Dark History - 71: FYC: For your Corruption

Episode Date: January 25, 2023

Hi friends, happy Thursday! Welcome to the Dark History podcast. It’s Award Show Season Babbbyyy. The Glitz! The Glamour! The Scandal?!?! Oh yes, Award Shows are full of scandals, corruption, and buying awards. In today’s episode, we go to the very beginning of Awards Shows and how from the get-go they were shady, shady events. And even if you think you know all about the dark side of awards, you’ve got no idea. Episode Advertisers Include:  Apostrophe & ZocDoc Inc. Learn more during the podcast about special offers! 

Hi friends, I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my study, or maybe just my podcast, Dark History. Now, this, my friends, is a chance to tell the story like it is, and just to share the history of stuff that maybe, I don't know, you would never think about. And honestly, just stuff that I've learned along the way. Ugh, it's so interesting. I'm just like loving it. Anyways, all you have to do is sit back, relax, and let me just gap a way about that hot, juicy history goss. So let me tell you how I got to today's story. Every year I find myself driving around Los Angeles doing I don't

know running errands, getting food, road raging at people who don't use their turn signal. It's there for her reason, God damn it. Whatever. It's just typical, you know, everyday stuff. And everywhere I go, I would see these billboards promoting a television program or a movie.

And it would always say on the billboard, for your consideration plastered all over them. And it wasn't just on billboards. It was like on bus stops inside magazines on television, radio. You can't escape them. And I was like, what does that mean for your consideration like me? I should consider it. I don't know.

It's just very vague for your consideration for who's mine. And what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to consider? So I had to turn to Google because I got to know what the hell is out about. Turns out I'm not supposed to consider anything. All of this advertising is for a very special, very elite group of people. And these ads are targeted at the people who vote for award shows. You know, like the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Oscars, all of them. So I started digging into these secret societies and award shows in general.

And the stuff going on behind the scenes, oh, once again, did not disappoint. One of the first things I found out right away. You know the Hollywood Walk of Fame? It's those stars that seem to only be given to Hollywood icons and Los Angeles. You can walk down there and look at the stars. So it's like always given to Hollywood icons, right legends? Wow! Yeah, well as long as someone nominates you, I mean it could be anyone and once you get selected you all you have to do is pay for a star. The star itself comes at the low low price of $55,000 and then boof.

You're a famous person with a star on Hollywood Boulevard. And I found out that you don't even need to be a human being to get a star on the Boulevard. You know the Chevy Suburban? The car? Yeah, they got a star. So, okay, I'm sure it's been in a lot of movies,

but like, where does it end? Why don't we give Grass a star on the walk of fame? Grass has been in tons of movies. Grass could be considered an icon. And then I started to learn about all the corruption. I mean, I don't know why you, but I didn't realize the links, filmmakers, and studios, and actors would go to get people to nominate their film.

I guess I'm naive, and I just thought it was as simple as if the people who vote see the movie and like it, they nominate it. But it's way more complicated and way more expensive than that. We're all overwhelmed with the thousands of movies and documentaries that come out every day. Like shit, I'm never going to be able to watch all of that and don't get me started on television, okay? Every time I sit down to watch something, I can't decide on what I want.

I mean, there's like this popular dragon show that everyone keeps telling me to watch. And then there's some cooking shows, the Royal Family Show, a show about a cult. Yeah, I just, there's so many, oh 90 of them. I mean, the list never ends. Oh, that's the problem. But it's not just a big problem for us. It's also a big-ass problem for our first awards show, The Emmys. They're struggling with this. Now, the Emmy awards are given to people that are a part

of what are considered the hottest TV shows of the year. But they're given out by an organization known as the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences. I know TV Academy sounds very official, but this just means a whole bunch of people who have worked in television for a certain amount of time. There are actually 31 specific areas of television you can work in that make you eligible to join. Everyone from animators to stunt people to casting directors to writers. Directors can vote on who gets an Emmy. Because of this, the TV Academy has a a few members. I'm talking more than 25,000. And when it comes to casting votes for the Emmy awards,

