Tom Hanks set to change a popular opinion, says he may play the 'bad guy' in Elvis Presley's biopic

Opening monologues are central to any award show. It is in the monologue that the host often pokes fun at the guests and when it comes to the English stand-up comic Ricky Gervais, you can expect the jokes to be brutally honest, borderline offensive that will have you laughing till your stomach hurts.

The host started with poking fun at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). He then went on to take jibes at controversial figures Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. He also offered a nuanced take on racism in Hollywood.

Gervais then took a dig at the tech giant Apple for ‘running sweatshops in China’, while talking about their new show. The TV personality ended his monologue by asking the stars not to give political speeches as they have spent ‘less time in school than Greta Thunberg’.

No points for guessing Gervais owned the night.

Hollywood’s ‘it’ couple, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas, presented the award for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy. Priyanka slayed in a shiny pink dress and Nick Jonas was seen in a stunning tux.

The two were seen indulging in a lover’s banter as Nick Jonas said, ‘I’m glad we could get out of the house for this beautiful party’. Our very own desi girl, Priyanka, came up with a clever retort and said, ‘Yes, nice try, Nick. But, this does not count as date night’.

The award for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy went to the show ‘Fleabag’.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres won the prestigious Carol Burnett Award for excellence in Television. American actress and comedian Kate McKinnon presented the award to DeGeneres and lauded the comedian for her courage to come out in the open about her sexuality.

What followed next was a recap of Ellen’s journey from having her own sitcom, to losing it for ‘coming out’ and finally having her own daytime talk show.

When Ellen went on stage, she joked about how she could possibly go on with her speech for 25 minutes as the award was ‘special’. Ellen jokingly said 'I couldn't have done it without my husband Mark', as the camera panned to her wife Portia.

Degeneres ended the speech on a positive note, saying, “Television inspired and influenced everything I am today'. All I ever wanted to do was make people feel good and laugh”.

Golden Globes Awards is one platform where the Hollywood A-listers often take a strong political stand. Among those who got political was actress Patricia Arquette.

When she won the award for best Supporting Actress for ‘The Act’, Arquette said, ‘when we look back tonight, we will see a country on the brink of war’, referring to the impending World War 3. She also briefly mentioned the fires in Australia and the urgent need to pay attention to climate change.

She said, “we owe it to our kids to give them a better world”. Arquette ended the speech by urging everyone to vote in the 2020 Presidential Elections.

Also Read: Golden Globes: '1917' wins Best Film (Drama), Joaquin Phoenix, Renée Zellweger take home awards for Best Actor, Actress

Glenn Close presented the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama which was won by actor Joaquin Phoenix for ‘Joker’, beating Christian Bale in ‘Ford v Ferrari’ and Adam Driver in ‘Marriage Story’.

While several Hollywood A-listers urged everyone to take a stand on climate change and expressed concerns over the fires in Australia, Phoenix, much like his character ‘Joker’, courageously called out the Hollywood biggies in his acceptance speech by saying, “It is great to vote, but sometimes we have to take the responsibility on ourselves and bring changes”.

"Let's not take private jets to palm springs", the actor suggested as the music cut him off. Phoenix won over several fans on social media for his unabashed honesty and for calling out his Hollywood peer group on their hypocrisy.

In what can be called one of the longest (and the most heartfelt) speeches of the night, Tom Hanks teared up as he accepted the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award. The award was presented to him by actress Charlize Theron which was followed by a video montage of Hanks’ best films.

As the 63-year-old moved on to thank his family, he couldn’t help but tear up. He pointed to his wife and five kids sitting in the front and said, “a wife who is fantastic in every way and has taught me what love is, five kids who are braver and stronger and wiser than the old man is”.

The audience couldn’t help but go ‘aww’ as Hanks continued with his speech.

In what can be called a hilarious, no-holds-barred, speech, Brad Pitt tried to give Ricky Gervais a run for his money by delivery one tongue-in-cheek one-liner after another. Pitt was accepting the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role award for 'Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood'.

The 56-year-old thanked co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, and also managed to sneak in a 'Titanic' reference, saying "I would've shared the raft." Taking a dig at the dating rumours surrounding him, he said he wanted to bring his mother to the ceremony, but couldn't as every time he's pictured with a woman, rumours begin.