Amid renewed concerns about terrorism in the wake of the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, heavily armored police mingled with gown-bedecked and tux-clad celebs at both the award show itself and at star-studded after parties hosted by Fox, Warner Bros, and other high-profile entertainment companies.
The Beverly Hills Police Department cooperated with federal law enforcement in efforts to keep the Beverly Hilton Hotel safe for the event, and the new security measures were conspicuous to say the least.
“It was nuts this year,” a top publicist told Deadline. “I was actually scared. And we know this is only the beginning. We are going to see this all the time now. The only thing that is going to change is that it will be more professional. This is going to be like Israel in how they check your bag and your car everywhere you go.”
While there had been relative freedom of movement in years past, this show was reportedly a horse of a different color. Celebs and press alike were shepherded through metal detectors as they entered the event and journalists had their badges checked at every individual point of of entry, even after they had been cleared to enter the show.
Absent any specific, credible threat, the military-style security is certainly a bit curious and you do have to wonder if we’re getting the whole story here.
Luckily — other than a couple of snubs that may have bordered on robbery — the Golden Globes went off without incident and the celebratory atmosphere wasn’t sullied by any ugliness. Though one could certainly argue that the preventative measures themselves were a bit of a mood killer.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see what the security looks like at the Dolby Theater when the Academy Awards come to town next month. Hopefully, fears of additional attacks will have subsided by then, but we certainly wouldn’t advise holding your breath.
