After the scandal and boycott sank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and took the broadcast of the Golden Globes off television for a year, the annual film and television awards will announce their nominations on Monday. Those in charge of doing it will be the comedians George and Mayan Lopez, father and daughter.
On the day of the gala, however, the master of ceremonies will be fellow comedian Jerrod Carmichael, who will bear the pressure that this is a decisive year for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and its awards.
A Los Angeles Times investigation in early 2021 found the group had no black members, a revelation compounded by other allegations of ethical wrongdoing. This led many stars and studios to boycott the ceremony and the entity. Tom Cruise, for example, returned his three Globes and NBC canceled the broadcast of the gala, which was held in a Beverly Hilton ballroom without the assistance of any stars. The winners were announced on Twitter.
This year, the awards are trying to recover, so both the press and the public are attentive, beyond the nominees, to how Hollywood will respond. Will the usual press statements and celebrations on social media continue? Or will many take the lead from Brendan Fraser, a likely nominee this year for his performance in The Whale, who has said he won't be attending the Globes.
Over the past year and a half, the HFPA has renewed its membership and enacted reforms designed to reduce the unethical behavior of which it has been accused. The group added new members but also reworked their contract. The network will carry the show from 2023 on a one-year deal. Of course, it will do it on Tuesday instead of Sunday.
The Globes have long ranked as one of the most-watched live non-sports shows of the year, but ratings, as they have with most award shows, have declined in recent years.
