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Tag: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

  • The 2024 Golden Globes Does What It Can to Keep Itself on the Train Track

    The 2024 Golden Globes Does What It Can to Keep Itself on the Train Track

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    The Golden Globes is no stranger to being riddled with scandal. Even in the 1950s, when it was still a relatively germinal organization (with the first edition airing in 1944), the awards ceremony was “renowned” for taking what amounted to bribes and payoffs via various “gift-giving” endeavors from studios, production companies and individual stars themselves. By the 60s, the Golden Globes were exposed for determining their winners based on advertiser influence, and that, furthermore, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) put pressure on nominees to attend the ceremony, lest they lose their win to another nominee who actually did attend. The entire thing was such a shitshow—such a complete and blatant display of nepotism and abuse of power—that the ceremony was actually banned from being aired on television between 1969 and 1974. 

    Scarcely back on the air for a full ten years after returning post-1974, the next major scandal was Pia Zadora’s “miraculous” win for “New Star of the Year” (another made-up award in the vein of Cinematic and Box Office Achievement) thanks to her performance in Butterfly, a movie that was both unanimously panned and had not even been released yet at the time the awards ceremony aired. Not so hushed whisperings about how Zadora’s husband, Turkish-Israeli financier Meshulam Riklis, bought her the award led to a further degradation in the Golden Globes’ credibility. Yet this has never stopped the show from enduring. In fact, from being second only to the Academy Awards in terms of prestige and well-knownness to the layperson outside of Hollywood. Yet, as Scarlett Johansson once called out, the show was merely used as a tool by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to curry Oscar favor. Hence, the flagrancy of bribery. 

    Some cynics would even argue that it surely can’t be a coincidence that the only time Madonna was ever recognized for her acting ability was thanks to the Golden Globes, as she won the award (in 1997) for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Evita. The HFPA had a less speculative case of being paid off for the 2011 Golden Globes, when both Burlesque and The Tourist managed to secure nominations in the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category. This despite Burlesque being a critical laughingstock (though, yes, it is lauded by those who appreciate camp) and the fact that The Tourist was a spy/action-adventure movie. Needless to say, HFPA members were cajoled into nominating these films thanks to getting “flewed out” to Las Vegas to see a Cher concert and a little personal lobbying from Angelina Jolie herself re: The Tourist. 

    At the end of 2020, amid then-fervent cries about changing Hollywood’s openly discriminatory practices as a result of the overall anti-racist spark ignited by George Floyd’s murder in May of that year, the Golden Globes were once again put on blast for a lack of Black members and generally arcane membership “policies.” So it was that, yet again, the awards ceremony was barred from being aired on television in 2022, with Tom Cruise going so far as to return the Golden Globes he won as a show of “solidarity” the year before. By 2023, the organization had been (theoretically) totally revamped, sold off to Eldridge Industries (also known for buying Dick Clark Productions) and repackaged as a for-profit entity with a larger and more “diverse” membership working behind the scenes to nominate people and the films they’re part of. Not only that, but as Robert Downey Jr. pointed out during his acceptance speech this year, the organization changed its name, doing away with the HFPA altogether. It also transitioned to a new network, swapping NBC out in favor of CBS, billed as the “less fun” of the Big Three broadcast networks (NBC, ABC and CBS). And, indeed, it didn’t seem like much fun for anyone when the last-minute host, Jo Koy (relatively unknown up until this moment), took the stage to deliver a monologue that induced cricket-chirping silence (though Taylor Swift really didn’t need to be so uppity about the harmless “difference between the NFL and Golden Globes” joke that Koy made). 

    Luckily, things picked up slightly as the evening wore on, and viral moments of levity were provided, including Jennifer Lawrence mouthing, “If I don’t win, I’m leaving” and what felt like two minutes of watching Timothée Chalamet (who, mercifully, did not win for Best Actor in Wonka) and Kylie Jenner “canoodling” and saying shit to the effect of, “No, I love you more.” It was pretty nasty (and not nearly as noteworthy as Ali Wong’s show of PDA with Bill Hader), but obviously the stuff of viral and meme gold. Even that “bit” between Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell presenting the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy proved to, for whatever reason, endlessly charm audiences. Which proves that the Golden Globes isn’t quite yet the stodgy, irrelevant entity that people would like to make most long-running institutions out to be.

