What are the Golden Globes and should we care? Naijalog presents its users’ guide to the ceremony…
Every year the massed ranks of Hollywood assemble for the Golden Globes – which for many are seen as a firm indicator of who’ll be winning big at the Oscars the following month, and for others are simply an excuse to don a posh frock, look pretty on the red carpet and make a tearful acceptance speech in the event of actually winning one of those coveted golden statues.
But with all the awards ceremonies currently doing the rounds – from the Oscars to the Baftas and beyond – it all gets a bit confusing as to who’s winning what, and who’s giving it to them, and the Golden Globes – which is basically a bit like the Oscars only with more categories and less dance routines – is no exception.
And so, to avoid future confusion, Metro presents its handy users’ guide to the Golden Globes, telling you all there is to know about Hollywood’s second most important film ceremony – while at the same time giving you the chance to yell at the TV highlights when your favourite film goes home empty-handed.
Where are the Golden Globes held?
The first Golden Globes were held in 1944 at the 20th Century Fox studios although the ceremony has since been moved to the Beverly Hills Hotel.
When are the Golden Globes on?
The Golden Globes are usually held in mid-January on a Sunday – this year it’s Sunday January 12, although that’s LA time so it’ll be the early hours of Monday morning before we get the results in Blighty.
What the Globes is all about
One of the few ceremonies which honours both films and TV shows (something the Baftas used to do until they split the ceremonies up), the Golden Globes are voted on by members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – basically around 90 or so entertainment journalists who work for a variety of different publications around the world. Yup, just a tiny gathering of people are responsible for deciding the outcome of one of Tinseltown’s glitziest nights. Who’d have thought it?
The organisation itself was founded in the early 40s by a group of journos making a bid to get friendlier with the studios and get closer to the stars as a result – with the first ceremony being held in 1944. That was a relatively small affair compared to today’s bash, which provides the A-list yet another chance to wear something sparkly and cry on the podium when their name is read out.
How it differs from its rivals
Although it might seem to be the Oscars with slightly less fetching trophies, the Golden Globes differs in other ways. For one thing, they have separate categories for drama films and musical/comedy films, so you’re far more likely to get a Golden Globe nomination for your big moment in The Hangover Part III than you ever are to get an Oscar nomination for it.
Actually that’s not quite true, since the films in the latter category – and the stars nominated in the equivalent acting categories – seem to be the ones who have been tipped for Oscar glory anyway (such as The Artist, which swept the board in the musical and comedy categories in 2012 and went on to be richly rewarded on Oscar night). So the chances of some random daft comedy showing up in there are pretty remote to be honest – although you do get some seriously odd choices in the acting categories (such as Emily Blunt nabbing a nomination for the relatively obscure Salmon Fishing In The Yemen in 2013)
What the Golden Globes tell us
They’re largely regarded as an indicator of who’s likely to pick up the gold come Oscar night (although can’t be used to predict the nominations so much this year since the Oscar nominations came out ahead of the ceremony), since the same old people who’ve already won all the critics awards basically get nominated (with perhaps one or two notable differences).
This is by no means an exact science however; witness the case of Hugh Grant, who won the best comedy actor prize for Four Weddings And A Funeral in 1995, only to be royally snubbed when it came to the Oscar nominations. Likewise the winner of the best musical or comedy film doesn’t always get a look in at Academy Awards time either – although with American Hustle and The Wolf Of Wall Street both competing in that category this year we sense that may not be the case this time around.
Who’s going?
Most people really, given it offers them the chance to get all dressed up, get a free meal and a goodie bag just for showing up. The latter is usually bulging with freebies including beauty products, perfume and jewellery, (in direct contrast to the last goodie bag we received which contained a small pink pen and a complimentary sample jar of Nescafe).
What’s so good about it?
Well the Globes is somewhat less formal than the Oscars, meaning you’re less likely to encounter bizarre abstract dance routines to the nominees for best original score, or someone dressed as Snow White duetting with a random B-Lister on a medley of Hollywood classics, or lots of self-congratulatory speeches – OK, hang on, not even the Globes is immune from that.
Causing a controversy
The ceremony hasn’t had that much in the way of controversy over the years, although Ricky Gervais managed to whip up a fair storm of criticism over his time as presenter. Seems his jokes about Charlie Sheen’s breakfast habits and nobody going to see Johnny Depp’s movie The Tourist went down about as well with some people as David Brent trying to entertain a room full of colleagues with Harry Enfield impersonations.
What to say
‘Of course these awards offer us a great idea of who’s going to win the Oscars.’
What not to say
‘I’d rather have an Oscar than a Golden Globe.’