there really is no way to make sure all the voters have seen everything that's been nominated. It's essentially on the honor system and we all know how that goes. In 2021, there were 133 drama series, 68 comedies, and 41 limited series. Like who? The hell has all the time to watch that, you know? So voters are gonna watch what is recommended to them by friends. The same way you and I pick a restaurant. So this is a major problem and a whole lot of television shows get overlooked for not just an award

but a nomination as well. This is what they call in the biz as being snubbed. As in, Bailey should have been nominated for an Emmy, but she was snubbed. Anyway, this is a problem for all the award shows, not just the Emmys, and because there is so much content fighting for just a few awards, this opens the door for people trying to game the system. And because there's so much content fighting for just a few awards,

this opens the door for people trying to game the system. First, let me tell you about the Golden Globe Awards. This ceremony goes down every year in January and gives out 26 awards for both movies and television, but that's not what makes this galosos special. At the globes, people get ripped, they get drunk, and everyone at the Oscars, the Emmys, and other award shows rage at the after parties. But at the Globes, honey, people aboo the whole time. In 2021, Moe, Shandong, I saw a fan see-shampane. They handed it out 1,500 mini bottles of bug for free.

Well, they better if you're gonna be sitting there for hours, boring-ass show, shit. I'll go, pre-alcohol? Sure, I'm there. And then the attendees reportedly drink something like 7,500 glasses of champagne. Then there are martinis, the cocktails, I mean, the less keeps going. I imagine people are probably barfing,

but don't let the party atmosphere fool you because hidden behind all the fun is one of the reasons why FYC should actually stand for for your corruption. ULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL A. Great. There are only about 100 of them in the entire organization, so compared to the Emmys, think of them as like a mysterious little click. There isn't a whole lot of information about the organization or its members out there. It's surprisingly hush hush. Now the HFPA was first formed in 1940s by a group of international journalists who were involved in entertainment, and the idea

was that they would share contacts and info about the business between one another. They were just gossiping about movies, and I guess called it networking. To this very day, the members of the HFPA are the people who decide who is nominated, and who will win the Golden Globes. So it's interesting that such an important group of people is almost never talked about. And even more interesting is that we don't really know who they are. What are you trying to hide? Well, when it comes to HFPA, there's always a scandal with them.

Look, there have been allegations that the actors will flirt with the Golden Globe members to get a vote and allegations that members are, well, easily bought. It's just simple math you guys. It's easier to bribe 100 people who are able to vote in the Golden Globes versus the 25,000 who decide on Emmy winners. And in 2021, one splashy TV show took advantage of that very story. In 2021, a little Netflix show called Emily in Paris was nominated for a Golden Globe. If you haven't seen it, I guess it's like a campy show

about an American girl living in, maybe you guessed it Paris. And people were actually really surprised it was nominated. One critic called it, quote, bad, and not in a fun way, end quote. And the French were really pissed about it, I guess, allegedly. Their reviews were scathing.

A major French writer said it was, quote, "...bearsing, completely wrong, deplorable, and badly acted. Paris is not all about romance, fashion, and croissants." No, it's not. But like, remember that murder mystery we did about the guy in Paris, who like, what do you do? He like chopped up some girl putting in some suitcase. That's what Paris is about, baby. Show him that side. Anyway, so when Emily in Paris was nominated for a TV show of the year at the Golden Globes, people's jaws, I guess, just really hit the floor. It may know damn sense to them.

This thing was a silly show never meant to win awards, even worse, a show called I May Destroy You was not even nominated. And word on the street was that this series was incredible. It was dark, it's shocking, but funny, heart-breaking, powerful, and relatable to many women. It tackled big subjects like sexual assault, and it was one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the year. The New York Times called it the, quote, perfect show for

an anxious world, end quote, my god, what accolades. So how did or how does Emily and Paris get nominated, but a show like I may destroy you doesn't? Well, this is where the scandal part comes in. In 2021, there was an investigation into the Golden Globes looking at bribery and bitch. They found it. A lot of people were caught red-handed. They found out that one member of the Hollywood Foreign

Press sold tickets to the awards show for $39,000. That's smart. Good for him. I would. No, I wouldn't, but maybe. But then they also found out that nearly one third of the members were given a gift from that little show on Netflix called Emily in Paris.

The gift? Well, I'm gonna tell you, it was a full-on vacation to the set in Paris. And on top of that, they got to stay in a luxury resort nearby. Would you say no to that Joan? Oh my God, Joan! Girl, you're shocked, huh? You were shooketh.

