Hollywood stayed up late on Tuesday, and it was worth it. Democrats won control of the House and seized a Senate majority in the 2026 midterms, and the entertainment world reacted like it was awards night.

Jimmy Kimmel was the first late-night host to take on the results, taping later than usual so he could mock President Trump over the losses, The Hollywood Reporter reported. John Leguizamo summed up the mood in four words: "This is redemption time."

Who was celebrating

Bette Midler and Viola Davis were among the stars cheering the results, along with Alyssa Milano, Molly Ringwald, Stephen Colbert, Mandy Moore and Henry Winkler, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. Even James Woods, one of Trump's loudest supporters in town, reportedly congratulated the Democrats.

The mood in HollywoodRedemption time. Billboard's headline put it simply: "Dreams do come true."

The history-makers

The night gave the stars plenty to celebrate. In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected to win the governor's race, which would make her the first Black woman ever elected governor of a U.S. state. In Texas, James Talarico became the first Democrat the state has sent to the Senate since 1988, and Gina Hinojosa unseated Governor Greg Abbott. In Kansas, pastor Adam Hamilton became the first Democratic senator from the state since 1932.

And at home, California elected Xavier Becerra as its first Latino governor.

Reporting drawn from The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, NBC News, CBS News and the Associated Press. Results are preliminary.

Hollywood's own museum rolled out the carpet for Bollywood on Tuesday night. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, one of the most anticipated films in Indian cinema, held its Los Angeles premiere on October 27 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, with an invite-only 3D screening of the English-language version in the museum's David Geffen Theatre.

All three leads showed up. Ranbir Kapoor, who plays Lord Ram, walked the carpet with Sai Pallavi, who plays Sita. Yash, the film's Ravana, arrived with his wife, actress Radhika Pandit. Director Nitesh Tiwari, filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra were with them, and Jada Pinkett Smith was among the Hollywood guests.

The fans picked a side

The crowd outside made the loudest noise of the night, and not all of it was for the hero. Fans chanted "Ravana" as Yash came down the carpet, called "RK" when Ranbir arrived, and broke into "Jai Shri Ram" as the cast posed. Videos of the arrivals went viral in India within hours.

The leads came dressed for the occasion, in traditional Indian wear rather than standard premiere black tie.

Why Los Angeles

A world premiere at the Academy's own museum is a statement. Indian studios have been courting the American market for years, and Tuesday's guest list put the film in front of the people who vote on, program and distribute movies in this town.

Reporting drawn from coverage by India West, Gulf News, the Free Press Journal and UPI.

Forget the after-parties. The hottest ticket in Los Angeles on VMAs weekend did not come with a step-and-repeat. It came with a red velvet curtain, a jazz band dressed in gold, and Freda Payne.

The Detroit-born "Band of Gold" legend sold out Catalina Jazz Club on Saturday, September 26, with Freda Payne Portrays and Honors Legendary Ladies of Song. It was one week after her 84th birthday. She did not look it, she did not sing like it, and she did not slow down for a second.

Let's not bury the lede. This show was legendary. Standout. Stellar. Beyond outstanding. It was the kind of night people in this town will be bragging about having seen for years, and we were in the room.

The verdictA masterclass from a living legend. Freda Payne didn't just perform on Saturday night. She reigned.

Who was in the house

The star power in the room was off the charts. Stefanie Powers was there. Loretta Devine was there. And they were joined by a host of other celebrities, too many to name: screen stars, recording artists, producers, directors and Hollywood insiders, all packed into one sold-out room to see a legend at work.

On the biggest awards weekend of the fall, with every publicist in town working a carpet across the city, Hollywood picked a jazz club on Sunset. That says everything.

The finale: "Band of Gold"

And then she saved the best for last. Freda Payne closed the night with "Band of Gold," her own world-famous, chart-topping global hit, the song that made her an international star and has been played around the world ever since.

The room sang along. Then the room stood up. The standing ovation lasted three full minutes. Three minutes of a sold-out Hollywood crowd on its feet for a living legend. You do not see that every night, and you will not forget it once you have.

Two looks, zero misses

She opened in a gold lamé jumpsuit that caught every light in the room and every eye in the house. Then she came back in floor-length black lace with a thigh-high slit, as elegant as anything on a red carpet that weekend.

The moment

If you only hear about one number, make it "Fever." Peggy Lee's classic, sung in gold, two dancers at her side, red light pouring down the stage. She took her time with it. She let the bass walk. She owned every second of it. The room went wild. The applause came before the last note was finished, and it kept going long after it should have stopped. Simply sensational.

Nine legends, one star

The concept: Payne honored nine women who shaped American jazz and pop, many of whom she knew personally. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Lena Horne, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Gloria Lynne, Dakota Staton and Eartha Kitt.

She opened with Ella's "How High the Moon." She gave Sarah Vaughan "Body and Soul," Nancy Wilson "Guess Who I Saw Today," Gloria Lynne "I Wish You Love" and Dakota Staton "The Late Late Show." It was not a tribute act. It was a legend singing about the women she grew up watching, and you could hear every memory in it. The voice is still rich, still commanding, still pure Freda. Every song landed. Not one wasted moment.

Special guest: Thomasina Gross as Eartha Kitt

Special guest Thomasina Gross opened the evening as Eartha Kitt, in a leopard-print gown and black opera gloves, and set the mood beautifully. Her candlelit table scene, with two martinis and a gentleman caller, was a charming touch of old Hollywood.

It was the perfect warm-up for the main event. Because when Freda Payne walked out, the night belonged to her.

A family affair: Gregory Abbott Jr.

The night's host was Payne's son, Gregory Abbott Jr., and he was the perfect man for the job. Smooth, warm and quick, he kept the room laughing between numbers, and introduced the star of the night: his mother.

That introduction was a moment all by itself. A son calling his mother's name on Sunset Boulevard, and a sold-out house roaring for her. By the end of the night that same house was on its feet for three minutes straight. After the show the two of them posed together, him in electric-blue satin and her in a rose satin robe with feathered cuffs. Hollywood royalty, two generations deep.

Shout-out to Gregory Abbott Jr. He hosted like a pro, and the stage clearly runs in the family.

Take a bow, Donald B. Welch

A huge shout-out to the man who made it happen. Donald B. Welch, the playwright, director and producer behind the night, wrote and directed Legendary Ladies of Song and presented it under the Don B. Welch banner. The idea was his. So was the vision.

And what a vision. This was not a singer and a piano. It was a full production, with costume changes, scene work, actors and dancers, staged with the kind of care you usually only see in theater. Welch built a show around Freda Payne's memories of the women she grew up watching, gave her the room to shine, and filled every seat in the house.

A sold-out room on the busiest weekend of the fall is no accident. That is a producer who knows exactly what he is doing. Congratulations, Don. This one was a smash.

The band was gold, too

The musicians matched the star, dressed in gold: Josh Nelson on piano as musical director, Chris Colangelo on bass, Ricky Woodard on saxophone and Marcello Carelli on drums. Actors Terryl DaLuz and Kyrel Jaundoo filled out the stage.

What's next

Payne sets sail at the end of October with Holland America, performing on a cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Puerto Rico on a bill with Darlene Love and Wayne Newton.

As for Legendary Ladies of Song? It is built to tour. Producers, take note. Freda Payne is a national treasure, and on Saturday night she proved it all over again. If this show comes back around, buy the ticket the day it goes on sale. It sold out this time, and it will sell out faster next time.

All photographs by Terry Bryant, used with permission.