By Jordan Jackson
The Golden Globes this year did not go as planned and many popular and esteemed journalists have a lot to say about it, which didn’t include many positive comments. From the generally awkward and hard-to-watch show to the winning nominees who lacked diversity, not many people were pleased with the outcome. Additionally, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the committee in charge of voting on the winners, faces a lot of controversy for both their selections and their general corruption as an organization. Not to mention, following a subpar year in television and movies due to the pandemic could have been one of the reasons the views during this year’s award show were drastically low. The Golden Globes had many factors that contributed to the bad press associated with it this year, However, given its circumstances, the show did the best it could.
The big winners this year were The Crown, Schitt’s Creek, The Queen’s Gambit, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and Nomadland, all having multiple nominations and awards. The one that most people are talking about is Queen’s Gambit. Anya Taylor-Joy’s first award was for Best Actress in a Limited Series and the show won for Best Miniseries. The Crown, however, had the most nominations and awards in the TV show category, taking the overall award for Best Television Series. It had two nominations in the Best Actress in the Television category, Emma Corrin and Olivia Coleman, Corrin taking the award. Josh O’Connor from the Crown also won for Best Actor in Television. Their last award was for Best Supporting Actress, won by Gillian Anderson, with Helena Bonham Carter as another nominee from the Crown in this category. Schitt’s Creek was also a big winner, taking the Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy award. They had many nominations and Catherine O’Hara won in the Best Actress in Television series — Musical or Comedy. “I am the most excited about Anya Taylor Joy’s awards because I loved the Queen’s Gambit. I’m so proud of her for her first award!” Says Eli Kitterman, a senior at River Hill.
The host of the Golden Globes this year were Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and they did the best they could. The show was inherently awkward, being during a pandemic and having limited audience members; it was bound to go south. Not saying that their untimely and uncomfortable jokes were any help, but they did all they could to make light of the situation by cracking jokes and banter to keep things interesting. They made jokes about the touchy subject of inclusivity with the HFPA, some respected them for calling them out, but others called it insensitive. Also, to adhere to coronavirus safety regulations, the winners and nominees called in via video conference call, which caused many unavoidable technical issues and uncomfortable delays. Anya Nguyen, a senior at River Hill, comments, “It was unavoidable, the technical problems. I would rather watch the show be a bit awkward than to watch a super spreader event.” Having the golden globes during a pandemic was not going to be an easy task no matter how they did it. A distanced show was necessary and the technical problems that came with it were inevitable.
The lack of red carpet may have been one reason for some of the decline in viewers, who would watch for the fashion. Some stars did dress up for the occasion, Anya Taylor-Joy stunned viewers with her green Dior dress and Tiffany diamonds, making it a shame that there was no red carpet to show it off on. Daisy Edgar Jones, a nominee for her role in “Normal People”, looked fantastic too with a white Chanel high-low dress that would have stolen the show on the red carpet. On the opposite end, Jason Sudeikis, in his acceptance speech for “Ted Lasso” probably had no regrets for wearing a sweatshirt, because the most response to this isn’t backlash but is more of “we don’t blame you”, CNN even said he “nailed it.” “I mean I would have done the same thing in his shoes. If you’re not going anywhere, why dress up?” Anya Nguyen finds his fashion statement to be one that hit home with the quarantine mood.
The HFPA has been facing a lot of controversies, namely for how there are no black journalists in the organization. However, on Sunday, they addressed the lack of diversity within their members (and by lack of diversity, they mean none at all). They agreed that they “have work to do” and that “they look forward to a more inclusive future.” On Twitter, #times up globes was trending as many popular accounts and celebrities express how upsetting it was to hear how, out of all 87 members, not one was black. Ava Duveney, a filmmaker who has made works such as When They See Us and A Wrinkle in Time, posted on Twitter saying, “The truth that’s not often discussed is that awards play a part in the economic reality of Black filmmakers, artists of color and women creators in this business. Unfortunately, these shiny things matter to those who finance, Greenlight produce, distribute and market our projects. Therefore, everyone must have balanced access and consideration so that the playing field can be more equitable for artists of all kinds, colors, and cultures.”
No award show will please everyone. The Golden Globes have improvements to make for the future and they are taking the right steps towards making them, especially by publicly addressing them. Also, being during a so abnormal year, what can be expected for a show that involves a live audience and hundreds of people gathering in a single location. Next year looks bright for the Golden globes.