Suddenly, the nomination for that random show made sense. It was just straight up bribery that exposed countless other briberies that Golden Globes had participated in. You can't tell me you would take that trip. Come on, if someone offered you an all-play trip to Paris in a luxury hotel, you would go to my...

I would vote for them. Look, if you give me free shit, the Paris, yeah, oh, okay, enough about me, Bailey. This is about Corruption a big one happened in 2011. Then we tell you about this other scandal a former publicist for the Hollywood foreign press sued the organization for two million dollars He alleged that the people in the organization quote Abuse their position and engage in unethical and potentially

unlawful deals and arrangements." End quote. The lawsuit was quietly settled in 2013. Hmm. I wonder if anything changed. Doubt it. So yeah, the Golden Globes. They've been a hot mess for a while.

But for this story, think of them as a pre-show, like the red carpet with paparazzi. Because we're all here for the main event. The queen of our award shows, the one that every actor wants to be invited to. Ladies and gentlemen, the award for most corrupt award show goes to the Academy Awards! A.K.A. The Oscars. Which, look, I didn't know this. I'm not a big like Academy Award Show watcher. Like I'm not third, third Democrat. Like, no, I just never really watched it.

So when I found out that the Academy Awards and the Oscars were the same thing, too on my scoot, you know, I didn't know that. I was like, damn, okay. The Oscars, like what? Like why do they have two know, I didn't know that. I was like, damn, okay, the Oscars, like what? Like why do they have two names? I don't know. Anyways, jokes on me.

Turns out they're the same. Now this is Hollywood. We're talking about baby, where everyone has a hidden agenda, so it shouldn't surprise us when learned that the Oscars did two. So most of us, normies out there would think that these awards shows were just a nice way to congratulate everyone on their hard work.

But of course not. They only started this award ceremony because some guy wanted a beach house. A beach house. Not just any beach house, the beach house. And his name was Louis B. Mayer. Now Louis was the head of a big studio in Hollywood called Metro Goldwyn Mayor Studios. And if you've ever watched an old movie that starts with a lion roaring

and he's got his head through that little circle, you know? Or maybe you've been a vagus and he stayed at that fancy SMGM hotel. Yeah, that's them. That's them. They were a big deal. They produced all the hits back in the day. I'm talking gone with the wind, the Wizard of Oz, singing in the rain. You name it.

I'm talking about MGM Studios. I haven't made that clear, but I'm telling you, MGM. By 1926, Louis had collected some major coin from all his box office hits, and he wanted to treat himself, specifically to a palace on the beach. This was going to be a very expensive job. So, Louis wanted to, you know, cut costs a little bit, so he had this bright idea to hire the same contractors that built his movie sets to build his house. He wanted his beach mansion, and he wanted it now. But Louis ran into a little bit of a problem. A bunch of these builders were starting to join unions, and one in particular was called IATSE. It stood for International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Louis Panicked. If all of his builders were joining unions, not only would

his beach mansions be way more expensive than he thought, but it also meant that the budget for his films would also increase. Buuuh, you know. But this is when Crafty Old Louie had his light bulb moment. He decides to start his own union that he can control. And this union would be the big daddy umbrella union that would actually oversee the other unions. And all aspects of the filmmaking community. So this would put him at the top of the pyramid and into the beach house of his dreams. So he gets some friends together

to brainstorm and they do just that. They decide to create an organization that can not only handle labor disputes from these pesky unions, but also work as a PR company. The PR side would be able to handle publicity, advertising for Louis movies, and deal with any bad press that came their way, which was great timing, because Hollywood movies were just starting to get worldwide fame. And we all know fame comes with scandals. So Louis and his buds name it, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Oh, they just built that museum over here. Oh yeah! Okay.

The Academy basically oversaw and handled PR for five types of people working in Hollywood. Writers, directors, actors, producers, and the technicians. In 1927, someone suggested giving out awards to one person from each of these branches. Well, Louis was obsessed with this idea. He actually said, quote, I found that the best way to handle filmmakers was to hang medals all over them. If I got them cups and awards, they'd kill themselves to produce what I wanted. And that's why the Academy Award was created.

