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In the past, the Golden Globes and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) were shunned in Hollywood due to reports of corruption, racism, and sexual assault within the organization. As a result, the ceremony was not attended by industry members and was no longer aired by its usual broadcasting partner NBC.
The ceremony proceeded without an audience or TV broadcast, raising a similar question to the philosophical saying “if a tree falls in a forest.” However, it was proven that there was indeed a reaction: leading to a cringe-worthy display on social media as winners like Nicole Kidman and Rachel Zegler promoted their success while also scolding the voters. In the chaotic and competitive atmosphere of awards season, even a controversial victory can be turned into a chance for publicity.
In the end, the globes didn’t come from a lofty position. The HFPA membership has long been considered small and unimportant, and their choices have been met with skepticism. For example, there was a controversial win for Pia Zadora in the 1980s amidst accusations of bribery, as well as a best picture nomination for the poorly received film The Tourist. Despite this, industry professionals were still willing to attend their lively January event.
Due to the current focus on social awareness, it has become increasingly difficult to ignore more serious accusations, such as actor Brendan Fraser’s allegation that former HFPA president Philip Berk sexually assaulted him at an industry function. Many analysts predicted that this could mark the downfall of a once-revered institution in Hollywood.
However, the impact of a thorough public relations transformation is remarkable. Despite facing boycotts from certain nominees, such as Fraser, last year, the Golden Globes are now boldly asserting their return with significant changes: a revamped voting body, a fresh mindset, and even the addition of a few new award classifications. The entertainment industry, on the other hand, will be making a comeback with all its extravagant splendor, demonstrating that a ceremony centered on self-congratulation cannot be suppressed. Not even a questionable one.
There is now a completely new group of voters.
The Golden Globes were previously overseen by the HFPA, but their role was not very clear. The HFPA is a nonprofit group made up of entertainment journalists from non-US sources, with a membership of around 100 people. This made them a smaller and more susceptible group compared to the 10,500-member academy that decides on the Oscars. However, the HFPA did not hold a high status.
Their questionable reputation was accepted until 2021, when the HFPA’s ethical standards and diversity were exposed in an investigation by the LA Times. The investigation revealed various scandals, including a lack of diversity with no black members. As a result, the association was dissolved and replaced with a select group of 300 international journalists. The new group boasts a 47% female and only 40% white composition, as announced by the new owners of the Globes, private equity firm Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions. The nominations for this year are mostly respectable, with notable mentions for popular films such as Barbie and Oppenheimer, as well as critically acclaimed art films like Past Lives, Anatomy of a Fall, and The Zone of Interest. This indicates that the new group does not want to be criticized.
Perhaps Barbie is the ultimate competitor.
Barbie has received an impressive nine nominations for this year’s Golden Globe awards, putting her in the lead among all other nominees. This ties her with the 1972 musical Cabaret for the second-highest number of nominations in the history of the awards. The only other film to surpass them is the 70s classic Nashville, with a total of 11 nominations.
Some may argue that three of Barbie’s nominations are in the less significant category of best original song, while one is in the recently established and unclear category of cinematic and box office achievement, which also includes less esteemed works such as The Super Mario Bros Movie and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. (The Oscars previously considered adding a similar award for best popular film, but ultimately abandoned the idea due to criticism of it being opportunistic and perplexing – two qualities that the Golden Globes have never shied away from.)
Don’t assume Barbie’s nomination haul guarantees a good night for Team Gerwig, however, particularly with fierce competition from Poor Things in the comedy/musical categories: from its record-breaking 11 bids, Nashville won a single award… for best original song.
It may be premature to make predictions for the Oscars.
However, for those focused on the ultimate achievement – the Oscar – the Golden Globes should not be considered the definitive factor. While it was once believed that the globes accurately forecasted Oscar success, in recent years they have shown significant differences. Industry guild awards and the Baftas are now seen as more reliable indicators for predicting Oscar winners. In the past two decades, only eight films that won the Golden Globe for Best Picture went on to win the Oscar in the same category.
