The end of the Golden Globes: How claims of racism and sexism destroyed the award show
For years, the Golden Globes were often considered the "younger, naughtier sibling" of the Oscars, boasting A-list celebrities, free-flowing alcohol, and a "raucous" atmosphere. However, the 79th Golden Globes ceremony saw the celebration come to a crashing halt.
According to the Daily Mail, the franchise is now facing a Hollywood boycott after years of mismanagement and alleged racist and sexist behavior by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), its organizing body. The newspaper reported how there will be no celebrities, no red carpet, and no primetime show broadcasted by NBC this year after most major PR firms have blacklisted the event. The only exception was Sunshine Sachs, the firm which advises the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell Foundation.
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The newspaper noted how the event will not even be live-streamed and Netflix has reportedly refused to allow the awards show to air clips of its productions, including The Power Of The Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, who is a favorite for the Best Actor award. The trophy will reportedly be couriered to him if he wins. Meanwhile, there are no presenters at the event and the winners will be announced in a press release at the end of a 90-minute 'socially distanced' event in the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
"There has never been a bigger or more dramatic fall from grace than the Globes," a Disney producer told the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity. "It used to be the most fun night of the year. The booze flowed. While it had a serious side because whoever won the Globe was usually favored to win the Oscar, everyone hated the HFPA. They behaved appallingly but they got away with it because winning a Globe added prestige to a movie and translated into bucks at the box office. But with no red carpet, no press, and no TV, you have to say, 'no point.'" Another source claimed, "The party's over. The Globes used to be the Oscars' younger, naughtier sibling but now they have been cast out from the Hollywood family. They are toxic." The Daily Mail reports that the event will be attended by vaccinated, socially distanced members of the HFPA plus "a handful of guests from various charities." A former winner told the outlet how it "sounds about as much as fun as a root canal surgery."
The event began its downward spiral last February when the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported none of the HFPA's 87 members were black. Following the report, actress Scarlett Johansson claimed she had been asked "sexist" questions during HFPA events "which bordered on sexual harassment." The franchise was also plagued with allegations of corruption and bribery when it emerged that 30 members took a 2019 trip to Paris and stayed in a lavish $1,360-a-night hotel courtesy of Paramount Pictures, which produced the hit Netflix series Emily In Paris. According to the report, HFPA Members routinely accepted "freebies" from movie studios and some of them were not "legitimate" journalists.
Responding to the criticism after announcing a series of sweeping changes in May 2020, HFPA President Ali Sar said, "We remain dedicated to becoming a better organization and an example of diversity, transparency, and accountability in the industry." That said, aside from Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman could win the Best Actress gong for The Lost Daughter and Sir Kenneth Branagh is up for Best Director for Belfast. Meanwhile, Andrew Garfield is nominated in the Best Actor category for 'Tick, Tick...Boom!' and Irish actress Ruth Negga is up for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'Passing'.