Hollywood just can’t quit the Golden Globes
Despite being a frequent source of controversy and embarrassment, the Globes still hold a special spot in Hollywood’s calculating heart
Film Features Golden Globes
Since 1944, the Golden Globes have galivanted around American show business like the dumb Oscars. Under the stewardship of the quasi-mysterious, bribe-ready Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Globes regularly courted controversy and stumbled towards its televised ceremonies, where stars get drunk and roasted. For decades the HFPA ran roughshod over any assumed legitimacy, until the organization disintegrated into nothingness and relinquished the Globes due to the fallout from the organization’s refusal to let a single Black person into its voting body. Not that anyone really cared. The Golden Globes have always been the Oscars’ aggressive, intoxicated, and uncontrollable little cousin. And despite its radioactive energy, Hollywood studios have rarely shied away from the allure of another award.
There was a moment when it looked like the Globes were over. In 2021, around the time studios were paying lip service to the idea that they too could hire non-white job candidates, the likes of Tom Cruise were handing their Golden Globes back, announcing to the world that the lack of Black representation in the organization was a non-starter. Amazon, Netflix, and WarnerMedia pulled out of the Globes, and the organization promised “transformational change.” The following year, Penske Media, the owner of Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and other entertainment industry outlets, assumed control of the show and returned the Globes to their rightful place as the season’s number two awards show.
Hollywood always comes back to the Globes. Whether studios are feigning outrage over the kind discrimination that they too engage in, or the Globes’ governing body becomes embroiled in a payola scandal, studios find too much value in putting “Golden Globe Winner” at the top of a movie poster. In 2013, a Golden Globe win was found to be more valuable than an Oscar, with a Globe victory amounting to a $14.2 million box office boost.
No matter how much the Golden Globes embarrasses voters and recipients, the value of a name-brand award that people recognize as having nominal importance is priceless. Three years after the controversy that cratered the organization, the words “Golden Globes Nominee” can easily be found at the top of For Your Consideration posters. Despite the well-documented history of corruption and controversy, those words mean too much to a movie’s marketing and audience awareness. Simply by existing, the Golden Globes signal to audiences that movie awards season has begun, alerting viewers to a short list of films that will likely earn Oscar nominations. In a way, the Golden Globes are free advertising for the Academy Awards.
There are only so many Oscars, and many of the movies that the Globes nominate, such as The Tourist or Sia’s Music, would never get within an inch of the Academy Awards. The Globes opens the door to those oddball, celebrity passion projects and star vehicles that promise famous attendees at the ceremony. Of course, in the past that spread opened the HFPA to scandal. Studios and stars were often accused of wining, dining, and basically bribing the HFPA to get a film nominated. Nevertheless, the Golden Globes pressed on.
It doesn’t matter what the Globes do, though, because their value to the broader system offers no downside to Hollywood. The Globes can withstand any controversy, infraction, or discrediting simply by moving on. It’s a brand so inherently toxic but also so invaluable that no one will just let them die. By virtue of being an awards ceremony that has been televised since the 1960s, the Golden Globes will always have some meaning to studios. Whether their film is an Oscar hopeful or Burlesque, there’s a path to awards gold. And until the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards levels up, the Golden Globes will remain a fixture of awards season, whether anyone respects it or not.
31 Comments
Sia’s music should never get within an inch of anyone.
And Sia shouldn’t be allowed within 100 yards of any schoolyard.
That’s true of many South Australians, really. Only state founded by hippies, and not to have convicts, and it shows.
I just like seeing the celebrities get drunk
Awards shows are all spectacularly dumb.
The Golden Globes are ”amazing”. A joke award with no cachet that refuses to die. Which I’m sure we all wish would finally happen.
I’m surprised they haven’t been trying to make it as prestigious as an Oscar, Tony, Emmy or Grammy by forcing their way into the EGOT conversation and promoting the concept of an EGGGOT. They wouldn’t even have to change its pronunciation.
EGOT rhymes with “he got, she got, we got.” Your version rhymes with “Greg got, Meg got, dreg got.”