End quote. So I stand corrected. It wasn't just for Louis Beach House. It was also for his own ego, I guess. Ultimately, Louis got impatient and hired someone else to build the house, which is probably for the best, because once again, those set guys weren't really building things to last. So, I don't know.

But to this day, his big-ass beach house is still around and it's right on the beach and worth $10.7 million. So, Louie got everything he wanted and he had fun there. It was a big-all party house and all the a-list celebrities from the old Hollywood days would party there. I'm talking about legendary actors like Douglas Fairbanks and May West and Samuel Goldwyn who was actually the G in MGM and the party kept going even after Louis died. JFK's sister ended up buying the place and it got a little reputation for being a house of ill-repute reputation for being a house of ill-repute. A.K.A. people were having sex there.

Yeah, sex. And guess who was doing the sexuals? Allegedly, JFK and Miss Marilyn Monroe. Mm-hmm. What a small world, huh? Well, that's the end of the show. Thanks. It's you are story. To Louise Credit, the Academy Awards were a hit. Today, the whole production of the event

cost over $40 million to produce. For what? Who's watching? Are you watching? Why? It's so boring. I don't get it. But it started small.

The first Oscars happened in 1929, and it was pretty low key. It was held in a hotel. No press was allowed inside, no cameras, no live stream. Oh yeah, no live stream was 1929, really. No red carpet, no phones. Yeah, again, sign in to my arm. The winners had actually already been announced in a newspaper article a few months before. So if you were nominated but didn't win, there was no pressure to show up and pretend

to be happy. I mean, isn't that the most awkward part of the whole show? When you know you're on camera and then you lose and you're like, in the first Academy Awards, the actual awards portion of it only lasted as long as your ex 15 minutes. I'm just kidding. He only lasted five. But yeah, it was only 15 minutes long. So we should go back to that. That's nice. Today it's barely about the awards. It's about the red carpet, it's about the tweets, it's about the fashion, the sponsors, blah, blah, blah,

who's dating, who blah, blah, blah, blah. If you're invited, allegedly you show up, no matter what. Because even if you don't win, the Oscars I hear, they give you a little gift bag called a swag bag. I love free shit. Wow look at me Growing myself out there like please and but I guess a swag bag It's filled with high-end items and gifts certificates that are usually worth like tens of thousands of dollars Now swag bag at the 2022 Oscars was worth

$138,000. Yeah, that's a house in a bag. Well, yeah, not out here in California. Well, maybe, let me not fight myself on that. That's a house in a bag. And filled with fancy olive oils, oh never mind, I don't want this bag. Candles, no, I have enough, M.B.D. products.

Okay, I'll take it. There was like a gift certificate for $50,000 to a Scottish castle getaway. Okay, I'll take it. There was like a gift certificate for $50,000 to a Scottish castle getaway. Okay, I'll take that. $25,000 in home renovations and $15,000 in spa treatments. Oh, man, I'll take it. Yeah. But back then, in the original awards ceremony, it was just like free dinner, similar times.

The voting back then was also different. One judge was selected by the Academy to represent each of the five branches, writer's directors, actress producer, you know, and that judge would then pick ten candidates from their field who they thought deserved to be in the running for an Oscar. Once the ten candidates from each branch were chosen, everyone who was a member of the Academy would vote internally and then narrow it down to their top three favorites. And back then when the academy first started, it was only about like 40 people in total,

from there a central board of judges voted and the popular vote would win. Now this didn't actually hold true the very first year the academy awards were a thing because the first ever Oscar for Best Actor, it was to- it was actually supposed to go to a dog, like a little dog. His name was Rin-Tin-Tin. And this dog had been in in more than 20 movies. Great work ethic. And in the very first round of voting, Rin-Tin-Tin-Tin-One, hands down, pause down, whatever. But at the end of the day, Louis and the other high-ups put their heads together and decided the first-ever Oscar should go to a human. So they changed it, and then it went to a guy named Emil Jannings.

Turned out that Emil was a Nazi. Of course, of course he was. And he actually got his little trophy sent him a few weeks before the ceremony because he had a flyback to Germany to make Nazi propaganda films. So yeah, in hindsight, it might have been better to let the dog win, but what do we know? You know, we're stupid. Pretty soon, everyone in Hollywood wanted one of those gold statues.

I mean, they were sexy, they were cool. They made you feel special. The story goes at the name Oscar actually caught on because one night at the awards ceremony, a famous actress named Betty Davis. She was overheard saying that the tight little hymne on that Oscar statue reminded her of her husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. Lucky girl, what a small tight ass he must have had. Anyway, people just, I guess, love it. And the people wanted Oscars. I was hoping it was named after the fish. I would have been more fun. Right? Who doesn't like a fish?

Right. Okay, so there's like this well-known actress at the time. Her name is Mary. Mary Pickford. Now Miss Mary, she had been acting since she was a little kid. During the silent film era in the 1910s, she had nicknames like The Queen of Movies and America's White Heart. She had these cute little curls and was known for mastering roles where she played a sweet wholesome,

virtual girl, just like me. The second she grew up, she wanted to be seen differently. I mean, she wanted to be considered an adult woman now, and not the sweet little angel that they were making her beat. And this was happening just in time for her, because movies started to have sound. Mary started a movie called Coquette. She chopped off her signature little girl curls for it, and made it clear that she was an adult actress now, not like a porn star, just an adult actor. And she felt like she deserved the Oscar for her amazing performances. And then the reviews of the movie came in and they were mmmm... not great. They came in saying that she was,

okay, you know, she wasn't great, she wasn't bad, she was just okay. Mary was not gonna give up though. She was gonna get that Oscar no matter what god damn it. And lucky for her, she was married to a founding member of the Academy. Douglas Fairbanks, who was such a big deal that he actually hosted the first ever Academy Awards. Safe to say Mary knew she had his vote, but it wasn't just his vote she needed. She needed the other five members of the Oscars board to vote for her as best actress. He ran over to his phone and invited the members over to their luscious Los Angeles estate. They wind and dine them, trying to convince them

that the critics were wrong about Mary's performance. And the rest was history. She probably participated in some horizontal collaboration. In 1930, Mary would go on to win the Oscar. Everything was great. It worked out for her. Yay. But then people in Hollywood found out what she did, and they went bananas.

I mean, at the time, bribing your way into a vote through a dinner party was one of the most scandalous things you could ever do, so the community protested Mary, her husband, and the Oscars. So just to recap, in the first-ever Oscars, the Academy overruled the people's choice and decided to mung themselves to nominate a completely different actor. Justice for Rintin-Tin. And then, I mean, 20 movies. Come on, you gotta give that dog some credit here, you guys. And then the very next year, Mary and her husband pulled their little stunt and rigged the best actress nomination. So they don't really have like the best track record so far. But unfortunately, lessons were not learned. Things would only get worse. The deeds got darker and the corruption would run even deeper. Now the academy continued to grow

and evolve over time. Instead of five branches, they're now 17. And instead of 40 members, there's over 10,000 of them. Well, here's the thing. The little secret society that is the motion of picture art and sciences, once you're in, you're in. You're in forever for life. And every year, the Academy invites new people into the fold, sometimes hundreds at a time. I want in, can I get in? Well, if you do get in, it's a big honor,

because I guess it's not easy to become a member in the first place. First of all, you have to qualify, and in order to in, it's a big honor because I guess it's not easy to become a member in the first place. First of all, you have to qualify and in order to qualify, you have to work in the film industry. Hello, I am qualified. I mean, this isn't the film industry, but you are watching me on your device, right?

I qualify. I qualify, I love you. I'm just kidding, I'm not that desperate. But I will participate in some horizontal collaborations if needed. Anyway, so you have to work in the industry and you have to have two friends who are already members of the academy that will vouch for you. And then they have to be in the same branch of the academy that you're trying to join. Then each separate branch has its own requirements.

So for instance, if you're a director, you need to have directed at least two movies, and one of them has to be in the last 10 years. The shortcut to becoming a member is getting nominated for an Oscar, which automatically gets you into the club. Let's say, though, you're a writer and a director, and you wrote and directed a movie that gets nominated for an Oscar. Well, you got to choose whether you want to sit at the writer's table or the director's table. You can't do both. You have to pick a side. You have to pick a category. Which one do you pick?

