The Golden Globes got off to a rocky start Sunday, with a broken teleprompter initially stalling host Jimmy Fallon, who still managed to start the show with a singing-and-dancing ode to "La La Land" and a steady diet of Donald Trump jokes.
"Cut to Justin Timberlake, please," implored a desperate Fallon as he improvised while another teleprompter was brought in. It was the second fiasco for Globes producer Dick Clark Productions, which presented the infamous Mariah Carey flub on New Year's Eve.
The broadcast began with a cold open ode to "La La Land," the seven-time nominated Los Angeles musical expected to dominate the evening. In a lavish sketch more typical of the Academy Awards than the Globes, Fallon did a version of the film's opening dance scene, with cameos from Timberlake, previous Globes host Tina Fey, Amy Adams and the white Ford Bronco of "The People v. O.J. Simpson."
In a more truncated monologue, Fallon's sharpest barbs weren't directed at the stars in the room (as was the style of frequent host Ricky Gervais) but president-elect Trump. His first line (at least once the teleprompter was up) was introducing the Globes as "one of the few places left where America still honors the popular vote."
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That, though, isn't quite true. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a collection of 85 members, has its own methods of selecting winners — and the night's first awards were typically unpredictable.
The British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson took best supporting actor for his performance in Tom Ford's "Nocturnal Animals." It was a surprise that Taylor-Johnson was even nominated, so his win over favorites Mahersala Ali from "Moonlight" and Jeff Bridges from "Hell or High Water" was a shock.
Donald Glover's "Atlanta" won best comedy series for his acclaimed FX show "Atlanta."
"I really want to thank Atlanta and all the black folks in Atlanta," said a visibly surprised Glover. "I couldn't be here without Atlanta."
Other early winners were Sarah Paulson ("The People v. O.J. Simpon"), Tracee Ellis Ross ("Black-ish") and Billy Bob Thornton ("Goliath").
After recent terrorist truck attacks in Europe and Friday's airport shooting in Florida, the security provided by the Beverly Hills Police Department was heavier than ever. Long lines of police SUVs and officers on foot created a tight seal around the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
It's the first time in nearly a decade that someone other than Ricky Gervais or the duo of Fey and Amy Poehler was hosting the Globes.
Damien Chazelle's "La La Land" came in with a leading seven nods and a seemingly lock on the best picture award for a musical or comedy. Its stiffest Academy Awards competition, Barry Jenkins' coming-of-age tale "Moonlight" and Kenneth Lonergan's family drama "Manchester by the Sea," will square off in the Globes' dramatic categories, along with the heist thriller "Hell or High Water," the Dev Patel-led "Lion" and Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge."
Last year's ceremony, hosted by Gervais, drew 18.5 million viewers, down about 4 percent from the year before
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Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.