Clinton steals show on Globes night

Former US president Bill Clinton wowed the Hollywood glitterati with a surprise appearance at the Golden Globes.

The 42nd president, whose appearance brought a smile to George Clooney's face, caused Girls star Lena Dunham to wear a look of startled pleasure and inspired a salute from Steven Spielberg.

Once the room settled down, Mr Clinton got down to business: Describing one of the nominated films, the Spielberg-directed Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the beloved 16th president.

"A tough fight to push a bill through a bitterly divided House of Representatives: Winning it required the president to make a lot of unsavoury deals that had nothing to do with the big issue." A little shrug.

"I wouldn't know anything about that," Mr Clinton said. His audience laughed.

President Abraham Lincoln's struggle to abolish slavery "reminds us that enduring progress is forged in a cauldron of both principle and compromise", Mr Clinton went on.

This film "shows us how he did it, and gives us hope that we can do it again".