara



Emma Stone and Kristen Wiig