Boycotted by A-listers and studios last year, the Golden Globes will attempt to rebuild its reputation as one of Hollywood’s top awards, with organizers unveiling this year’s nominees on Monday.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organizes the film and television awards, has been in a rush to reform since longstanding criticism of the group’s practices became public in early 2021.
Tinseltown completely distanced itself from the Globes last January due to lack of voter diversity, alleged corruption and lack of professionalism, and the show was held behind closed doors.
But the NBC broadcaster bet it was time to bring back the glitzy gala, which will take place in Beverly Hills on January 10.
Tinseltown is waiting to see which stars will show up. Much of this will depend on who is nominated.
Both Tom Cruise and Brendan Fraser are considered strong contenders this awards season for their starring roles in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘The Whale’, respectively.
But Cruise returned his three Golden Globes to the HFPA last year to protest his behavior, and Fraser said he would not attend the awards if nominated.
“It’s because of the history I have with them. And my mom didn’t raise a hypocrite,” Fraser told GQ last month.
Fraser alleged that a former HFPA president, Philip Berk, sexually assaulted him at an industry event in 2003. Berk denies the incident and has since been kicked out of the group for calling it Black Lives Matter of a “racist hate movement”.
In response to last year’s controversy, the HFPA expanded its voting body to include people from more diverse backgrounds, banned members from accepting gifts and halted its in-person press conferences with stars. , often ridiculed for the inappropriate behavior of certain members.
“It’s really not the old HFPA anymore,” chairwoman Helen Hoehne recently told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I respect Brendan Fraser’s decision…And personally, I sincerely hope that there is a way for us to move forward and that we can regain Mr. Fraser’s trust, as well as the trust of the entire entertainment community,” she added.
Yet powerful Hollywood publicists remain divided on the Globes, with some expressing skepticism about the reforms – and a reluctance to return to the event with their stars.
A plan by US billionaire Todd Boehly to turn the awards show into a for-profit entity and pay members’ salaries has raised eyebrows.
– Spielberg leads the pack –
The Golden Globes honor both film and television. Unlike the Oscars, the series divides its films into “drama” and “comedy or musical” categories – bolstering star power by increasing the number of nominees.
Steven Spielberg’s deeply personal “The Fabelmans” is widely considered the drama’s crowning glory.
Other contenders include the long-awaited sequel to Cruise’s “Top Gun,” Baz Luhrmann’s rock-and-roll biopic “Elvis,” and “Women Talking,” a book adaptation about sexual abuse in a religious colony.
“Everything Everywhere All At Once,” Michelle Yeoh’s highly original sci-fi set in a tax office that became a word-of-mouth hit earlier this year, is tilted in the comedy movie categories.
The same goes for the star-studded thriller sequel “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and Irish black comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
Fraser and Austin Butler, the 31-year-old actor who plays Presley in “Elvis,” are set to land acting nominations, as is Cate Blanchett as the ruthless orchestra conductor in “Tar.”
On the comedy side, Yeoh and “Banshees” star Colin Farrell are among the favorites.
‘Lopez vs. Lopez’ stars George Lopez and Mayan Lopez will present the nominations for the 80th Golden Globes on NBC’s ‘Today’ show from Monday 13:35 GMT.
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