What sort of madman would pronounce EGOT and EGGGOT the same way?
Obviously the GG is silent.
Leggo my EGGGOT!
You can keep your EGOT. I’ll take an Eegah. Watch out for snakes!
You can simply just ignore the show. I haven’t watched a single Golden Globes ever.
I watched a clip of Ricky Gervais and Carrell’s weird “bit” from the 2011 Golden Globes, I think that’s pretty much it for me.
I’ve been doing that (along with ignoring every other award show) for a couple of decades now!
FOAF years back tried to coerce me into attending their Oscar Watch party by telling me I’d be sorry if I missed it.I’m not sure when that’s supposed to kick in. I actually know people in ‘the industry’ and the amount of times my failure to watch a given awards show has mattered are zero.
As someone who really gets into awards season, I actually like the Golden Globes for three reasons:
1. They divide the movie awards into Drama and Comedy categories. (granted, they frequently have ridiculous ideas of what should fall under the “Musical/Comedy” distinction, but that’s a story for another day)
2. They honor movies and tv at the same time. This may not seem very novel today, since television content has grown in quality and prestige (and the very concept of celebrity has changed), but 15-20 years ago it was WILD to see sitcom actors mingle with the “big” movie stars
3. The celebs have champagne at their tables and are frequently drunk onstage. Not only does this sometimes to lead to hilarity or even glimpses of truth, but let’s also be honest: One of the main reasons we watch these things is so we can judge the beautiful rich people for the tiniest misstep.
Are the Globes overall bullshit? Of course. But let’s not act like ANY of these industry awards are truly given based on merit and talent, and not on who kissed the most ass and whose publicity team spent the most money
They can’t resist any opportunity to jerk each other off on live television.
The “embarrassment” part of the Golden Globes implies that Hollywood studio executives and shareholders possess the capacity to be embarrassed.
You’re saying the people who gave an absent Roman Polanski a standing ovation at the Oscars for The Pianist might not have the capacity or self-awareness to feel shame? The hell you say.
Pah! Bosch! Fiddlesticks! Poppycock! Fiddle Faddle! Cracker Jack!
I mean I wouldn’t say it’s “priceless” – the price is apparently $14.2 million. Unless you’re talking blockbuster, that’s not box office chump change.
People in the entertainment biz like to dress up fancy, tell each other how great they are, and go to fancy parties! Film at 11.
Question: Since the ownership changed hands, who is the voting body now? Still the foreign entertainment journalists?
‘”Question: Since the ownership changed hands, who is the voting body now? Still the foreign entertainment journalists?”’answer:‘”According to the Golden Globes, the current voting body for the awards is made up of 300 members who are entertainment journalists from 75 countries. The Globes said the group includes a diverse mix of people who identify as Latino (26.3 percent), Asian (13.3 percent), Black (11 percent) and Middle Eastern (9 percent).”’source: https://www.washingtonpost.comGolden Globes 2024: How to watch and what to know about the award show
Lmao did anyone else notice the Golden Globes Predictions newswire posted at the same time as this lol the AV Club, masters of both sides of arguments lmaoooo
Keeps those dickheads off the streets for a few hours, which can only be a good thing.
I don’t get what the point of this article is. I mean, what’s another award show gonna hurt anyone? Like, I’m sure the Oscars and Grammys and every award ever that has a long history has some dirty little secrets if you dig into it.
Maybe the Avclub should stop covering the Globes.
You could have analyzed the reasons why, but aside from the box-office potential of a winner, you didn’t, you just ignored the importance to the fashion (and style-blogging) community that a prime-time awards show has, not to mention the easy eyes on movie and TV stars. The cartoony nature of the HFPA is important to examine, but there’s more than just “Hollywood wants another award.” It’s more about the attendant industries knowing a huge opportunity when they see it.
Yet the A.V. Club keeps on covering it:“2024 Golden Globes: Check out the red carpet arrivals”https://www.avclub.com/2024-golden-globes-check-out-the-red-carpet-arrivals-1851147629