Bill Clinton appeared to present an award at the Golden Globes on Sunday night, earning a standing ovation before he even spoke.
The 42nd President was on hand to introduce "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg's take on the fight to abolish slavery.
"A tough fight to push a bill through a bitterly divided Congress," Clinton began before describing how difficult it was for Lincoln to pass the 13th amendment. "Winning it required the president to make a lot of unsavory deals that had nothing to do with the big issue. I wouldn't know anything about that," Clinton quipped, much to the delight of the crowd. Several actors and actresses were spotted taking cell phone photos of Clinton.
"President Lincoln's struggle to abolish slavery reminds us that enduring progress is forged in a cauldron of both principle and compromise," Clinton continued. "This brilliant film shows us how he did it, and gives us hope that we can do it again."
"That was Hillary Clinton's husband," host Amy Poehler exclaimed after the surprise guest left the stage. "That was Bill Rodham Clinton!" Tina Fey exclaimed.
The introduction was immediately read as a positive indicator for "Lincoln" to win an Oscar. The film is currently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
A full list of nominees can be found on the the Golden Globes website and The Huffington Post.
The Golden Globes awards ceremony took place at Los Angeles' Beverly Hilton Hotel, where it has lived since 1961. Winners are chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of mostly freelance journalists that was founded during World War II. More information about the organization can be found at the group's website.
A gallery of the awards -- and HuffPost's liveblog of the proceedings -- can be found below.
