If the gold Globes airs on a weeknight and nobody watches it, does that still matter? That was the question posed when the booze cousin of the Oscars returned to television on Tuesday night after a year-long absence.
The awards show, a cash cow for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – a bizarre group of international journalists from obscure publications with loose ethics who love asking celebrities for autographs and photos at press conferences to the bewilderment of almost everyone – was kicked off the air last year and only announced his awards via Twitter, rather embarrassingly, at the following a series of high-profile controversies.
Among these were an investigation revealing that the HFPA had no black members; its former president Philip Berk calling Black Lives Matter a ‘racist hate movement’ and accused of groping actor Brendan Fraser, who attended this year’s ceremony in protest even though he was nominated for The whale; and comically brazen corruption allegations, such as Netflix offering HFPA members a luxurious vacation in Paris for Emily in Paris this resulted in a number of Globe nominations for the oft-derided series.
And now it’s back, proving there’s absolutely nothing it will prevent Hollywood from rewarding itself at a glitzy party with free booze and snacks.
Broadcast live on NBC from the Beverly Hilton to Tony Beverly Hills, California, 1980se the annual Golden Globes was hosted by Jerrod Carmichael, an ultra-talented black comic who recently came out in his powerful stand-up special Rothaniel.
During his opening monologue, Carmichael joked that he was “unremovable” as the first black Globes host and confronted the organization’s racism controversy, explaining why the HFPA l chose – and why he chose to accept the mostly ungrateful gig.
“Hello. Welcome to the 80’se Annual Golden Globe Awards. I’m your host, Jerrod Carmichael. And I’ll tell you why I’m here. I’m here because I’m black,” he began.
“That show, the Golden Globe Awards, didn’t air last year because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – which I won’t say they were a racist organization, but they didn’t have a single black member. until George Floyd dies, so do with that information what you want.
After comparing himself to black FBI informants who spied on civil rights leaders in the 1960s, Carmichael ultimately said he took the hosting gig because of his $500,000 salary and that “the industry deserves nights like these”, whatever that means.
It was mostly for Carmichael, except for a few semi-amusing interstitial jokes about how Rihanna should ignore the haters and take her fucking time on this new album (the Queen was in attendance with fellow A$AP Rocky) , a dig at Tom Cruise the Scientologist for his performative display of returning his Golden Globe trophies (who wasn’t in attendance, which lessened his impact), and a crack aimed at Steven Spielberg about bringing Kanye West to a projection of The Fabelmans and have him change his entire perspective on Jews — as well as an incredibly cheeky perspective involving Will Smith being locked up, a la Rock Hudson. Carmichael, who is best known for his brand of emotionally raw and insightful comedy, appeared out of his comfort zone throughout the night and focused more on promoting a general sense of unease than on the hay landing.
It was not without its pleasant moments. Jennifer Coolidge hilariously fumbling in her own reasoning for presenting before delivering a moving acceptance speech about hitting hard in middle age, and Colin Farrell swearing as he thanked his little ass co-star, Jenny, after winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for The Banshees of Inisherin. Michelle Yeoh tearfully recounted her decades-long journey navigating Hollywood and all the barriers she crossed, while accepting the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Everything everywhere all at once – before telling the Globes: “Shut up, please! I can beat you,” when they attempted to play her.
Another highlight of the show was the large number of black actors who won awards, including Best Supporting Actress for the legendary Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (Abbott Elementary School) to Tyler James Williams, Quinta Brunson won Best TV Actress in a Musical/Comedy Series (Abbott Elementary School), Zendaya for Best TV Actress in a Drama Series (Euphoria), and Brunson Abbott Elementary School winning Best Musical or Comedy Television Series. Eddie Murphy also received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Professional Achievement. Although all of these winners clearly deserved, the Globes have a lot there is still work to be done to make up for its racist past.
Meanwhile, fellow comedian Tracy Morgan introduced Murphy and called his “weak withdrawal game” for fathering ten children, earning some of the biggest laughs of the night. In a brief acceptance speech, Murphy gave the audience three tips for getting far in life.
“There is a definitive blueprint you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind. It’s a blueprint and I’ve followed it my entire career,” Murphy said. taxes, mind your own business and keep the name of Will Smith’s wife out of your fucking mouth!
Well done, sir. Ryan Murphy spotlighted LGBTQ+ artists like Billy Porter and MJ Rodriguez while receiving the Carol Burnett Television Achievement Award, calling them “examples of possibility,” and a teary-eyed Sean Penn came forward to present Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who interrupted the glamorous gala to deliver a message to those watching at home about Russia’s war on Ukraine. (This happens at nearly every major award show now.)
“The war in Ukraine is not over yet, but the tide is turning. And we already know who will win,” he said. “There are still battles and tears to come, but now I can definitely tell you who was the best the year before: it was you. The free people of the free world. Those who united around supporting of the free Ukrainian people in our common struggle for freedom, democracy, for the right to live, to love.
Dragon House won best drama television series, while Martin McDonagh The Banshees of Inisherin won Best Musical or Comedy Film and Steven Spielberg’s Autobiographical Drama The Fabelmans received the award for best dramatic film. In a classy move, Spielberg gave a shoutout to all of the film’s PAs during his acceptance speech.
“I was John Cassavetes’ PA on one of his movies,” Spielberg said. “I brought him some coffee. I offered them everything they wanted. I ran around this set, which looked like a 16mm camera and a lot of noise, and whatever they wanted, I rushed to delis and made them do stuff. And that’s why I treat my APs so kindly, because I know how it feels.
There was, of course, the aforementioned cloud hanging over the proceedings – and I’m not just talking about the HFPA’s racism controversies, or its bribery schemes, or the fact that it did not name any women in the Best Director category (another one of his historical issues, and something McDonagh pointed out during his acceptance speech). I’m talking about Brendan Fraser.
As mentioned earlier, Fraser did not participate in this year’s Golden Globes even though he was nominated in the Best Actor category for his best career performance in the film. The whale (he lost against Elvis‘Austin Butler). In a 2018 interview with QGFraser first opened up about how former HFPA president Philip Berk groped him at an HFPA luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2003.
“I felt sick. I felt like a little kid. I felt like I had a lump in my throat. I thought I was going to cry,” Fraser said. that someone threw invisible paint at me.” (Berk called the incident a “total fabrication,” while Fraser contends the HFPA framed it as a “joke” in a written apology.)
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Fraser said QG in November last year that he would not be attending this year’s Golden Globes if nominated for The Whale.
“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” Fraser said. “No, I will not participate.”
He added: “It’s because of the history I have with them. And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me many things, but not that.
It would have been nice to see more actors (a few?) and other members of the Hollywood community show their solidarity with Fraser, or at least check out his name and why he’s been missing overnight. But Fraser’s ordeal was hardly mentioned.
Historically, the Golden Globe Awards ceremony was a night of revelry – your favorite actors in eye-catching dresses and tuxedos jumped on booze, getting roasted by the likes of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler or the more flamethrower Ricky Gervais. The 2023 Golden Globes had none of that. Crowd stars and presenters appeared nervous, even unsure why they were there in the first place. There were few treasured jokes about these A-listers (barring Regina Hall’s wonderful riff on winner Kevin Costner’s apology for his absence, bless her), and even fewer memorable reaction shots. He ran nearly 30 more minutes. And Carmichael, as host, not only managed to keep the momentum going, but also tackled the HFPA’s long list of controversies in a smart way. So if the Golden Globes is just another boring awards show, what’s the point?
Maybe it’s time to let him die.