Jessica Chastain and I exchanging styling tips at the Critics Choice Awards 2015

Composer Alexandre Desplat, nominated for his score for The Imitation Game, looking very French.

As I’m sure you know by now, the Broadcast Film Critics Association (of which I am a not-so-humble member) announced the Critics Choice Awards winners last night, at a giant gala and show broadcast live by A&E from the Hollywood Palladium. While I was told I would be seated next to Lana Del Rey, who was nominated for her song from Big Eyes, girlfriend didn’t show up (still smarting, perhaps, from the undeserved spanking the Fashion Police gave her regarding her Golden Globes get-up.) So I had to make due with sitting next to Alexandre Desplat, the amazing French composer who received two Oscar nods this year, for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Imitation Game. I could live with that.

The Critics Choice Awards show itself was hosted by Michael Strahan, who was ushered onstage by stripping Chippendale’s dancers and proceeded to rip off his own pants. That was a first for the show. Strahan was game, but there were some more than uncomfortable moments and costume changes, especially when he showed up in a bellhop suit and hat that was supposed to look like it came from The Grand Budapest Hotel, but was a little more reminiscent of something else that I can’t write for fear of being accused of racism. Just let me say that a man of Strahan’s size in a pill box hat is never a good look.

Other than that, the Critics Choice awards show was quite the grand production, with the stars dressed to the nines and obviously having a lot of fun. I was at odds with most of my colleagues on the majority of the awards, though. Starting at the top, Boyhood won, and while I think it’s a good movie with the interesting and ambitious conceit of being filmed over 12 years’ time, as my husband says, “It’s the best home movie ever made.” When you get past the gimmick, the script, cinematography, etc. are good but not great. I preferred Birdman.

It was fun commiserating about the Best Picture choice with the producer of another major contender, whose name I won’t reveal, because he’s probably sitting at home right now, downing aspirin and regretting all that champagne. He just knows he kvetched at length to a certain critic, but can’t remember exactly what he said.

The the adorable Jaeden Lieberher from St. Vincent, who got my vote for Best Young Actor.

Boyhood, by the way, also garnered  three additional wins, including Best Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette, Best Young Actor/Actress for Ellar Coltrane, and Best Director for Richard Linklater.  I voted for Tilda Swinton for Best Supporting Actress, the adorable Jaeden Lieberher from St. Vincent for Best Young Actor (who sat at the table next to me and absolutely stole my heart) and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for Best Director.

But some of my other votes for Birdman were more effective. The most nominated film of the evening won seven awards, including Best Actor for Michael Keaton (I voted for Eddie Redmayne), Best Acting Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay for Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Armando Bo, Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki, Best Editing for Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione, Best Actor in a Comedy for Michael Keaton (definitely voted for him on that one), and Best Score for Antonio Sanchez (not my choice again).  Michael Keaton is the first person in the 20-year history of the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards to win three awards in a single year (Best Actor, Best Actor in a Comedy, and as part of the Birdman Best Ensemble). That should give him some juice going into the Oscar race.

Grumpy goon in background making sure no one but Justin Theroux even breathed on Jennifer Aniston.

Another first this year was having big, bad, grumpy guys standing behind certain A-Listers so no one could approach them. What’s with that? The Critics Choice Awards have always been the one event where talent and critics are on even terms, with judgement withheld. It makes one feel much more generously inclined toward nominated actresses like Rosamund Pike and Melissa Mccarthy, who graciously chatted and posed with everyone, than, say Oprah Winfrey or Jennifer Aniston, who hid behind her hair and Justin Theroux, perhaps cowering in disappointment about not getting an Oscar nod.

Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike was ever so sweet at her first Critics Choice Awards.

Other highlights of the evening included Kevin Costner giving an eloquent, thoughtful, homey speech after receiving a‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ celebrating more than three decades of incredible work in film. Oh, and the hunky Chris Hemsworth, who wasn’t nominated for anything, showing up to present the  ‘Critics’ Choice LOUIS XIII Genius Award’, established to honor an icon who has demonstrated unprecedented excellence in the cinematic arts, to multiple award-winning director, producer and actor Ron Howard.

One of my goals with AtHomeInHollywood.com is to bring the fun and glamour of Hollywood into your own home, so, in an attempt to take you to the awards with me, I’m not posting generic celebrity shots, but shots of me with the stars, as if you were on the other side of the camera snapping away. You know if you were with me, I would have been snapping those photos right back of you. Someday maybe they’ll let me bring a “plus two” and you can come along with me and Jim. But until then, hope you enjoy the pics!

To give credit where infinite credit is due, my glam hairstyle was done by Allen Edwards and Adrianna Darwichian of Decarra Salon. Makeup done by Karen Seyfer of Karen’s Creative Illusions. To see more photos from the event, go to CriticsChoice.com.

Brits like Kiera Knightley are often the most gracious.

Here’s a complete  list of the winners of the 2015 Critics Choice Awards:

Best Picture – “Boyhood”
Best Actor – Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Best Actress – Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Best Supporting Actor – J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Best Supporting Actress – Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Best Young Actor/Actress – Ellar Coltrane, “Boyhood”
Best Acting Ensemble – “Birdman”
Best Director – Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Best Original Screenplay – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Best Adapted Screenplay – Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl”
Best Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Best Art Direction – Adam Stockhausen (Production Designer), Anna Pinnock (Set Decorator), “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Editing – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, “Birdman”
Best Costume Design – Milena Canonero, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Hair & Makeup – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Best Visual Effects – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Best Animated Feature – “The Lego Movie”
Best Action Movie – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Best Actor in an Action Movie – Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Best Actress in an Action Movie – Emily Blunt, “Edge of Tomorrow”
Best Comedy – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Actor in a Comedy – Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Best Actress in a Comedy – Jenny Slate, “Obvious Child”
Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie – “Interstellar”
Best Foreign Language Film – “Force Majeure”
Best Documentary Feature – “Life Itself”
Best Song –  “Glory”, Common and John Legend, “Selma”
Best Score – Antonio Sanchez, “Birdman”