Dear Gossips,
Last month, we learned the Golden Globes will be returning to television after an off year in 2022, but this time, it will be on a Tuesday night instead of the typical Sunday affair. Now, with the date and time set and awards season in full swing, publicists—who withheld their talent from the shambolic, non-televised 2022 show—are weighing whether or not to bring their clients back to the Globes, and thus the HFPA, the scandal-ridden entity behind the awards. This is the true test of whether or not the Globes can survive (never mind should), and it’s coming down to the handlers standing just out of frame of A-listers’ red carpet photos. Per The Wrap, publicists are “cautiously assessing everything” before deciding whether or not to encourage their clients to go to the Globes.
There are two schools of thought here. On one side are the publicists who want to see the Globes survive (“sellouts” and “old school”, according to a friend who is a film publicist). On that side of the fence is the argument that the Globes, as one of the highest-profile cogs in the awards season wheel, serves an important role in bringing attention to the kind of adult-oriented, character-driven work that has basically been pushed out of theaters over the last decade. We can mock awards season all day long, but there IS still a financial component to nominations and awards, both in terms of boosting the box office of the films receiving those accolades, and helping filmmakers move up the industry ladder. Even if nominees/winners don’t see a salary bump—there are plenty of people who win major awards and their quote doesn’t go up—they can get bigger budgets on their next project by virtue of having “winner” or “nominee” attached to their name. Figuring out how to replace these mechanisms, especially in a streaming-decimated industry, is a headache and a half. I get it if people are like, just bring the damn thing back and keep the ball rolling.
On the other side, though, are the people who just want to do away with the Globes. This is a not inconsiderable group, and frankly, while undoubtedly some people do really care about increasing the diversity of the HFPA and making it less of a shady sht-tshow, most people just liked having a night off in the middle of awards season. No one missed the Globes last year. Awards season is incredibly busy, having one less red carpet event to coordinate was a relief to many. And not just among publicists, this was felt by stylists, hair stylists, and makeup artists, too (and the talent they primp for the most popular kids’ prom).
The HFPA’s nominations are sure to be as crass and obvious as ever, as they will be gunning for as many neon-light names as they can get to decorate their red carpet and thus “prove” their worth to NBC. But like, what if they nominate Tom Cruise for Top Gun: Maverick? It’s not outside the realm of possibility. But Cruise sent back his three Globes after the LA Times story broke that exposed the HFPA’s shadiness and lack of diversity. If they nominate him, will he come? Or will he stick to his, er, guns and skip it? And if you can’t get Tom Cruise, does that trickle down the list? Publicists gossip. If Cruise did decide not to go, and other people learn of it, would they bench their clients, too, so as not to be seen crossing the Cruise line? Never forget, Hollywood is a high school cafeteria. The same dynamics are at play. As we barrel toward the spectacle part of awards season, keep an eye on the Golden Globes. The gossip potential is HIGH.
Live long and gossip,
Sarah
