The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group of foreign showbiz journalists who made the Golden Globes a high-profile event despite a series of missteps, died Monday following a string of ethical, financial and diversity scandals. . was 80.
The end of the embattled HFPA was announced after California officials agreed to a complex restructuring plan that would allow the Golden Globes to survive.
Eldridge Industries, a holding company owned by billionaire investor Todd Boley, and Penske Media’s Dick Clark Productions have agreed to acquire the Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe Awards assets for an undisclosed price. . Proceeds will go to the new non-profit Golden Globe Foundation to continue the HFPA’s philanthropic efforts. Over the last 30 years, he has donated over $50 million to entertainment-related charities.
A spokeswoman for Eldridge said the members of the Foreign Press Association will be employees of an as-yet unnamed for-profit organization that seeks to expand the brand of the Golden Globes. Fewer than 100 former members will continue to serve as voters for the annual Golden Globe Awards, along with more than 100 non-members who have been recruited in recent years to increase the diversity of the voting body.
los angeles times discovered The announcement that the HFPA would have no black members in 2021 sparked a backlash in the entertainment industry, prompting NBC to cancel telecasts of The Globes in 2022. Ceremony returned to NBC in January under a one-year deal. Eldridge & Dick Clark Productions, which produced the Groves telecast for decades, has since sought a new broadcast network or streaming service partner.
The 81st Golden Globe Awards ceremony is scheduled for January 7.
In a statement, Boley called the dissolution of the HFPA “an important milestone in the evolution of the Golden Globe Awards.” He thanked the association’s former president, Helen Hone, for helping drive reforms, including a “strong approach to governance” that helped professionalize the prize organization, long known for infighting and scandal. bottom.
“We have an incredible team in place to grow this iconic brand,” Jay Penske, CEO of Penske Media, said in a statement.
The Foreign Press Association has long been seen as unserious and slippery. In the late 1960s, the Federal Communications Commission temporarily removed the Globe Awards from airwaves, claiming that they “mislead the public as to how winners are determined.” In the 1990s and 2000s, Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of Miramax since his imprisonment, spent expensive gifts, stars and himself when other studio chiefs could barely keep a secret. Manipulated the organization in ways large and small, including special access to the time of ridicule. He was often rewarded with a surprising number of nominations.
After the 2020 murder of George Floyd in police custody sparked a public debate about racism and inequality, Hollywood will turn a blind eye to organizational failures in 2021. stopped. More than 100 publicists refused to use the star for the Golden Globes appearance, contributing to NBC’s cancellation of the 2022 telecast.
