Helen Hoehne’s voice sounded impressively shaky, as if she was about to cry. Then she called on the rapper Snoop Dogg, whose pronunciation of many famous names seemed like he was hearing her for the first time. Together in Beverly Hills they read the nominations of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), of which Helen Hoehne is president, for the 79th Golden Globe Awards. The traditional price is badly hit, which could explain the bumpy presentation.
The names of the nominees are first business as usual: Lady Gaga, Kristen Stewart and Nicole Kidman are among the applicants for the Best Actress (Drama) Award, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Lawrence and the newcomers Alana Haim and Rachel Zegler compete in the musical / comedy category. Among the men, Leonardo DiCaprio, Peter Dinklage, Mahershala Ali, Benedict Cumberbatch and Denzel Washington stand out. In television and streaming roles, Margaret Qualley, Kate Winslet, Omar Sy and Brian Cox are in the running.
The organizers have been pampered for years, this year their behavior flew into their ears
It is certain that the award ceremony will take place on January 9th, but it remains completely unclear in which format. Will a TV station be found that will broadcast all of this, or will it have to be streamed from the website? Will stars accept the invitation, speak acceptance speeches into the camera? All of this is by no means certain.
For the last time the Globes were awarded in January 2021, the HFPA got into severe turmoil. The isolated circle of less than a hundred Hollywood correspondents were accused of extortionate tactics when dealing with studios and stars, bribery on invitations and press trips paid for by third parties, disregarding journalistic rules of conduct and the fact that their membership was not at all diverse.
A rage broke out in Hollywood that had apparently been piling up for a long time: important decision-makers threatened a boycott, Tom Cruise returned three Globes, more than 100 PR firms threatened to withdraw their stars, and the broadcaster NBC, which held the award broadcast for 25 years, canceled the contract. The HFPA responds with resignations, restructuring, new rules and the appointment of a diversity officer. In addition, 21 new members were appointed. Whether that will be enough to save the Golden Globes, however, is more than questionable.