It's so much pressure. Every spring, the Academy releases a list of people they're planning on inviting into their exclusive little club. But the identity of most of those 10,000 members is a secret because the Academy has never published a full list of their active members. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. We don't know who they are, so when it comes to voting it's always a bit of a mystery, but here's what we do know. There are two phases, nominations and voting. Members can only nominate things for awards in their branch and for best picture. So if you're Meryl Streep, you can suggest nominations for best actor, best actress,

supporting actor and actress, but you can't nominate any candidates for like best editing or best costumes. So you got a fucking stain in your lane bitch, you know. Then all these ballots are tallied by actual certified accountants and there's a runoff. Here's the interesting thing I guess, in order to determine that a film has widespread support and not just popular support. The Academy uses a system called preferential voting, means that each film has a different predetermined magic number that it needs to reach in order to get through the run-offs. So, who do you think is deciding this magic number?

We don't know. And what was the magic number from Mary Pickford? Her husband? You know? This whole system is just, it doesn't make any damn sense. Nobody knows what's going on, and I think they do that on purpose. So besides for a couple of big wigs at the Academy, no one really ever knows the number

of votes and moving needs to get in order to be announced as a nominee. Enominees are announced. A few weeks later, the voting begins. All members of the Academy are technically allowed to vote in as many categories as they want, but they are discouraged from voting in any categories where they quote, lack expertise. Once all the ballots have been collected, they're tallied, and the popular vote determines the winner in all categories, except for best picture. It comes back into play for best picture, meaning that someone behind closed doors has decided what the magic number is for each contender. Now, the accountants doing all the tallying know these numbers, but there's only two.

These two people are responsible for keeping their lips zipped. I guess they memorize the names of the winners, and then they put their names into two sets of envelopes and pack those bad boys into a briefcase, so dramatic, oh my God, just give them the letters, right? Nobody cares that much. These briefcases are stored at an undisclosed location until the day of the ceremony. Oh God. And no one, not even the hosts of the awards show,

knows who will be winning what until those envelopes are open and read in front of the crowd? So dramatic, I'm so over them already. I don't even watch them, but I'm over them. But all these measures don't mean a damn thing if people are willing to play dirty. And one man wrote the book on how to play dirty to win awards. At one point, he was the man everyone in Hollywood wanted to work with.

A man who was so shameless about getting the Oscar, he would literally do anything, including ruining the careers and lives hundreds of people over the last several decades. I'm talking about that shit head, toad-looking, Harvey Weinstein. Looks like a fucking toad, fuck that guy. Now, I just want to be clear and say this up front, Harvey Weinstein was a sexual predator and just all around piece of shit. But he also changed the face of for your consideration in Hollywood forever. Yeah, here we go with that shit. For a long time Harvey Weinstein was a super popular movie producer known as the Oscar It Man. A report found that he was thanked or mentioned in 34 Oscar acceptance speeches, the same amount of times as God. Yeah, I think that'll probably do something to someone's ego, right?

So one of these major things he did in his career was create an entertainment company called Mirror Max. I know, reminds me of like a laxative, right? Mirror Max, right? Isn't that a laxative? Anyways, it was very successful and put out hits like pulp fiction and Shakespeare in love. Now Shakespeare in love is what put Harvey on the map. It won movie of the year that year, The Oscars, and it went on to launch the career of an actress by the name of Gweneth Peltro. Harvey then left Mirmax to create a company

with his brother called the Weinstein Company, and the hits just keep bomb coming. They put out dozens of movies and had major hits like Silver, Lightning's, Playbook. I didn't really like that one. It's not about that, Bailey. And was it Django Unchained? I never like that one. It's not about that, Bailey. And was it Jango Unchained? I never saw that one.

