Front Burner - Why the Golden Globes' shady reputation persists

Episode Date: February 26, 2021

On Sunday, Hollywood will celebrate the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards. The event is considered influential, even as it is dogged by persistent jokes that it's out of touch, and even corrupt. When this year's nominations were announced, many were puzzled that the fluffy Netflix series Emily in Paris received two nods, while the critically acclaimed I May Destroy You was shut out. This week, a sprawling Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that some 30 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the awards, were set up in a luxury hotel and treated like "kings and queens" during a visit to the Emily in Paris set. Today, the two journalists behind that investigation, Josh Rottenberg and Stacy Perman, explain Golden Globes, the small, secretive body behind them, and why the event's shady reputation persists.

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. This Sunday marks the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards. And while the event is considered influential as far as award shows go, it's also sometimes seen as a bit of a joke, even from its own stage. Here's Ricky Gervais.

One Hollywood publication said that me hosting would mean sometimes seen as a bit of a joke, even from its own stage. Here's Ricky Gervais. One Hollywood publication said that me hosting would mean that some film stars would stay away for fear of being made fun of. As if film stars would stay away for the chance of winning a Golden Globe, particularly if their film company has already paid for it. It's a joke that perhaps hit a bit harder this week when an LA Times investigation revealed that some 30 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, like the people who put on the Golden Globes, were put up in a luxury hotel and treated like kings and queens in a visit to the set of the fluffy Netflix series Emily in Paris. You may remember that just a few weeks ago when the Golden Globes nominees were revealed, a number of people, including one of the show's own writers, were scratching their heads

at how Emily and Paris scored two nominations. I'm Jamie Poisson, and today I'm joined by the journalist behind the LA Times investigation to talk about the Golden Globes, the secretive small body behind them, and why claims the awards are out of touch and even corrupt persist. Josh Rottenberg, Stacey Perman, thank you so much for being here. I was hoping, Stacey, you could start by telling me a little bit about the Golden Globes and how it's seen in Hollywood. Like, what's its reputation? Well, the Golden Globes is a big, boozy, fun Hollywood award ceremony. They give awards to both film and TV. They've earned the moniker, you know, Hollywood's Party of the Year. In terms of awards, they come early in the season, and they're probably second only to the Osc year in terms of awards. They come early in the season and they're probably second

only to the Oscars in terms of popularity. But they also have a reputation because of the group behind them, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as a little less than savory. And, you know, I know you talk about sort of like the fun boozy party and they're also teased, right? Like Ricky Gervais, he had this other joke. If you do win tonight, remember that no one cares about that award as much as you do. OK. Don't get emotional. It's embarrassing. OK. That award is, no offense, worthless.

It's a bit of metal that some nice old confused journalists wanted to give you in person so they could meet you and have a selfie with you. Okay. Like you mentioned, these old journalists he's talking about are the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. They choose the nominees and winners. And Stacey, can you just tell me a little bit more about what the Hollywood Foreign Press Association actually is? Sure. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a group of 87 journalists based in Los Angeles from various countries around the world. They got together in 1943 as a way to gain some traction with the studios. And a year later, they started giving out awards as a way to raise visibility of their own group.

But this group has earned sort of this reputation as being freeloaders and celebrity obsessed. They give out these awards, the Golden Globes, both to television and film. And they weathered scandal after scandal over the years. There was a famous one in 1982 where Pia Zadora won Best Newcomer of the Year. And after you were given that award, there were a lot of discussion in the press and people saying, well, what were they saying exactly? They didn't think that everything was on the up and up or something with the awards or? Yes, but we know that's ridiculous, David. The Golden Globes can't be bought. Everyone knows that.

I think the reason. And then it was revealed that her then husband, this billionaire, had flown the group to Las Vegas. And so they've been dogged by whispers of, you know, influence peddling and that kind of thing. And you mentioned Ricky Gervais. I mean, anyone that's watched the Golden Globes when he's hosted, I mean, a big part of his shtick is making fun of all of these, you know, foibles and reputation and scandals, you know, and it's kind of like this open secret in Hollywood. And then everyone has a laugh at it during the show and then everybody moves on.

Right. I want to talk a little bit more about those past scandals in a few minutes. But first, you know, this is such a small group making such influential decisions in terms of who gets recognition at the Globes. I didn't know this, but there's just 87 current members, and those members aren't listed on their website or anything, right? And Josh, what did you learn about who makes up this association? Like, who are some of the people that are judging? Yeah, I mean, the makeup of this group has always been something of a mystery. And they've sort of deliberately kept it that way. They're pretty opaque about their membership.

They don't put out a list of who's in the group. And even though this is ostensibly a group of journalists, their members are generally very wary of sort of speaking with the press. It's an interesting and varied group. The members range from, you do have some experienced entertainment journalists who do work for major overseas outlets like La Repubblica in Italy and El Pais in Spain. But then you have a lot of others who maybe write sporadically for more obscure outlets. And sometimes even the publicists who are setting them up with interviews don't really know who they're writing for. And there are some colorful characters in the group. There's a Russian bodybuilder turned actor and film producer who's starred in a bunch of kind of low-budget, straight-to-video action movies.

