NBC Scrubs 2022 Golden Globes Awards in Light of Controversy; Future Uncertain
After an awards season like no other, next year will also look a little different
Following months of controversy, NBC announced yesterday, they will not be airing the 2022 Golden Globes ceremony as a result of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s current practices. While the organization has been attempting to make changes his is a move that will no doubt dramatically change the awards race next year and beyond.
Since The HFPA started the awards in 1944, The Golden Globes have been a reliable precursor to the Academy Awards and a magnet for A-List talent. NBC has been the broadcaster of the ceremony since 1993 and until last year was a big ratings grabber for the network. Despite their prestige, the HFPA, comprised of 90 journalists from around the world, has been a hot button of controversy.
The organization has been known for questionable nomination choices that are generally seen as less rewarding great performances and more getting top stars to attend the ceremony as the nominations for the critically panned “The Tourist” that earned Best Picture-Musical/Comedy and acting nominations for Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Other criticisms include not allowing films like “The Farewell” and “Minari” compete in the main categories for having under 50% of English dialogue even though movies like “Babel”(which won Best Picture Drama) and “Inglorious Bastards” did get to compete despite having the same limitations.
This year, however, has taken a turn for the worse. Just days before the last ceremony, an expose from The Los Angeles Times revealed that the HFPA did not include a single Black member in its voting body. This caused the Time’s Up organization and other PR firms to refuse to attend HFPA events unless meaningful changes were made.
Last week, a vote was held that overwhelmingly approved a sweeping change in both allowing new members of color to join and crackdown on any misconduct. The HFPA states that the plan would take a year or two. While NBC was supportive of the changes, Time’s Up criticized the changes as not far enough. Netflix became the first studio to refuse engagement with the HFPA unless more changes were made. Amazon and Warner Bros followed suit. Actors like Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson urged a step back from the organization and perhaps the straw that broke the camel’s back, Tom Cruise, one of the biggest movie stars ever and a three time Golden Globe winner, returned his trophies to show his feelings. That left NBC with no choice but to scrub a televised ceremony for next year but with the hope that 2023 can bring meaningful change.
So where do the Golden Globes go from here? There is a small but not crazy possibility that the HFPA could still give awards but done via a press conference like in 2008 because of the Writer’s Strike that year. The problem with that approach though is that many actors and filmmakers may refuse a win of even a nomination at this point as a way of telling the HFPA to get its act together. NBC’s decision is honestly the biggest kick in the rear that they need if they sincerely want to change their ways. It may be too late for this year unless they speed up the process but I don’t believe the Golden Globes are dead. A year off from television regardless of whether they still give awards or an immediate turnaround for stronger reforms can truly bring the ceremony into the changing times. The Academy Awards showed that it can be done following the Oscars So White controversy in 2016 so the HFPA can easily learn from its more prestige awards cousin.
Regardless of what happens next year or even next month, the precursor race in terms of determining Oscar winners will not quite be the same anymore. Globes controversy aside, BAFTA, the British equivalent of the Oscars, is now being juried which affects its nominations and The Screen Actors Guild Awards will be allowing outside influencers to vote on its awards starting next year. In other words, when making your Oscar predictions for next year, plan accordingly and carefully.
Let us know in the comments below about this massive upheaval in awards shows. Do you believe the Golden Globes can change for the better? What sorts of changes can and should be made?