Let the party-planning begin!

The big Golden Globes after-parties, all to be held in the newly renovated Beverly Hilton, are now locked and loaded. Some 6,000 guests are expected to make the rounds of five bashes, right after the televised awards show wraps on Jan. 16, 2006. And here's where everyone's headed.

Universal, Focus Features and NBC will celebrate in high style with a party on the hotel's parking garage roof. And with 22 nominations — including "Pride & Prejudice," "King Kong," "Munich," "The Constant Gardener," "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Producers" — well, you do the star count. This see-and-be scene, held in a large but lavish outdoor tent, will definitely be a hot ticket. So plan your party-going carefully. As with most things in life, timing is everything.

"Last year the body count for that space was 800 and we'll stick close to that number this year," says Brian O'Connor, the Bev Hilton's PR director. When that roof gets full, fire marshals won't let anyone else up there. The same is true of all the parties, natch. And better bring a wrap too. There will be lots of heat lamps in the outdoor spaces but they don't really warm shivering shoulders. They just sizzle brainpans.

InStyle and Warner Bros. will celebrate in the newly renovated space called The Oasis, formerly the Palm Court, with a multilevel entertainment and seating area including tented outside space. This is officially the largest party of the night with 1,000 guests expected. Look out for George Clooney and Charlize Theron, neither of whom are very hard on the eyes.

HBO, with 17 nominations, will have their usual packed pool party at the newly renovated Aqua Star Pool. And, as in years past, the network bash will also take over Merv Griffin's restaurant. The night will also be a farewell party for the restaurant, which will be gutted immediately afterward to create an as-yet-unnamed new "fine dining experience" in the hotel.

Expect those adorable "Entourage" boys, "Curb Your Enthusiam" curmudgeon-creator-star Larry David, maybe "Warm Springs" stars Kenneth Branagh and Cynthia Nixon, "The Girl in the Café" cast, some "Rome" names and maybe even Paul Newman, who is nominated for "Empire Falls."

The Weinstein Co., as reported on "Styles and Scenes" on Nov. 2, are officially back in Harvey and Bob's former Miramax party spot, Trader Vic's. They will also have a tented outside space with seating, bars and plenty of room to mix and mingle, suck up and eat crow. Expect "Transamerica" switch-hitter Felicity Huffman, "Matador" leading man Pierce Brosnan and "Mrs. Henderson Presents" costars Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins.

Rumor was Showtime was going to take over the Stardust Room for their first very big Globes party. But at the last minute, Fox jumped in and made the eighth floor suite their den of festivities to celebrate potential wins (or mourn losses) for "Walk the Line" and "24." Keep an eye peeled for Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon, and maybe even that toad-sprouting sweetie, Joaquin Phoenix.

Wanna hold a film festival that will draw scads of A-list stars? Simple. Just give everyone awards!

The  upcoming 17th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival and the 21st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival will be major star-studded events. Both fests are growing in stature thanks, at least in part, to prominent actors and filmmakers who pop by to pick up an award and get a nice visibility boost in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.

Golden Globe nominees David Cronenberg ("A History of Violence"), Jake Gyllenhaal, ("Brokeback Mountain") Felicity Huffman ("Transamerica"), Terrence Howard ("Hustle & Flow"), Charlize Theron ("North Country") and Shirley MacLaine, ("In Her Shoes") will all be honored on Jan. 7 at the PSIFF Gala Awards. The fest runs Jan 5-16.

The SBIFFl (Feb-2-12) has announced the most impressive talent roster in its history. Receiving honors during the fest: Golden Globe nominees George Clooney ("Good Night, and Good Luck," "Syriana"), Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain")", Naomi Watts ("King Kong"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote"), and James Cameron. Who? Cameron. Remember his Oscar speech, "I'm king of the world?"

Curious about what award goes to which star? Thought so.

Even for a beauty like Naomi Watts, makeup isn't enough. To achieve the kind of flawless face she displays in "King Kong," you'll need one more thing.

You'll have to hire "Kong" cinematographer Andrew Lesnie to follow you around and flood your visage with flattering light.

"Lighting was a huge issue throughout the film," says Better. "Andrew and I were joined at the hip during filming and we worked closely with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh doing countless camera and lighting tests to make sure that Naomi always looked beautiful, even if she was also supposed to look exhausted or tired from running through the jungle."

It was probably inevitable. Joaquin Phoenix is going to jail. Sort of.

Reprising Johnny Cash's historic appearance at Folsom State Prison, the Golden Globe-nominated actor will appear at a special screening of "Walk the Line" at the Represa, Calif., penitentiary on Jan. 3.

The appearance is being promoted as being reminiscent of Cash's concert there on Jan. 13, 1968. Despite strong resistance from his record label, Cash performed at the prison after getting thousands of letters from inmates around the U.S. about how his music put them on the path to redemption.

This time, Folsom's prison fellowship and the Folsom Chaplain Larry West extended the invitation to the studio to screen the Cash biopic for their inmates. As Joe Avila, California executive director of the prison fellowship explains, "The lesson of Johnny Cash is that it's never too late for a man to turn his life around, and that's a story these men need to hear."

Not to sound too cynical, but from an Oscar campaign perspective, it certainly wouldn't hurt if the story of this historically well-timed Folsom screening — and Phoenix's Cash-like appearance — is also heard in Hollywood and inspires more academy members to, um, walk the line.

Remember, those Oscar ballots aren't due until Jan. 21, 2006.