    That said, the presence of Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish (who also won the award for Best Original Song for “What Was I Made For?”) alone served as enough proof that the ceremony has carried on to subsequent generations. Even if only the most blanca and monoculture-oriented. But that didn’t stop the voters from doing their best to promote “inclusivity” in the lone manner they could: by giving the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama to Lily Gladstone for her performance as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon. Even if there were many Native Americans who weren’t quite as moved by the film as some of the white viewers who watched it (a phenomenon that also seemed to occur with 2016’s Moonlight). In truth, Gladstone’s capitulation to the proverbial white male as the teller of an Osage story can be viewed as at Native American version of the Uncle Tom trope. And yet, how else is a girl (or boy) supposed to get representation in mainstream Hollywood without “cozying up” a bit?

    This seemed to be the underlying theme of the night, with audience silence resounding well beyond the Jo Koy monologue in terms of nary a celebrity making any political statement. That’s right: for arguably the first time in history, celebrities at an awards ceremony were not feeling political. Almost as though to do so would be “too much” amid the tinderbox climate (figuratively and literally) of now. Particularly with regard to mentioning anything about Israel and Palestine. Which proves, once again, that Hollywood hypocrisy is alive and well no matter how much its awards ceremonies feign “evolution.” For how can an awards show really evolve if the industry itself hasn’t?

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    Genna Rivieccio

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  • Golden Globes are back on TV, but are reform efforts enough?

    Golden Globes are back on TV, but are reform efforts enough?

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Without a TV show, starry red carpet, host, press or even a livestream, the Golden Globe Awards were in chaos last year after scandal broke over lack of diversity, accusations of sexism, and ethical and financial lapses among members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

    Once known as Hollywood’s biggest, booziest party that regularly drew 18 million television viewers, the doling out of statues was reduced to a 90-minute private event with no celebrities present at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

    Winners were announced on Twitter, often without specifying what project a person had actually won for.

    What a difference a year can make.

    After dumping the telecast in the aftermath of a damaging expose by the Los Angeles Times, NBC will put the battered 80-year-old Globes back on the air Tuesday under a one-year deal, as opposed to multi-year contracts of the past worth tens of millions of dollars.

    A wave of celebrities plan to attend, along with star presenters and funnyman host Jerrod Carmichael after the embattled controllers of the Globes dug deep into the work of implementing top-down reforms.

    There’s now a strict code of conduct, refreshed bylaws, a ban on gifts and new rules on accepting travel and other perks from the industry. Contentious news conferences were dumped, and the pool of awards voters was expanded beyond the 87 Los Angeles-based foreign journalists who once ruled the organization.

    But are the powerful publicists, studios and other stakeholders who boycotted in protest satisfied with the changes? And are those changes the beginning — or closer to the end?

    “It’s, by far, not over,” said German journalist Helen Hoehne, who took over as president of the HFPA a year and a half ago. “We always said when we started this journey that it would be ongoing and that it would take some time.”

    Kelly Bush Novak, CEO and founder of the A-list public relations firm ID, said more must be done, but she supports steps taken so far.

    “We came together … to ensure the future of the Globes, in step with our culture and our shared values as an industry, and we see commendable and seismic progress,” she said. “I’m optimistic that the work will continue.”

    Still, Novak acknowledged not all stakeholders are on board ahead of Tuesday’s broadcast, despite sweeping changes aimed at restoring the luster of the Globes.

    Last year, publicists like Novak banded together to battle the HFPA, and studios that included Netflix and WarnerMedia cut ties with the organization after the LA Times raised questions about corruption and a range of bias issues over race and sexual orientation.

    None of the 87 Hollywood Foreign Press Association members was Black and the group had not had a Black member since at least 2002.

    Now, after an effort to increase and diversify its ranks, 199 people decide who gets a Globe, a mix of 96 HFPA members and outsiders from other countries brought in to dilute the power of the old guard. Membership eligibility was expanded from Los Angeles to anywhere in the United States.

    Heading into the telecast, Globes voters stand at 52% female, and 51.8% racially and ethnically diverse, including 19.6% Latino, 12.1% Asian, 10.1% Black and 10.1% Middle Eastern. Voters also include those who are LGBTQIA+. In all, 62 countries are represented.

    The governing board was expanded from nine to 15 and includes three Black members, two of whom vote on rules and other matters but not awards. Overall, the organization now has six Black HFPA members and 14 Black international Globes voters who aren’t members.

