Sixty-eight years ago, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of journalists dedicated to covering all that was entertainment, created the Golden Globe Awards. The association is a nonprofit organization that donates millions of dollars to charities, funding scholarships and programs relating to entertainment. Throughout the years, its fame grew, and now, the Golden Globes are viewed by about 199 countries worldwide. Awards shows in many ways can be just like high school; the cliques hang together and the nominees take themselves a little too seriously.
The film industry thinks the Academy Awards (Oscars) rule. Then, there are the Emmys for those in the television “clique.” Another example is the Screen Actors Guild awards. Actors vote on other actors, and those who win will say something along the lines of, “it’s the best because it’s an award from my peers!” If you ask me, it has the earmarks of being ... well, just another popularity contest.
Awards shows tend to be specific to their field of entertainment (Academy Awards for film, the Emmys for TV and the Grammys for music). Unlike those awards shows, which seem to take themselves more seriously, the Golden Globe Awards combine movies and TV ... with plenty of room for fun and games.
This year’s GGs, again hosted by Ricky Gervais, took place Sunday in the Beverly Hilton Hotel in a luxurious, extravagant room filled with round tables, which are conducive to conversation. Celebrities such as George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Mila Kunis and newcomer Rooney Mara chill out, converse and catch up, toasting and cheering for the nominees.
A few years ago, I would have complained endlessly about sitting through three hours of hubbub over who was wearing what, people making sappy acceptance speeches, graciously thanking people who had nothing to do with their success, applause, applause, applause ... blah, blah, blah ... you get it. However, as a wannabe screenwriter, director, producer and TV series creator, I decided to take a look at the incredible Golden Globes.
Was it an absolute blast to see Robert Downey Jr., Brad Pitt, Madonna and the winning Meryl Streep (just to name a few)? Absolutely!Will I ever spend another three hours taking notes on the GGs? Well, let’s just say that unless I win one of these things or I one day morph into someone who enjoys watching grass grow, I won’t be watching the Globes from beginning to end anytime soon.