Photo: Joaquin Phoenix portrays Johnny Cash performing at Folsom Prison in "Walk The Line."
(Universal Studios / Suzanne Tenner)

Any woman who sees "King Kong" would probably kill for Naomi Watts' luminescent beauty.

Watt is admittedly a very pretty girl in real life. But there are also some "trade secrets" that helped Watts look so stunning as Ann Darrow, even while she was running away from ravenous dinosaurs or being dragged through the jungle by that big hairy ape.

Watts' makeup artist Michal Better has graciously leaked the contents of her makeup kit to The Envelope. She's even revealed the precise shades, colors and brands that Watts wore on the lost island, most of which can thankfully be found at major department stores or on Sephora.com

Here's what made Watts glow (with comments on the products from Better):

Emily Mortimer, who stars in "Match Point," Woody Allen's Golden Globe-nominated mystery of manners, isn't fond of the awards season's fierce fashion pressure.

"It's such a double-edged sword," revealed the British actress, looking elegant, if slightly cold, in a sexy black strapless Balenciaga frock at the film's recent premiere bash at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "It's a bit like being a horse in dressage. Every step counts and it really takes it out of you. All those cameras on the carpets. I always have to have a big drink and an aspirin afterwards."

The outspoken young British actress, who won an Independent Spirit Award in 2003 for her supporting role in "Lovely and Amazing," also revealed the shocking truth when complimented on her chic new short bob. "I actually had a disastrous haircut recently. My hair looked as if I had a terrible disease and then someone dragged me through a hedge backwards. So I had to just cut to all off and start fresh."

The actress, who has a son, age 2, with husband-actor Alessandro Nivola, also has an unusual favorite 2005 film. "'Grizzly Man' by Werner Herzog is just so amazing. Really genius. And Timothy Treadwell is an incredible performer and a madman. I wish they could give him a posthumous award for that film."

Mortimer, who stars in the upcoming remake of "The Pink Panther" with Steve Martin playing Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau, has quite a few films in the works.

She's currently filming "Stray" and will next play a baby sitter in "Snow Angels" (with Sam Rockwell), followed by "Chaos Theory" with Stuart Townsend and, finally, she'll star in "Who Killed Norma Barnes?" a dark tale of sexual obsession based on Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot."

But working with Allen on "Match" remains one of her favorite film experiences. Why? Think location, location, location. "It was the best excuse to go home I've ever had. I love living in Los Angeles but I miss London terribly and I tend to use any excuse — to pick up a postage stamp — to fly back home to visit."

Photo: "Match Point" director Woody Allen, and Emily Mortimer, all dressaged up in a black Chanel halter dress, at a special screening at the Tribeca Grand in New York.
(Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage)

Wondering who will host the 78th Academy Awards on March 5?

Yeah, you and everyone else in Hollywood who isn't busy wondering if Steven Spielberg will actually pull off a "Best Picture" nomination for "Munich."

Now that Chris Rock is definitely off the hook, it's anybody's guess who is going to slide into the coveted Oscar host gig. And this being a betting country, it's no surprise that there are a few companies happy to give you odds for the host, as well as for winners -- including the folks at BetCRIS Sportsbook.

"Anything can happen on live TV and we're betting on it!" says an overly enthusiastic Mickey Richardson, CEO of BetCRIS.com. Here are their best bets on the next host of the Oscars.

Jamie Foxx - 9 to 1

Ellen DeGeneres - 7.5 to 1

Billy Crystal - 12 to 1

Mike Myers - 8 to1

Robin Williams - 12 to 1

Steve Martin - 22 to 1

Whoopi Goldberg - 8 to 1

Paris Hilton - 100 to 1 (Thank God)

Jay Leno - 3 to 1

Conan O'Brien - 3 to1

It wasn't really a premiere. But last night's special private screening of "Munich" at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater was about as close to one as Steven Spielberg's controversial, but still Oscar-hopeful film is gonna get.

According to his reps, Spielberg flew in from New York early and drove straight from the airport to make an appearance at the film's 6 p.m. reception in the lobby of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Other than Spielberg's presence, it was a low-key affair, offering light fare, drinks and a dessert table. There was no "red carpet' to walk. A small group of photogs were allowed to shoot the director posing with "Munich" stars Eric Bana and Daniel Craig, screenwriter Tony Kushner and producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Spielberg talked to a few friends such as Variety's Army Archerd and TV talk show host Larry King. "He hasn't seen his friends in a long time. Steven released 'War of the Worlds' and 'Munich' this year and has been working for the past 18 months," explained Spielberg's longtime PR spokesman, Marvin Levy.

The loudest party buzz was over Patrick Goldstein's column yesterday in the Los Angeles Times about the "Munich" awards marketing mess. Levy shook his head when he spoke of Goldstein's piece, then waved his hands as if to shoo the story from existence or memory or both. But Spielberg did, as Universal reps had hoped, speak briefly to two trade reporters and commented on his film's personal and political messages to The Envelope.

"I hope that people who see this movie understand that it's a human story above all else," Spielberg said. "This film is about these five characters. Before all the other noise gets in the way of what our intentions were, this is a human story, told with a tremendous amount of empathy and told in a very balanced fashion and I'm very proud of that."

But Spielberg's appearance was just the first surprise. A veritable second coming occurred when all the hushed party whispers about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie being "on their way" turned out to be true. The hot couple walked into the almost-empty lobby minutes before the 7 p.m. screening began and mere moments after Spielberg had left.

Photo: Daniel Craig and Eric Bana with "Munich" director Steven Spielberg at a special screening of the film at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
(Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage)