Golden Globes 2014: Seen at the party scene

Jacqueline Bisset’s rather drifty acceptance speech at the Golden Globes on Sunday garnered lots of snide comments from the critics, but I figure she was just short of breath. The distance from her seat in the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton to the stage was considerable, plus she had to hack her way through a tangle of dinner tables, chairs and a scrum of her fellow thespians.

It is no wonder Bisset had to pause before she could breathe deeply, bring her “Scottish background to the front” and deliver her scrambled thoughts.

“I was in a daze,” Bisset said backstage after receiving the award for supporting actress in a TV movie or miniseries. “I was certainly surprised, and I was completely out of it, thinking, ‘Where is my dinner?’ I still hadn’t gotten the dinner I was expecting.”

GOLDEN GLOBES: Horsey on Hollywood

Well, yeah, there’s that too. Was it so hard to get meals delivered to the back section where the TV actors and longshot nominees were seated?

I sympathize with Bisset, not only because I’ve had a crush on her since I first saw her back in the ‘70s at the height of her youthful sexiness in “Le Magnifique” with Jean-Paul Belmondo, but also because navigating a path through the Golden Globes evening was tough for many people.

For those of us who were attending the HBO party after the ceremony, there was a gantlet to be run. First, among several lonely parking garages a mile away from the hotel, find the one lonely parking garage with a lineup of shuttle buses. Then, take the slow ride on the shuttle stuck in the monumental jam of limousines trying to reach the hotel entrance. Once off the bus, stand in an unmoving line for no apparent reason -- which was still a better option than getting out of a vehicle too soon, as some did.

PHOTOS: Horsey on Hollywood

Those who bailed out of their limos and walked a block or two discovered the security folks would not allow them to enter the hotel on foot. They were forced to wade into traffic, commandeer a taxi, go to the back of the line of cars and buses and start all over.

Once at the hotel entrance, there was a security check and two or three more ticket checkpoints inside the hotel. There were enough security people on hand that, traveling together, President Obama, Queen Elizabeth and Vladimir Putin would all have felt well protected.

Such is the glamour of Tinseltown in this age of terrorism and lunatics with guns.

GOLDEN GLOBES: Full coverage

Nevertheless, once inside the party, there was plenty of fun to be had and numerous star sightings. My favorite pairing of the evening: Tom Hanks and Mike Tyson. Posing for photographs together, Tom looked like the king of Hollywood, which is pretty much what he is. Tyson looked out of his element, a bit of a lost little boy -- although I mean that in the nicest possible way (Mike Tyson is the last guy I would want to anger).

The party really kicked into high gear with the arrival of “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara and her entourage. She coaxed the DJ into playing some Latin dance tunes and, as she started to shake her thing, the dance floor was flooded with video cameras and fans taking shots on their iPhones. Among the mob that joined in the dancing was none other than Jacqueline Bisset, apparently recovered from the shock of winning. She looked wistful and gorgeous.

I confess, I just stared.

ALSO:Horsey on Hollywood: Wolf of Wall Street

Horsey on Hollywood: Duck Dynasty

Horsey on Hollywood: The 2013 Year in Review

Horsey on Hollywood: Gunplay in PG-13 movies

Horsey on Hollywood: CNN in Pickle