Feb 7th, 2020, 02:28 PM

A Night at the Golden Globes

By Adriana Alonso
Champagne glasses. Image Credit: Flickr/Anders Andermark
Champagne glasses. Image Credit: Flickr/Anders Andermark
Find out what it is like to go to an awards show and sit next to Leonardo DiCaprio.

Award season may be over, but we haven't stopped talking about it. Ceremonies like the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys and Tonys encourage popular trends in performing arts and celebrate great films, songs and performances. Perhaps what we love the most about award season though is the opportunity to feel like a part of the dazzling world of Hollywood for a night. 

Whether you only anticipate the actual award show or simply want to see the outfits on the red carpet, for most of us mortal cinema, concert and theater-goers, the idea of actually attending is just the stuff of dreams. This was not the case, however, for 26-year-old Alana, who through familial connections scored an invitation to the January 2016 Golden Globes

I met up with her for coffee so she could tell me about her experience. She began by explaining that celebrities are given a certain amount of invitations based on how important they are. If they've won awards in previous years, they'll be able to bring more guests to whatever show they're attending. 

Alana was traveling to Australia for a semester abroad and had a layover in Los Angeles the same day as the Golden Globes that year, so her cousin, who lives in the city and whose father had been nominated for an award, invited her to go. Alana went straight from the airport to get her hair and makeup done. I asked her if she was nervous about what to wear. "Not at all," she said. "I was too excited about all the celebrities I was going to see."

Golden Globe Award and winner card (name blurred for privacy). Image Credit: Alana
 

After getting ready, Alana and her cousin got in a car and made their way to the Fox viewing party. They took pictures on the red carpet and then headed to the award show itself, being held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. Alana and company had to sit in a private room since only the actors, directors and people involved in movie production get to sit at the tables we see on television. "We were a big group," she recalled. 

Following the ceremony, they left for the Creative Artists Agency after-party. Celebrities and their guests usually attend the after-party of their corresponding agency, Alana explained. “That was the best part! I wish I had pictures, but you’re not supposed to take out your phone, and literally no one does,” she told me.

Hollywood is well-known for its secrecy, but even without photos, inside perspectives like the one Alana got help to pull back the curtain covering what goes on behind the scenes. In reality, the stars we love and admire are real people, just like us. 

Alana remembers Nina Dobrev being really drunk and Kate Hudson not being the nicest (after running into her and Jennifer Lawrence in the bathroom). She grooved with JLo on the dance floor and helped Lady Gaga pick up her dress. She even got a cigarette from Sean Penn after he came to say hello from someone at their table. Leonardo Dicaprio was also there and came up to talk to one of her cousins at one point. Apparently he was hosting an after-after party, but unfortunately, Alana was not invited. Although “Selena Gomez did accidentally spill her drink on a friend of ours!” she added, almost proudly. 

Alana and her cousin alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. Image Credit: Alana's Snapchat
 

After a star-studded night, Alana went back to her cousin's house and got ready for a 15-hour flight. "The next day it felt like it was all a dream," she confessed. Alana says it is, to this day, one of the most memorable experiences of her life. "I'm not sure if I will ever get to do something like that again. I'm really happy I have that story to tell."