    Perhaps the most significant change: The Globes were purchased by billionaire Todd Boehly, who also owns Globes producer dick clark productions and the Chelsea soccer team and is an investor in the Beverly Hilton. He’s shifting the voting body from its founding nonprofit status to a for-profit model, pending approval by the California attorney general. He plans to preserve the HFPA’s charitable work with a separate nonprofit entity.

    A hotline managed by two independent law firms was opened, with complaints investigated by outsiders. A chief diversity officer was hired, and mandatory racial, sexual harassment and sexual orientation sensitivity training was put in place, required for any HFPA member casting Globe votes.

    Michelle Williams, nominated for her turn in “The Fabelmans,” is among dozens of stars planning to attend Tuesday.

    “It feels to me like the community as a whole has decided that this organization has really done a lot of work to reform themselves and that we can support change, like we can hold people accountable and then we can support them as they continue to journey in their path towards being a better organization,” she said.

    Added Judd Hirsch, nominated for the same film: “We’ll be there. We’ll give them another chance.”

    Dumping news conferences at the center of insensitive questions posed to talent who felt obligated to show up helped cool off some critics, but not all.

    “I can’t speak for everyone. There may be some reluctance to participate,” Novak said. “We must acknowledge the past and will never forget the damage done. Manifesting a new future requires it.”

    Brendan Fraser, nominated for his performance in “The Whale,” will not be there Tuesday. In 2018, Fraser said he was groped by Philip Berk, a former HFPA president who is from South Africa.

    Berk was expelled in 2021 after calling Black Lives Matter “a racist hate movement.”

    “I just hope that we can regain his trust over time,” Hoehne said of Fraser.

    The same, Hoehne said, goes for Tom Cruise. Last year, he returned his three Golden Globes in protest. With a best picture nod for his long-awaited sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” he was snubbed for best actor this year.

    Under Boehly’s leadership, HFPA members will earn $75,000 a year as his employees, as opposed to current stipends closer to $5,000. They’ll vote on nominations and winners among films and television series submitted for awards consideration. They’ll write for the organization’s website, and organize other projects, the LA Times said, citing a confidential employee memo it reviewed.

    The 103 new voting non-members recruited with the help of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and LGBTQIA+ organizations will not be paid, setting up a two-tier structure aimed at eliminating the taint of financial compensation as more new recruits come on board.

    Outraged industry stakeholders had called for the overall Globes voting body to be closer to 300. Other reforms are aimed at battling the perception of influence peddling.

    As eventual paid employees, members will be subject to firing without cause. They’re now required to sign a code of conduct every year covering job performance, decorum and ethical behavior.

    The 80-year-old group had been stuck in its ways, Hoehne acknowledged.

    “We needed to question a lot of things. We needed to look at these bylaws and say, OK, how can we make them better? How can we modernize the association? We had never really done it and not addressed it,” she said.

    Although the new pay structure has not yet been implemented, over the past year the HFPA has pushed out several members it accused of violating its standards.

    One was accused of forging signatures on Internal Revenue Service documents, another case related to sexual harassment and a third involved fabricating interviews that never occurred, according to an HFPA spokesperson.

    Boehly himself acknowledged the future is uncertain.

    “I have nightmares where it doesn’t work too, you know? I get it, you can’t convince all of the people all of the time of anything,” he told the LA Times. “We know we have to add value and we know that we have to be part of the solution.”

    ___

    Associated Press Writer Krysta Fauria contributed to this report.

    ___

    Follow Leanne Italie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/litalie

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  • Golden Globes, hobbled by scandal, set to announce noms

    Golden Globes, hobbled by scandal, set to announce noms

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    NEW YORK — After scandal and boycott plunged the Hollywood Foreign Press Association into disarray and knocked the Golden Globes broadcast off television for a year, the annual film and television awards are set to announce nominations Monday.

    Nominations to the 80th Golden Globe Awards will be announced 8:35 a.m. EST Monday by George and Mayan Lopez, who will read the nominees on NBC’s “Today” show. The Globes will be telecast Jan. 10, with stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael hosting.

    This year’s show could be make-or-break for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that puts on the Globes. A Los Angeles Times investigation in early 2021 found that the group then had no Black members, a revelation compounded by other allegations of ethical improprieties. Many stars and studios said they would boycott the show. Tom Cruise returned his three Globes.

