But this year’s prize ceremony, which was to have been the association’s 65th, was scrapped after striking screenwriters threatened large pickets, which in turn chased away the stars and scuppered the usual red-carpet extravaganza and afterparties. The threat of pickets was not lifted until Friday, when NBC, which typically broadcasts the event, agreed that this year’s modest press conference announcing the winners could be open to other television outlets. However, those steps came too late to permit celebrities to show up for what was left of the fun.  In a town predicated on the fact that the show must go on, this show most certainly did not. At the Beverly Hilton, the run-up to the event was quiet, with none of the hammer-pounding last-minute preparations for parties. After the announcements, the pool area, previously a spot for HBO’s star-dappled party, was empty save a single man swimming laps, all by himself in a sea of blue.  A few awards events proceeded through the weekend, including the annual tea held by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and a Los Angeles Film Critics Association gathering. But those events carried little of the frantic energy that is generally a feature of the Globes weekend.  As a result, victories that would have inspired much partying in other years were applauded discreetly, if at all. Marion Cotillard won best actress for her portrayal of Édith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose,” and Julian Schnabel won best director for the French-language “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” lending a foreign-language flavor to the proceedings. Julie Christie was named best actress in a drama for “Away From Her,” while Cate Blanchett won best supporting actress for “I’m Not There.” Glenn Close picked up a television award for her work in the series “Damages,” and Jon Hamm won for his work in “Mad Men.” And, no surprise, the smash hit “Ratatouille” took best animated film.  For Brad Bird, the director and screenwriter of that film who was watching from San Francisco, this year’s edition of the Globes was decidedly different. “It was very surreal; it was like the whole thing was on fast-forward," he said. "We won, and then it was like, oh well, on to the next.”  Many of the nominees did not even bother to stay in town. Scott Rudin, a producer of “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood,” flew back to New York at midnight on Saturday. Mr. Day-Lewis took a flight to London on Sunday, while David Cronenberg, director of “Eastern Promises,” planned to be on a flight to Toronto as the winners were announced.  The foreign press association, NBC and the caterers, florists and party planners took a big hit from the lack of wattage and pomp, but the studios were also feeling the pain. Absent stars on the podium and on the carpet, the hope of picking up any steam from the event was thwarted by labor strife.  “Parties or not, it is business as usual,” said Daniel Battsek, president of Miramax Films, which is distributing “No Country for Old Men” domestically and “There Will Be Blood” internationally. “But you can’t replace having the clips and the people who made the films on television. It’s impossible to predict the impact of the lack of a full-on ceremony. But we are all in the same boat. No one will get an advantage.”  Before heading to New York, Mr. Rudin said the awards outcome still mattered, but only to a point.  “I really care about the fact that the strike is still ongoing,” he said. “That is much more important than the Globes or any parties. There’s a real battle with real stakes that simply has to outweigh the temporal pleasures of both a party and an awards show.”  Before the announcements, hundreds of journalists milled about, chatting, and sometimes interviewing one another, partly because even though the big show was canceled, the impulse to cover something, anything, was still there. There was so little in the way of celebrity to work with for the hundreds of entertainment reporters that when Ms. Hart of “Entertainment Tonight” entered the room, she was almost knocked down by the swarm of photographers who stormed toward her.  Jorge Camara, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, said that his group was trying to salvage something, mostly its dignity, from what had become a sorry situation.  “Everyone was put in a very difficult position, very difficult,” he said standing above the stage. “We will have the party next year.” As things got going, Mr. Camara had to be introduced twice to receive a round of applause from the journalists in attendance that was robust enough to meet the needs of television.  More serious action, meanwhile, continued elsewhere. In the Encino section of Los Angeles, negotiators for the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers met on Sunday for a second day of formal negotiations as they continued to push toward a contract that could come as early as Monday. Such an agreement would almost certainly unleash a ferocious internal debate among writers, who would have to decide whether to reach a similar agreement or proceed with their strike.  In the Westwood district of Los Angeles, meanwhile, members of the Writers Guild of America and their families were invited to spend Sunday at a Union Solidarity Film Festival. The scheduled screenings were to include “Newsies,” “Network,” “Harlan County U.S.A.” and “Norma Rae,” all about labor struggles or the perfidy of corporate types.
At a Golden Globes ceremony derailed by striking screenwriters, “Atonement” won for best drama and “Sweeney Todd” won for best musical or comedy.