In the past year, the majority of voters around the world chose Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin over the eventual Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once. They also preferred actors Austin Butler and Angela Bassett over Oscar winners Brendan Fraser and Jamie Lee Curtis. The previous year, Jane Campion’s unconventional western The Power of the Dog was favored over the predictable Oscar winner Coda. In other years, they selected The Social Network over The King’s Speech, The Grand Budapest Hotel over Birdman, and Brokeback Mountain over the surprising Oscar winner Crash, among others.
They may be cooler than you realize.
If you, like numerous critics and film enthusiasts, believe that those selections are a positive reflection of the struggling, less esteemed event, there is something that is often overlooked about the Golden Globes: they occasionally exhibit superior and more daring judgement than what is typically assumed.
This is the same group that nominated David Lynch’s groundbreaking film, Mulholland Drive, for best picture in 2001 – an accomplishment that the Oscars cannot boast. They have also recognized exceptional acting performances from Isabelle Huppert, who fearlessly portrayed a complex rape victim in Paul Verhoeven’s Elle, and Sally Hawkins, who received no recognition from the Oscars or Baftas for her unique comedic role in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky.
The category for comedy and musical at the Globes has allowed them to recognize and honor classic movies and performances that were not taken seriously enough by the Academy. For example, Marilyn Monroe may not have been nominated for an Oscar, but she did receive a well-deserved Globe for her role in Some Like It Hot.
They are seriously passionate about it.
Barbra Streisand
Despite previous controversies related to diversity, the Golden Globes achieved a significant milestone 26 years before the Oscars. While the Oscars did not award a woman for Best Director until 2010 with Kathryn Bigelow’s win for The Hurt Locker, the Golden Globes had already done so in 1984. However, the HFPA did not have to step outside their usual focus on celebrities, as the winner was Barbra Streisand for her debut as a director in the self-promoting musical Yentl. This accomplishment was not recognized by the Academy’s Directors Branch.
Barbra Streisand has set a record for the most Golden Globe awards with 10, thanks to her achievements in acting, filmmaking, and songwriting. Meryl Streep has the record for the most acting wins alone, with eight. However, in the year of her Oscar win, globe voters chose James Cameron over Kathryn Bigelow. Since then, only Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion have joined Streisand as women who have won for directing. Greta Gerwig and Celine Song, who is new to the scene, are both vying to join this list of accomplished women this year.
The position of host was not filled until 2010.
In the past, the appeal of the Golden Globes has been its reputation as a livelier and more chaotic version of the Oscars. Unlike the traditional theatre-style seating, the Globes have dinner tables and a free flow of alcohol, leading to entertainingly drunken speeches and unpredictable mishaps – such as when Elizabeth Taylor was too intoxicated to open the award envelope she was presenting, or when Renée Zellweger was in the bathroom when her best actress win was announced.
The ceremony, which did away with elaborate performances and a host, was a significant aspect of their casual atmosphere. In 2010, they started a new tradition of having more relaxed hosts, such as Ricky Gervais and the popular duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. This year, the role will be filled by lesser-known comedian Jo Koy, who is Filipino-American. While it is a major opportunity, it is not nearly as high-stakes as hosting the Oscars.
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Additionally, they do not solely focus on movies.
While the Oscars have seen a decrease in viewership due to declining theater attendance, the Golden Globes have gained additional popularity among those who prefer watching television. While the Emmys are still considered the most esteemed award in TV, the Golden Globes, known for their attraction to new and shiny things, tend to choose different winners each year, making them more thrilling in this aspect.
This group has previously awarded top series honors to shows like Brideshead Revisited, Twin Peaks, Girls, and the original British version of The Office. This year, we will see if this pattern continues with victories for new hits like The Last of Us and Jury Duty or if previous winners like Succession and Abbott Elementary will come out on top once again.
However, the Golden Globes have a new category this year for outstanding stand-up comedy performances on TV, featuring nominees such as Ricky Gervais, Amy Schumer, and Chris Rock. This sets the Golden Globes apart from other award shows during a busy awards season, as no other major ceremony offers a similar category.
Source: theguardian.com