I heard it was good, but I never saw it. They were also in the TV game. You can thank them for a project runway. Oh, I loved that one. Yeah. Oh, that's unfortunate. That makes sense. His wife's work, she was like a host

on that show a couple times. Uh, unfortunate. To this day Harvey is one of the most nominated producers in the history of the Oscars. His films have like 341 nominations and 81 wins. He was the guy you wanted to work with because your movie was essentially guaranteed to be a hit. So everyone was wondering like,

what was his secret to having such successful award show campaigns? Well, it turns out he was a massive bully. Yeah. He was infamous for intimidating people into doing what he wanted. He'd scream at them, he'd threaten to pull funding for projects, and he would even buy a film off someone he hated just so he could bury it and make sure it was never released petty Toad king when it came to Academy voting. It's no secret that he was totally shameless and clearly did not care about boundaries He would have placed thousands of calls to Academy voters He was worse than those annoying-ass

Academy voters. He was worse than those annoying-ass current shunts phone calls. And if you didn't answer those calls, oh don't worry, he'll show up at your office all pissed off because he had a notorious temper. Screaming, yelling, throwing his ugly toad way around. Some of the people that worked with Harvey were also people who got to vote for the Academy Awards, so he would threaten former employees, saying that he would get them fired from their current job and blacklisted if they didn't do what he told them to do. So he'd essentially scare people into voting for his movies.

What a toad. What if you were an influential member of the academy that was out of town? No, we're near a movie theater. Well Harvey would find where he was. He would find where he was and he would send someone to set up a special screening to make sure that the voter got to watch Harvey's movie. No one could hide from him. He was on it. And remember when I said that you're in the academy for life, well that means there are like a ton of older people that get to vote for the Oscars and some of them lived in nursing homes. So if you were a senior citizen stuck in one of these homes,

like don't worry Harvey's showing up, he would set up screenings in retirement homes, just to make sure he could get the old members votes too. Like, bro, calm your tits. And, let's not forget that Harvey was just rolling in dough. He's filthy rich. He could outspend anyone in their Oscar campaigns. If they spent $2 million, he spent $5 million. If they had a party, he would throw an even bigger, more fun party. He would buy up most of

the ad space in magazines, so you'd see his advertisements for his movie over and over and over again, like you couldn't run from it. You couldn't hide, it was following you everywhere. But he wasn't just some eager film producer. He was a bully, like I had mentioned earlier, and everyone knew he had a short temper. So if you felt things might not be going his way and he might not get the nomination, he would pull out the next trick in his bag,

putting out a good ol' fashion smear campaign. When the movie The Reader, starring Kate Winslet, was up against Slumdog Millionaire, a movie set in India, accusations of the movie came out of left field, saying that the movie, Slumdog Millionaire, mistreated its young Indian actors, and the movie was using and profiting off of child labor. Some people were going around saying kids were being abused and exploited. Many thought it came from Harvey because, you know, it makes sense, he would do that. But there was never any direct evidence, just speculation.

The next year, Harvey's movie, In Glorious Bastards, about soldiers in World War II hunting down Hitler, was going up against the Hurt Locker, also a military movie, but this movie was about technicians who defused bombs. Well, a whole bunch of real-life soldiers happened to come out of the woodwork and say that the Hurt Locker was actually very inaccurate. All the drama in the movie about human men strapping on bomb suits, going right up to the explosive and saving the day according to the soldier, that doesn't happen.

But the soldier said in real life, they use robots to diffuse the bombs. So, I don't know, there was like this room we're going around that the Hurt Walker was just one big lie. And the negative press had a Harvey's fingerprints all over it. I mean, we can really spend all day talking about this guy. But the point is like his tactics worked.

His tactics worked. And there's no rules again, saying that you can't do it. So he did it. Everyone started doing it. And today Harvey, whoa, I hope you know this, but he's in jail. He's in jail because he's a rapist and a convicted sex offender. So fuck that guy.

Hopefully Hollywood is moving away from corruption and the legacy of Harvey. It's amazing what happens when people get caught. Damn, they love a scandal. Nowadays getting one of these awards is a huge honor. Is it? Because it still seems like it's pretty shitty. It can launch your career, it can give you a platform, and it can turn you into a household name. Because in 2022, 15 million Americans tuned in to watch the Oscars. 15 million just in America.

Yeah, they're doing just fine without my view. But then, people started to ask the question, if we don't know who's doing the voting, are we really giving everyone a fair shot at that once in a lifetime opportunity? Back in 2016, a report with public showing that all of its active members, 94% of the academy members were white and 77% were male. The academy did promise to make changes

to correct that imbalance. And since then, there seemed to be some big steps happening in the right direction when it comes to openness and diversity. Troy Cotswar, a deaf actor, took home in Oscar in 2022. Chloe Zow was the first woman of color to win Best Director of 2021.

