Actress Megan Fox speaks onstage during the 70th Annual Golden Globes Awards Nominations at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
While the entertainment industry is abuzz with news of the Academy Award nominations, there’s another awards show prepping the red carpet right now. This Sunday, the Golden Globes will be handed out to the winners chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. While no one can argue that the Globes are the biggest party in Hollywood — most everyone there is drunk, after all — there is a debate over the integrity and reputation of the event.
It has long been accused of serving as a means to drive up ratings and viewerships for NBC, which exclusively airs the awards show. Furthermore, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s conditions for membership have been called dubious, as film critics from such high-profile media outfits like the Times of London have been turned away. And in the past, the Globes have handed out awards that were unanimously considered to be the result of bribes.
On the other hand, there are viewers who enjoy the lively--i.e. drunk--atmosphere of the Globes over the more stoic Academy Awards. Some critics even stress that the Globes have made the right choices for certain categories when the Oscars faltered. Plus, almost everyone agrees that the jokes are better at the Globes, probably thanks to using funnier hosts.
Do you watch both the Globes and the Oscars? Do the Globes deserve to be seen as little brother to the Oscars? Are they a sham? Is it ridiculous to try and compare awards shows? What do you think?
Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian for “Entertainment Tonight,” host of “Maltin on Movies” on Reelz