LOS ANGELES (AFP, REUTERS) - It took only four minutes for Harvey Weinstein to be booed Sunday night (Jan 8 morning, Singapore time) at the 75th Golden Globes.

Weinstein, who has been accused by dozens of women of misconduct - prompting police investigations, lawsuits and the collapse of his former studio - was a major figure at the Globes for decades. He was seen as a master manipulator of voters. He always sat at a prime table during the ceremony. His post-Globes parties were often the splashiest.

Dystopian saga The Handmaid's Tale and drama Big Little Lies won the top television honors, where stories about women led a ceremony dominated by the Time's Up movement to fight workplace sexual harassment.

The Handmaid's Tale, from streaming platform Hulu and based on Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name, won best TV drama and best actress for its lead star Elisabeth Moss, who dedicated her win to the veteran author.

"Margaret, this is for you and all women that came before you and after you that were brave enough to speak out against injustice and intolerance," Moss said.

Much of the awards ceremony was driven by conversation of the Time's Up campaign that was launched last week by more than 300 Hollywood industry figures including actors, directors and writers.

Host Seth Meyers did not shy away from ripping into the sexual harassment scandal with barbed jokes. Hosting the Globes for the first time, he turned directly to what he called "the elephant not in the room," when he opened the NBC broadcast by saying, "Good evening, ladies and remaining gentlemen".

He later said of Weinstein, "Don't worry, he'll be back in 20 years when he's the first person booed during the 'In Memoriam' segment."

Time Warner Inc-owned HBO's Big Little Lies, about the lives of a group of women living in an affluent California coastal town, swept the best limited series/TV movie category and its stars Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard and Laura Dern won for acting.

"This show is so much about the life we present to the world and that can be very different to the life we live behind closed doors. I want to thank everyone who broke their silence this year, and spoke up about abuse and harassment," said Reese Witherspoon, star and co-producer of Big Little Lies.

"To the people out there who are feeling silenced ... we see you, we hear you and we will tell your stories," she added.

Kidman, who plays a victim of domestic violence in the show and Dern - both of whom helped spearhead the Time's Up campaign along with Witherspoon - made pointed speeches as they accepted their awards.

"This character that I play represents something that is the center of our conversation right now, abuse. I do believe and hope we can elicit change through the stories that we tell,"Kidman said.

Amazon Studios' freshman series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, about a housewife-turned-comedian in 1950s New York, was the surprise winner of best TV comedy and its star, newcomer Rachel Brosnahan, won best TV comedy actress.

"There are so many women's stories out there that need to be told," Brosnahan said. "So as we enter this new year, please let's continue to hold each other accountable and invest in and make and champion these stories."

Sam Rockwell won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor for his role as an angry police officer in the dark comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. He bested Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project), Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name), Richard Jenkins (The Shape Of Water) and Christopher Plummer (All The Money In The World).

The first-time Globe winner noted that he had often starred in indie films and said: "It's nice to be in a movie that people see."

James Franco won the award for best actor in a musical or comedy film for The Disaster Artist, his portrayal of the director of one of the most panned movies in history. Franco triumphed in a field that included Daniel Kaluuya, the star of the racial thriller Get Out, and Steve Carell for his portrayal of chauvinistic tennis champion Bobby Riggs in Battle Of The Sexes.

Winning his second Golden Globe, Franco brought to the stage the man he portrayed, Tommy Wiseau, maker of the disparaged 2003 film The Room.

"This was billed as a movie about making the best worst movie ever made but, in fact, it's a story of friendship," Franco said, with Wiseau at his side.

Allison Janney won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for playing the mother of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya.

Harding, who became notorious after her ex-husband and bodyguard hired someone to attack her skating rival Nancy Kerrigan, joined the cast at the gala awards in Los Angeles. Authorities later found she was aware of the plan, and she was banned from the sport for life.

Janney thanked Harding for her cooperation on the movie, which the actress said told "a story about class in America, the disenfranchised".

The story is about "a woman who was not embraced for her individuality, the truth and the perception of truth in the media and the truths we all tell ourselves when we wake up in bed every morning and go out and live our lives," Janney said. It was the first Golden Globe for Janney, who was nominated five previous times, all but one of them for the White House television drama The West Wing.

Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro took home his first Golden Globe for directing acclaimed fantasy romance The Shape Of Water. In what was deemed one of the closest categories going into the night, Del Toro beat Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Ridley Scott ("All The Money In The World) and Steven Spielberg (The Post) to the prize.

Lady Bird, a coming-of-age tale about a teenage girl and her fractured but endearing relationship with her mother, won the award for best comedy/musical film. The film, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, also won best comedy actress for its star, Saoirse Ronan.

Gary Oldman won the award for best actor in a film drama for Darkest Hour, his portrayal of Winston Churchill's steely leadership of Britain in World War II. Oldman, who has previously criticised the Golden Globes, thanked both the awards organisers and the late prime minister as he beat a crowded field of contenders including Tom Hanks for The Post.

Frances McDormand was named Best Actress in a Movie, Drama for her work in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. The film also won the coveted Best Movie, Drama award.

The 2018 Globes were draped in black, quite literally, with actresses and some actors vowing to use their attire to make a statement about sexual harassment in Hollywood and other spheres. Winners were expected to use their moments of glory to rail against the systemic sexism and silence that allowed the behaviour of men like Weinstein, James Toback, Louis C.K. and Kevin Spacey to fester for decades. Still, this year's Globes were expected to serve as a test for the more erudite Oscars, which are scheduled for March 4. Can Hollywood castigate itself and celebrate itself at the same time? And deliver a telecast and red carpet extravaganza that keep the ratings from tumbling?