So much for the glitz and glamour of the Golden Globes. As actors planned to boycott the show because of the ongoing screenwriters strike, the 65th annual Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday is being reduced to a glorified news conference.
The network will now broadcast an hour-long news conference announcing the winners on Sunday at 7 p.m., according to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organizes the Globes. Then at 8 p.m., NBC will air a post-awards “party show.”
“It’s a victory for us,” Writers Guild of America spokeswoman Sherry Goldman said via phone from the picket lines Monday.
This is a huge departure from the emotional acceptance speeches and suspense of past years.
“It’s still a great award,” pointed out Howard Rubenstein, of Rubenstein Public Relations. “There will be a lot of publicity, but the publicity will be diminished dramatically. It’s really a shame because it’s one of the best moments in the entertainment field.”
This would be the first time since the Globes’ inception in 1944 that the usual awards show will not be held.
“We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony will not take place,” said Jorge Camara, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The ceremony, which has faced boycott threats from actors who do not want to cross picket lines — including Keira Knightley and George Clooney — did not have a host scheduled this year.
Hollywood screenwriters have been striking since Nov. 5 for an increased share of profits from Internet and new-media sales.
Talks regarding the Globes have broken down among the striking writers guild, NBC and Dick Clark Productions.
Mark Graham, managing editor of showbiz blog , said those who would be hurt the most would be the viewers; Steven Spielberg, this year’s Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award recipient; and the studios.
“Studios really rely on the Golden Globes for the Hollywood releases,” he said. “That’s usually when they establish themselves.”
But, Graham added, most of Hollywood has been in the dark over what will become of this year’s show.
The Screen Actors Guild told The Associated Press on Friday that it appeared all of the nominated actors planned to boycott the ceremony. Letters from their publicists backed up the statement.
