A few more thoughts on Hollywood’s shyest awards ceremony. Plus: We guess the winners (they won’t be there, but you might as well know).
If a Golden Globe falls in the forest, but nobody is around to hear it tumble to earth, does it make a sound? On Jan. 9, the 79th installment of Hollywood’s most star-crossed awards show will take place without bystanders really noticing. Which seems to be the point: There will be a Globes, technically, but there won’t be a Globes if by that one envisions a red carpet telecast, insult comedy, a packed smoking patio, and a cold vegetarian patty being slapped down brusquely and then whisked away before a nibble is dared. Instead, we shall have an under-the-radar event, in which winners are announced without fanfare. The whole affair is so covert it’s actually sort of glamorous. And besides: do we really miss any of that stuff?
Depending on your angle, the Globes and its quirky parent body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are in the throes of a Great Reformation, or the mother of all nosedives. This is the result of a horde of chickens coming home to roost. Pinioned by an avalanche of controversy, a repentant HFPA overhauled its structure and added new members from more diverse backgrounds. This year it is stressing its commitment to philanthropy at a ceremony with no media or celebrities in attendance (getting stars to show up wasn’t going to be easy). It’s possible this Calvinist cure may be more lethal to the enterprise than the allegations of skullduggery that plagued it for decades.
There are plenty of critics who think the jig is up, and good riddance. But before we put a fork in anything…a look back! It wasn’t so long ago that the Globes were candy for audiences and a golden goose for NBC, the network that airs them (it cancelled this year’s telecast in the wake of the HFPA’s well-publicized troubles). Back in 2004, nearly 30 million Americans tuned in to the ceremony, and before the pandemic, audiences routinely hovered around the 20 million mark. Then a perfect storm hit. Much of this has zero to do with the HFPA’s morals or membership composition — there is no way to throw a glamorous gala in the midst of a worldwide health crisis, and the audience shift away from awards shows is beyond even the most brilliant producer to remedy. So, this is a good a time as any to hit the pause button and rethink the entire enterprise.
July 12, 2024