And let's not forget about Moonlight, which won Best Picture in 2017. I never saw it. But even that year, there was a ton of controversy. When it came time to award the Best Movie of the Year, the presenter said it was Lala Land. Lala Land had won. I remember watching this on YouTube, it was so juicy. I was like, I'll watch if this happens every year. It was so funny. It wasn't funny, it was just like. I was like, I'll watch if this happens every year. It was so funny. It wasn't funny, it was just awkward, you know, love it. But then the show had to correct itself and say like, oops,

whoopsie, it was moonlight that one, moonlight one. It was almost like the Academy showed its hand. So it seems to me like the Academy is being dragged, kicking and screaming against swell and to being better. Because since the Academy started in 1929, they've given out 3,140 Oscars. I was thinking about fish. Could you imagine if they gave out like 3,100 fish? That's funny, Bailey. Wow. Do you get that? I have so funny fish. They give out fish. Okay. So they gave out 3,140 Oscars and just 1.6% of them have gone to black Americans.

0.3% have gone to Asian Americans and 0.1% have gone to Hispanic Americans. And what about Native Americans? There's only been one Native American who has been awarded an Oscar. Not 1% literally 1. So I'm over here wondering to award shows even matter. Do we care? And the answer I've come to is no.

I don't. Maybe you do. That's fine. But like, come on, they gotta make some changes. It's no secret that most of us don't care about like these award shows. Ratings have been sliding into the gutter for the last couple decades. The only reason they got a lot of views last time was because

wasn't it warmly in quarantine? We had nothing else to do. I'm blaming that. The finale of the bachelor got more viewers and the amies did this year. Maybe, hi, idea. Maybe award shows can take a page out of reality TV's playbook. What if they voted someone out of Hollywood every year? Ooh, that could be fun, some drama. I could think of like a dozen, I'd vote off the island right now. How do we get more people on these voting boards? Why can't we all just like vote for Oscar winners?

It'd be win more fun and we'd probably watch because it's like, I hope the person I voted for wins. Like, come on, they do it on American Idol. They can do it for the Oscars. We watch many movies, probably more movies in the Academy members in those nursing homes, but their vote counts over ours, you know? Or maybe we just stop watching everything altogether and just let it die. I vote for that.

Because something needs to change. I mean, in 2019, Netflix spent $25 million on the Oscars campaign for a movie called Roma. It was about the life of a housekeeper to an upper-class family in Mexico. They didn't win the award for best picture. But then you hear the story of Quinta Brunson, the creator of Abbott Elementary,

which you absolutely need to watch. It's so good. It's a sitcom about teachers and it's so funny. I love that show. She and her team, they took all the money they were given for promotion for the four-year consideration ads and they donated it to teachers and schools in need of supplies. And guess what? Quinta and her show cleaned up at the Emmys. They were nominated for seven and they won three of them. Deserved, deserved. So next time you see a four-year consideration ad on a billboard, remember that it's essentially people just paying to win awards. Throw eggs at it. And you know what?

I would love one day. I would love one day to do, come on, can we just have one honest award show? I would like one honest award show. It would make the people very happy. Give it to us. And don't tell me to watch people's choice. They're not putting money into that show. I want like a nice award show. Thank you. Well everyone, thank you for learning with me today. Remember, don't be afraid to ask questions and stay curious because you deserve that. Now, I'd love to hear your guys' reactions to today's story. So make sure to use the hashtag dark history

so I can follow along. Join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday, after the podcast, airs, and while you're there, you can also catch murder mystery and makeup. I hope you have a great rest of your day. You make good choices and I'll be talking to you next week. Goodbye! Dark History is an audio boom original. This podcast is executive produced by Bailey Sarian, Junior McNeely from Three Arts, Kevin Grush, and Claire Turner from Made in Network. Writers, Katie Burriss, Alison Filoboz,

Joey Skluzzo, and me, Bailey Sarian. Shot and edited by Tfadzwa Nemirundwe, Research provided by Dark History Researcher team. I'm your host, Bailey Sarian, and this is my good bye. Do do do do do do do do do. Shut up. Do. I know it's not graduation but shut up. Okay bye. Thank you.