By Peter Bowes BBC News, Hollywood

This year all the glitz and glamour has been scaled right back Stars talk about strike

Snubbed by Hollywood actors in support of striking writers, this year's Golden Globe Awards ceremony was cancelled.

Instead, the winners were announced on Sunday night at a news conference in Beverly Hills.

Minus all the usual glitz and glamour, the event could hardly even be described as a show.

American TV presenters were on hand to read the list of winners in 25 categories, but the nominees were not be present and TV viewers were unlikely to tune-in in large numbers.

The cancellation of Hollywood's second biggest night came after the writers' union said it would picket the Golden Globes ceremony.

Hollywood standstill

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association reluctantly scaled back its plans when it became clear that the show could not go on.

Like everybody else I was looking forward to standing in the presence of Hollywood royalty Actor Jason Isaacs, nominated for best actor

With many Hollywood studios at a standstill as a result of the strike, this year's nominated actors found little to celebrate.

A number of the British nominees attended the annual Bafta LA tea party that traditionally takes place on the eve of the Globes in Beverly Hills.

"It's like it's a ghost town," said Anna Friel, a nominee for Pushing Daises in the TV category at the Globes.

"It feels as if there's a funeral," she added.

"In some ways it's a victory for the Writers Guild and the actors," said Jason Isaacs, who was nominated for best actor in The State Within.

Free publicity

"It's a night of advertising essentially and it's dressed up by watching your favourite stars in their glad rags.

"Like everybody else I was looking forward to standing in the presence of Hollywood royalty," he added.

In Hollywood, the awards season is seen as an opportunity for the studios to promote their wares.

The Golden Globes, coming in the run-up to the announcement of the Oscar nominations, serves as a shop front for some of the year's little-seen but critically acclaimed films.

James McAvoy is nominated for his role in Atonement

"The real reason we're here is partly to watch the news conference, but it's also partly to help push the film," said James McAvoy, who was nominated for his role in the epic tragic romance Atonement.

"All these films that are nominated are all opening more widely, and going out to parts of America that might not necessarily go and see an art-house film otherwise," he added.

The actor was hoping to make up for the lost publicity opportunity.

"In the absence of a night in the sun, or a night in the moonlight, like an awards ceremony is, where you get all this free publicity, and middle America goes 'I'll go and see this film that I wouldn't have seen before' we have to do more talking and pushing in the press," he said.

Atonement eventually won best film and best score - but McAvoy and his co-star Keira Knightley lost out on lead actor awards.

Director Ridley Scott, nominated for the crime story American Gangster, said the strike was "a pity", adding: "It would be this year, wouldn't it?"