If you’ve been dying to know what beer Golden Globe host, Ricky Gervais, was swilling onstage last Sunday, here it is: Foster’s beer. On the morning of Hollywood’s party of the year, super size cans of the brew in an ice bucket were delivered backstage at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Incidentally, when Ricky left the stage during commercial breaks, the British actor conveniently tucked his beer drink in a shelf on the podium. When he returned to dish more wisecracks, he simply grabbed the drink from that shelf.

Two weeks before the show, during the process of assigning which stars sit in what table, we all jested that we didn’t mind being seated with Sir Paul McCartney, who was both a presenter and a nominee in the Best Original Song category for “I Want To Come Home,” from the Robert De Niro movie, “Everybody’s Fine.” We could squat under the table, we jokingly promised.

By this time, the whole world knows that Julia Roberts got the best seat of the evening—right beside the former Beatle. Julia has been quoted as saying that she got so many text messages from her friends when they saw her on TV sitting next to the music legend.

Attention

Several hours before Julia, Paul and company entered the ballroom, the star was a bomb-sniffing dog from the LA Police Department.

Seemingly a mundane task, but a crucial one in a high-profile event like this is making sure that each table has the correct number of chairs. Most tables have 12 chairs, but due to fire department regulations, show requirements or space limitations, some tables have 10, 11 or 13 chairs.

As in the years past, we found tables with extra or missing chairs. You certainly don’t want George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis to arrive at their table with no chairs for them.

After counting chairs, we hurriedly put on our brand new Oliver Tolentino tux, then ran to our post on the red carpet. A few minutes before show time at 5 p.m., we dashed back to the ballroom. As usual, the waiter has taken away our dinner plate, because the staff is always told to clear the tables before the show. There was a box of Godiva chocolates on each chair, so we opened ours. Tired and hungry, we ate all the candies in the box—we never ate so many in such a short time!

The show began, and host Ricky Gervais strode onstage. We finally caught our breath and took in the scene—at the next table were nominees, William Hurt, Rose Byrne and Glenn Close, who was looking so soignée, elegantly holding her champagne glass as she chuckled at Ricky’s quips. Minutes later, during a commercial break, Jeremy Irons stood up from a nearby table to greet and kiss Glenn, his memorable leading lady on the stage (Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing”) and in cinema (“Reversal of Fortune”).

Short breaks

We’ve expressed amazement in previous years at how many guests like Jeremy schmooze, go to the bar in the back or the rest rooms during those short breaks, and somehow manage to make their way back in time for the resumption of the show. Well, there are a few exceptions: At the 1998 Globes, Christine Lahti had just flushed the toilet in the ladies’ room when someone exclaimed to her, “You won!” in the Best Actress-Drama TV Series (“Chicago Hope”).

This year, Ryan Bingham missed his Golden moment when he and T Bone Burnett won the Best Original Song award for “The Weary Kind,” from Jeff Bridges’ film, “Crazy Heart.” Only T Bone got up the stage to say his thanks. Where was Ryan? Out having a beer in the bar. The Globes is not called Hollywood’s party of the year for nothing. We saw Simon Baker bringing four glasses of what looked like gin tonic to his tablemates. “Mad Men” actress and nominee, January Jones, made her way back to her table with a chilled bottle of light beer.

The celebration continued in the five after-parties simultaneously going on within the hotel after the show. The procession of famous faces whizzing by was like a blurry montage because of the hectic pace. So, at the Warner Bros./InStyle magazine bash (always our first stop), we appreciated the chance to just sit down and watch The Dan Band, which memorably dished that risqué song in the ending wedding scene in “The Hangover.” Flushed by the movie’s win as the Best Film-Comedy or Musical, the band and guests had a great time.

The rainy weather didn’t dampen spirits at the HBO celebration, which traditionally has the best party site—the poolside. The dance floor was perilously wet, but that didn’t stop guests from dancing. There were, however, unintentional dips and splits on the floor because of the slippery surface.