    With Hollywood spurning the Globes, NBC last year canceled the telecast that would have taken place in January. Instead, the Golden Globes were quietly held in a Beverly Hilton ballroom without any stars in attendance. Winners were announced on Twitter.

    Now, the Globes are trying to mount a comeback. The biggest question surrounding the nominations Monday isn’t who will be nominated but how will Hollywood respond. Will the usual press statements and social-media celebrations follow? Or will many take the lead of Brendan Fraser — a likely nominee this year for his performance in “The Whale” — who said he won’t attend the Globes.

    In 2018, Fraser said he was groped by Philip Berk, a longtime HFPA member and former president of the organization, at an event in 2003. The HFPA found that Berk “inappropriately touched” Fraser, but that it “was intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance.”

    “It’s because of the history that I have with them,” Fraser told GQ last month, explaining why he wouldn’t attend. “And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”

    Over the last year and a half, the HFPA has revamped its membership and enacted reforms designed to curtail unethical behavior. The group added new members, including six Black voting members.

    In bringing the Globes back the air, NBC praised the HFPA for its ongoing reforms but also reworked its contract. The network will broadcast the 2023 show in a one-year deal. It also shifted the telecast to a Tuesday, instead of the Globes’ previous Sunday night perch.

    Known for its boozy, celebrity-stuffed broadcast, the Globes have long ranked as one of the most-watched non-sporting live programs of the year. But ratings, as they have for most award shows, have slid for the Globes in recent years. The 2021 show, held amid the pandemic, was watched by 6.9 million, down from 18 million the year prior.

    The HFPA also sold the Globes earlier this year to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries, which has turned it from a nonprofit to a for-profit venture. The firm also owns Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Globes, and the award show’s longtime home, the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

    For Hollywood studios, the Globes can be a useful marketing tool that helps drive audiences to awards contenders ahead of the Academy Awards, which this year will be held March 12. In the past year, no other awards body has emerged as a Globes replacement. And with modest ticket sales thus far for many of the fall’s most acclaimed dramas, some in the industry will surely hope to see the Globes restored to their former luster.

    This year, some of the favorites include the metaverse adventure “Everything Everywhere all at Once,” Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical “The Fabelmans” and Martin McDonagh’s feuding friends drama “The Banshees of Inisherin.” The year’s biggest box-office hit, “Top Gun: Maverick,” too, could be in the mix. Could Cruise be a nominee again?

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  • Brendan Fraser says he won’t participate in Golden Globes

    Brendan Fraser says he won’t participate in Golden Globes

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Brendan Fraser, whose performance in “The Whale” has made him a likely awards candidate this year, says he won’t attend the Golden Globes in January if he’s nominated.

    In 2018 , Fraser said that the was groped by longtime Hollywood Foreign Press Association member Philip Berk, a former president of the organization behind the Globes. Fraser said the incident took place at a Beverly Hills, California, luncheon in 2003. Berk, a member from South Africa, was expelled from the HFPA last year after calling Black Lives Matter “a racist hate movement.”

    Last year’s Golden Globes were all but canceled after the organization was plunged into scandal over ethical indiscretions and the revelation that the group then included no Black voting members. Many stars, publicists and studios said they were boycotting the Globes. Earlier this year, the HFPA, after reforms, said the 80th Golden Globes will be broadcast January 10 on NBC.

    But Fraser won’t be there.

    “I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” Fraser told GQ Magazine in an cover story published Wednesday. Asked whether he’ll be involved with the ceremony if nominated, Fraser said, ”No, I will not participate.

    “It’s because of the history that I have with them,” Fraser added. “And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”

    In Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” which opens in theaters Dec. 9, Fraser plays a reclusive English teacher living with obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter. He’s nominated for outstanding lead performance at the upcoming Gotham Awards and is widely considered a likely best actor nominee at the Academy Awards.

    After an internal investigation, the HFPA concluded that Berk “inappropriately touched” Fraser, who in 2003 had recently starred in the acclaimed drama “The Quiet American.” But the HFPA said it “was intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance.” Berk remained a member of the group until his expulsion in 2021.

    “I knew they would close ranks,” Fraser told GQ. “I knew they would kick the can down the road. I knew they would get ahead of the story. I knew that I certainly had no future with that system as it was. … I think it was because it was too prickly or sharp-edged or icky for people to want to go first and invest emotionally in the situation.”

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