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Golden Globes to go ahead without audience, live stream

LOS ANGELES (AFP, Reuters) – A stripped-down Golden Globes will go ahead with no audience or media on Sunday (Jan 9), as the event traditionally known as Hollywood’s biggest party reels from an industry boycott over ethical lapses by its organisers.

It will be a private event this year with no live-stream either, organisers said.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) – which votes on the Globes – has been accused of racism, sexism, bullying and corruption, with television rights-holder NBC last year pulling the plug on its annual awards broadcast. 

Nonetheless, honours in film and television will be announced on Sunday from the Globes’ usual Beverly Hills hotel venue, in a programme the organisation said was set to highlight “the long-established philanthropy work of the HFPA”.

“Over the past 25 years, the HFPA has donated US$50 million (S$68 million) to more than 70 entertainment-related charities, film restoration, scholarship programmes and humanitarian efforts,” the group said in a statement. 

No audience will be present for the 79th Golden Globe Awards, the group said, citing health concerns due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the rapidly spreading Omicron variant. But real-time updates on winners will be provided, it said.

It has also banned gifts and favours and implemented diversity and sexual harassment training for members. The group, which numbers just over 100, plans to further expand this year.

Rapper and actor Snoop Dogg announced the nominations for the 79th Golden Globes last month. British director Kenneth Branagh’s childhood-inspired Belfast and New Zealand director Jane Campion’s dark Western, The Power Of The Dog, topped the selections with seven nods apiece. Other nominees include Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos), Will Smith (King Richard), Kristen Stewart (Spencer) and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth).

The Golden Globes have traditionally been second in importance only to the Oscars in Hollywood’s film awards season, but their credibility has been thrown into question – and their future plunged into doubt. 

Many Tinseltown publicists and studios refused to participate in this year’s edition, and A-listers publicly distanced themselves from the embattled group, at least until reforms are made.

Ads and billboards boasting of Golden Globe nomination tallies have been notably absent in Los Angeles this winter.

The HFPA diversity row was triggered by a Los Angeles Times investigation last year showing that the organisation at the time did not have a single black member.

In October, the HFPA said it had added 21 new members, six of whom are Black.

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