Golden Globes 2012: the ceremony and winners - in pictures

And we're off... Ricky Gervais on compering duties
Photograph: Getty Images

Musician Adam Levine (left) and comedian Jimmy Fallon get up close and personal
Photograph: Getty Images

Ricky Gervais and Johnny Depp, yukking it up at the podium
Photograph: Getty Images

Not playing God tonight, Morgan Freeman accepts the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award
Photograph: Getty Images

Sidney Poitier and Helen Mirren watch approvingly as Morgan Freeman accepts the award
Photograph: Getty Images

This woman knows how to work a podium. Angelina Jolie presents an award
Photograph: Getty Images

Madonna gets an award - but not for best director, thank God. It's for best song, Masterpiece, from W.E.
Photograph: Getty Images

Sherlock himself, Robert Downey Jr, takes to the stage to present an award
Photograph: Getty Images

Steven Spielberg clasps his Golden Globe, but it's not for War Horse - instead, he got best animation for Tintin
Photograph: Getty Images

Brad Pitt, presenting an award, probably a tiny bit gutted that The Tree of Life has been totally shut out
Photograph: Getty Images

The smoothest man in world cinema right now, Jean Dujardin takes home a Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy, for The Artist
Photograph: Getty Images

Look at those eyebrows! Martin Scorsese gets a slightly unexpected nod for best director for Hugo. Could Oscar now be calling?
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Here's the Descendants crew – producers Jim Taylor, Jim Burke and writer/director Alexander Payne (left to right), accepting the award for best film, drama
Photograph: Getty Images

Kate Winslet branches out into TV, but still wins something: best performance by in a mini-series for Mildred Pierce
Photograph: Handout/REUTERS

Another expert podium-worker: Natalie Portman, in a very fancy-looking dress, presenting an award
Photograph: Getty Images

Didn't she used to be a rapper? Queen Latifah, very glamorous, presents an award
Photograph: Getty Images

The least unexpected award of the night - Meryl Streep gets her gong for The Iron Lady
Photograph: Getty Images

Hollywood royalty personified: Jane Fonda on stage to present one of the awards
Photograph: Getty Images

Who CAN'T the Globes get? Michelle Pfeiffer takes a turn in the spotlight to dish out one of the prizes
Photograph: Getty Images

Last year's best actor winner Colin Firth returns, in his best suit, to hand over one of this year's
Photograph: Getty Images

It's all over, and the partying begins. Here's best supporting actor winner Christopher Plummer with his wife Elaine Taylor, and Colin Firth Photograph: Le Studio/FilmMagic

I don't think either of these won anything, but they up the glamour quotient a bit: Elle Macpherson and Zachary Levi Photograph: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for NBCUniversal

Director David Fincher and producer Rooney Mara – their film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, got a couple of noms, but no wins. Hence the small smiles
Photograph: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage

One of the best stories of the night: producer Negar Eskandarfar and director Asghar Farhadi, whose film A Separation, won best foreign language. They look very pleased Photograph: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage

No winners here either: Jonah Hill (up for Moneyball) and Sacha Baron Cohen (not up for anything) do some smiling-while-the-camera-is-pointing-at them Photograph: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage

Renowned aestheste Viggo Mortensen (nommed for best supporting, for A Dangerous Method) pals about with A Separation producer Negar Eskandarfar Photograph: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage