Stepford Golden Globes
The Envelope's Tom O'Neil reported this morning that instead of broadcasting some kind of stately upmarket press conference announcing the Golden Globes winners (in place of the awards show that has been 86-ed due to the WGA strike), NBC intends to have their Stepford Showbiz News duo from Access Hollywood -- i.e., the alpha- smiley Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell -- hand out the awards within a kind of "Wheee! Let's have fun!" pseudo-news event.
Billy Bush, Nancy O'Dell
I don't know that NBC has locked the Access Hollywood decision, but O'Neil reports that "when word leaked out early Wednesday that NBC wanted Bush and O'Dell to host the one-hour special Sunday night, a top Golden Globe consultant told me, 'The HFPA will never permit it!'"
Talk about a degradation Talk about an ick factor. The Golden Globes have always been a kind of boutique hotel chain compared to the Oscars' Plaza or Carlyle pedigree, but they've been around for decades and have helped a lot of deserving people get the meritorious attention and career boosts that they deserve, blah, blah. They're not Tiffany class, but to have their usual glitzy awards ceremony replaced by a desperate awards-handout ratings grab starring a pair of cheap entertainment news whores -- copy readers with pasted-on smiles and robotic personalities who would be perfectly cast as sedative-dispensing orderlies in a re-do of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest -- is a real comedown.
"Only reluctantly did HFPA agree earlier this week to NBC's plan for a televised press conference to announce winners in place of its usual awards banquet proceeding without TV coverage," O'Neil writes.
"In both cases, HFPA loses the $5 million fee it normally gets from NBC to telecast the dinner ceremony. Many members wanted the usual gala to proceed so that it would send the message that HFPA cares less about its TV show than gathering the titans of Hollywood together in order to reward their best film and TV work of the year.
"But NBC had pre-sold more than $20 million in advertising and pressured HFPA to accept some form of substitute program.
"HFPA leaders caved under network pressure only when assured that the TV show would be a serious press conference produced by NBC's news division. They never thought they'd get stuck with 'a puff show' with Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell, says a source. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has enough trouble being taken seriously by some media observers who criticize the freelance status of many members. It's doubtful that the group would've agreed to this plan if NBC had been clear up front, is the sentiment I understand is now coming from the HFPA camp.
"'The show isn't a real press conference,' a veteran TV producer told O'Neil. 'It doesn't look like [the] journalists present will be able to ask questions of Golden Globe officials. They'll be there as captives to watch Billy and Nancy read off nominees and winners in 25 award categories.'"
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 10, 2008 at 10:43 AM
comment #1
Rich S.
says ...
So does the pared-down coverage mean that they won't be presenting the award for "Best Fascist Dictator" to Adolf Hitler? I'm just asking because I heard they were trying to get Will Smith as a presenter.
Posted by Rich S.
at January 10, 2008 11:38 AM
comment #2
Josh Massey
says ...
It's Bush's fault.
Posted by Josh Massey
at January 10, 2008 11:42 AM
comment #3
sweet_billy
says ...
"So does the pared-down coverage mean that they won't be presenting the award for "Best Fascist Dictator" to Adolf Hitler? I'm just asking because I heard they were trying to get Will Smith as a presenter. "
it's a shame you put so much work into that...
Posted by sweet_billy
at January 10, 2008 11:54 AM
comment #4
Rich S.
says ...
Come on! I tied together the Golden Globes debacle, the inanity of awards shows, a classic Woody Allen quote and a dig at Will Smith's recent troubles. That's not bad for two crummy sentences.
Posted by Rich S.
at January 10, 2008 12:01 PM
comment #5
T. Holly
says ...
I like the empathetic relativism here, something a more simplistic, un-examined, glib approach could not encircle.
Posted by T. Holly
at January 10, 2008 12:06 PM
comment #6
deadre
says ...
I think you're giving waaatyyy to much credit and class to this really cheesy award. It might be a fun party but seriously I think the credibility is well served by the two TV hosts. Cheesy deserves cheesy and I'm thrilled it's cancelled. Sooo surreal to watch real actors get all teary over this meritless award.
Posted by deadre
at January 10, 2008 12:14 PM
comment #7
swhitty
says ...
I agree. "Boutique hotel"? More like a flophouse with a fresh coat of gold paint.
The way this is all going, the Academy Awards will end up being just the way they started -- no TV, no press coverage, just a few prizes given out at a private dinner. Might even be a relief.
Posted by swhitty
at January 10, 2008 12:18 PM
comment #8
p.Vice
says ...
This is obviously NBC's revenge for having to cancel the show proper.
Posted by p.Vice
at January 10, 2008 12:24 PM
comment #9
T. Holly
says ...
Fortunately Kathy, the actors' leadership thought so too and told them to stay home and support the war, lest they get drafted this summer.
Posted by T. Holly
at January 10, 2008 12:31 PM
comment #10
Glenn Whipp
says ...
If the HFPA ran a boutique hotel, this is what it would look like:
http://www.locallinks.com/kodak%20v570/nikond70s_slo_1_24038.JPG
Posted by Glenn Whipp
at January 10, 2008 12:31 PM
comment #11
Me
says ...
I knew the strike was going to be painful, but Billy Bush? God, the royalties for web use isn't worth it. WGA: Cave! Cave!
Posted by Me
at January 10, 2008 12:31 PM
comment #12
ab_otter
says ...
I feel like even if they don't televise or have the Golden Globes, the Joan and Melissa Rivers will still show up.
Posted by ab_otter
at January 10, 2008 12:35 PM
comment #13
RoyBatty
says ...
Ever since that doc played on Sundance, it kills me that anyone takes this seriously anymore. Award shows for art are inane enough to begin with, but when you see what bottom feeders actually make up the "Hollywood Foreign Press" it boggles the mind that anyone gets worked up about it. When I have to explain to friends who these "journalists" are (slipping sodas and food into bags at junkets) they can't believe it's these bozos who hand out the award.
Rich S - I'll give you props for the lines LOL
Posted by RoyBatty
at January 10, 2008 12:37 PM
comment #14
MAGGA
says ...
On the plus side, Ut I VÃ¥r Hage 2 premieres tonight on NRK. Yeah!
Posted by MAGGA
at January 10, 2008 12:42 PM
comment #15
deadre
says ...
lol glenn. seriously, these awards make me cringe and that picture was perfect. is there a documentary about the HFPA? I'd love to see it.
Posted by deadre
at January 10, 2008 1:03 PM
comment #16
T. Holly
says ...
Press junkets at The Madonna Inn?
Posted by T. Holly
at January 10, 2008 1:05 PM
comment #17
Craig Kennedy
says ...
You can argue the status of the Globes all you want (I'm with the detractors), but compared to these vacant spokeswhores, Motel 6 looks like the Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons.
Posted by Craig Kennedy
at January 10, 2008 1:53 PM
comment #18
MoroccoMole
says ...
I believe the documentary, The Golden Globes: Hollywood's Dirty Little Secret, originally aired on Trio.
And the Billy/Nancy Hour isn't the scariest thing to come out of the WGA strike. That would be the greenlighting of season two of The Two Coreys.
Posted by MoroccoMole
at January 10, 2008 5:35 PM