Who are these guys? If someone wanted to trash Russia's economy, a great way to do it is instigate a crisis. There's a former Miss Universe, there's a wealthy Polish socialite. So it's kind of an assortment of people all under the umbrella of sort of the foreign press. But sometimes, in some cases, it's really unclear what their particular credentials are journalistically. I understand that of the 87 members, not a single one of them is Black. And Stacey, what did you think when you realized that?

Well, it was quite surprising in the year 2021. I mean, a few years ago, the Academy that hands out the Oscars addressed this themselves with the Oscars So White campaign and have made steps to diversify their representation. And then more recently here in the States last summer with the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Movement, there was so much introspection among media outlets, including our own at the L.A. Times. You know, you know, you couldn't escape it. So it seems tone deaf. And the group itself, this is not a new accusation. I mean, they've been grappling with this, and they've really not done much to change the diversity or representation of their own ranks. So it is, it's fairly surprising. or representation of their own ranks. So it's fairly surprising.

And we should note there were a lot of Black-led Oscars contenders that were not nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes. I'm thinking Defy Bloods, Judas, and the Black Messiah, right, Josh? Yeah, they drew criticism this year over the fact that none of these kind of major Black-led Oscar contenders, also, you know, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, One Night in Miami, none of them earned Best Picture Globes nominations, nor did they recognize one of the most acclaimed shows of the past year, HBO's I May Destroy You, which really deals head-on with issues of race. And, you know, this is all coming

kind of in the context of just more attention on who actually votes on awards. And, you know, in the wake of the Oscar So White firestorm a few years ago, that forced the Motion Picture Academy to diversify its membership. And so the lack of any Black members of the HFPA voting on one of Hollywood's most important awards, there's definitely a new spotlight on that. And while they say they're committed to addressing that, it's really not at all clear how they'll do that. In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization. Empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. Hi, it's Ramit Sethi here.

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I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Couples. directorial debut music, which is currently at 11% on Rotten Tomatoes. And it's nominated for Best Picture in the Comedy or Musical category right now. Come on, this is your responsibility. Grow up. Hey, music. I'm your sister. All she's got now is you. Of course, we're going to get to Emily in Paris in a minute. But first, Stacey mentioned the Golden Globes and its long history of sort of questionable nominations and controversy. She talked about Piazzadora. And Josh, I wonder if you could take me through any other examples.

Sure. Yeah. I mean, in the lead up to the Globes, HFPA members, you know, are routinely lavished with attention. FPA members are routinely lavished with attention. They're sent bottles of wine, chocolates, monogrammed robes, all sorts of gifts. They get personalized notes from stars. They're invited to dinners and parties. And at times that has crossed the line in ways that has attracted sort of controversy. In the mid-90s, their members had to return $400 coach watches that had been sent to them as part of the campaign to try to win Sharon Stone a Globe nomination for her comedy, The Muse. You're my new client. So I've got my own muse. But making use of her magic. Is there some list of muse rules I need to know be careful don't get

too close will cost him more than he's ever imagined i'm going to need somewhere to live a very nice suite at the four seasons the walls are too bright we need to do some grocery shopping and this has also come up in in different lawsuits over the years against the group, this idea that they are sort of overly solicitous of attempts to sway their votes in ways that could cross the line into what some would consider payola. Right. And on that note,

I want to come back to the Golden Globes nominee this year that really seemed to raise eyebrows, the show Emily in Paris. First, let me apologize for speaking English. I did Rosetta Stone on the plane, but it hasn't kicked in yet. I'm Emily Cooper, and I'm so excited to be here in Paris. I'm looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you, and likewise having you get to know me. Your name, monsieur? My name is Luc. Yes, Luc.

Why are you shouting? I mentioned earlier in the introduction that even one of the show's own writers seemed surprised that they were nominated, especially considering the much more ambitious and critically acclaimed I May Destroy You was not. And Stacey, in your investigation, you learned about a set visit that, fairly or not, is probably going to raise a lot of those eyebrows even further, right? Right. I mean, well, you know, it was interesting. I mean,

this was a fairly lengthy article, and of all of the examples and reporting that we turned out in this article, this example seemed to strike a nerve with people all over the world. There's a Netflix show called Emily in Paris. It's a, you know, a fun, frothy show. And it was nominated for two Golden Globes in the Best Television Comedy Series and for Best Actress. And in terms of reporting the story, it turns out that about a year ago, over 30 members of the HFPA went to Paris where the show's being filmed for a set visit where the studio that was producing it

put them up at the Peninsula Five Star Hotel and they had a lavish press conference and lunch at this museum where they were shooting. And this drew a lot of scrutiny and criticism because that is one of the sort of main criticisms of this group is that they're feted by the studios. They have this cozy relationship. They go to these junkets. They get access to talent. And that's kind of seen as a connect the dots to nominations.

Right. And Stacey, we heard Josh use the word payola there. And so how does the association respond to people who would look at this example and think that it sounds like good old fashioned payola? Well, you know, I think their response is that it's kind of studio practice and, you know, or standard practice, rather, and that other media outlets go on junkets and that it's not anything out of the ordinary, except for the fact that other media outlets are not voting on a very substantial award that's become part of the marketing machinery of Hollywood and a potential launching pad for Oscars? Sure. I mean, there are junkets that for a certain segment of entertainment reporters are just, they are standard practice. You go on a trip and you visit a set or you interview the stars of a show. And the expectation is that you will then produce some journalism that will justify that trip. The thing that I think raises questions in the case of the HFPA is that they're taking these trips. They do pay for their own airfare, but it involves free stays in five-star hotels or free meals, all of that. And in their case, since they are voting on this award,

and since in many instances it's unclear what actual journalism is produced from it, it just kind of opens about the Oscars? Because the same sort of stuff doesn't go on with the Oscars. I mean, I think a big point of comparison here is that you're talking about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is 87 members versus the Academy, which is over 9,000. So in terms of influence, it's a lot more difficult to influence over 9,000 people than it is 87 people. I mean, it only takes a small group of people to turn a nomination or a win when you're talking about 87 voters. Josh, I do wonder what extent any of this really matters. You know, I know a lot of great movies

that aren't nominated for Oscars or Golden Globes. I think it's pretty common online now to sort of roll your eyes at these awards. But what influence do these awards still hold in the industry more broadly? Yeah, I mean, you know, mocking the legitimacy of awards is kind of an annual blood sport for social media and people who cover this. And that's been kind of the cover that the Globes have had. You kind of have this unique kind of collective cognitive dissonance where, you know, everyone is saying on the one hand, yes, this is all a big joke. But on the other hand, it couldn't be more serious given the amount of money involved. And so, Stacey, I wonder if you could elaborate on that for me. Like why, despite all the scandals and controversies and jokes we've talked about,

do you think that the Golden Globes are still going so strong? I would say money. I, you know, I would agree with what Josh just said. You have the show itself on NBC, which is a ratings bonanza. So there's, it's a lucrative show for the network. And then for the studios and all the networks and the people behind the TV shows and movies that they want nominated. I mean, there's a whole economic ecosystem around that. I mean, as we reported in the story, during awards season, there are consultants that are deployed, you know, specifically to help campaign for their films that get paid handsomely. I mean, we shared a contract that we got for one Globe season. I mean, a consultant gets a baseline fee

of $45,000 just to campaign and then for every nomination and win, they get substantially more money. So there's a financial incentive around this as well. And obviously, you get an award for a show, consumers and viewers are thinking that this is an award of merit and it gets the show or the movie attention and then they'll want to see it and spend money on that. So there's a whole interconnected universe of money here. It's so interesting to hear you describe that ecosystem. You know, one last question for you both today. It seems to me that part of the reason you were able to do this investigation, that you were able to talk to all the people that you did, is because there are people on the inside of this association that do seem to want change. And I wonder if they

and if you think that the organization will change. Josh? It's really hard to know. I mean, partly given the kind of governance of this group, they're not transparent about how they grapple with things, particularly in contrast with a group like the Academy, which when it faces criticism, it has been pretty quick to respond. So we have yet to see really any response from the HFPA to our story. And as Stacey was saying, I mean, there is so much money invested in keeping this all going and so much sort of inertia that I think everyone is just very wary of rocking the boat too much. You know, as one person told us in the story, you know, given everything that people criticize about the Globes, Hollywood could just kill them overnight if they wanted to.

But I mean, who doesn't like winning an award, especially when it brings with it the potential for Oscars and millions more in box office? Stacey, final thought to you on the potential for the HFPA and the Globes to change? That's a really good question. I mean, since the article has come out, I've heard from a number of people who have said, you know, over the years, some of these scandals, they've been publicized and nothing's really happened. And they say, however, this time, this feels different. The reaction, particularly, you know, on social media has been been fairly focused and, and people are talking about this. And there is social media in a way that there wasn't years ago. So there seems to be also just sort of the climate that we're at the times that we're living in, that people want change and progress. And so I think there is a potential for it. But I think there's a big, let's wait and see what happens. Okay. Thank you so much to you both for this conversation.

Thank you. Thanks. So before we go today, one big story that we're watching. Canada's brand new Chief of Defence Staff, Art MacDonald, has abruptly stepped aside from the position. He's being investigated by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, which is like the military police, for an allegation of sexual misconduct dating back 10 years on a warship. MacDonald's predecessor, General Jonathan Vance, is also the subject of a military police investigation over allegations that he had a long-standing inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. We're following this story and we'll keep you posted, but that is all for this week. Front Burner is brought to you by CBC News and CBC Podcasts. The show is produced this

week by Imogen Burchard, Elaine Chao, Shannon Higgins, Ali Janes, and we'll talk to you on Monday.