Golden Globes: Hollywood's Dirty Little Secret
Y
Dec 10, 2003
9-10 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 14
Trio
Contrary to the suggestion of the title, "The Golden Globes: Hollywood's Dirty Little Secret," and as Trio's hourlong documentary makes clear, the Golden Globes really aren't much of a secret -- dirty, little or otherwise. Interviews with a cross section of the entertainment industry, including journalists, a producer, a disguised Golden Globes nominee and others, indicate it is widely known that these coveted and much-publicized awards are decided by the vote of fewer than 100 individuals, most of whom aren't full-time journalists.
"It's a joke," declares Washington Post reporter Sharon Waxman. The awards go to "who kisses butt best," says the disguised former nominee. It's a case of "let's sell the public a lie," declares producer Michael Phillips. And it doesn't help any that, according to director-narrator Vikram Jayanti, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., sponsor of the Globes, told its members not to cooperate in any way with this documentary. While that's hardly an admission of guilt on the part of the association, it can't help but create an impression that there is something to hide.
The documentary does a decent enough job of making a case that the Golden Globes are overrated, but it falls way short in explaining why that doesn't really matter. Overrated or not, the award show churns up admirable ratings, brings out the stars and has a name that, to the general public, represents Hollywood success and glamour. Studios couldn't care less whether the awards are decided by isolated Benedictine monks in the Himalayas or angels on high, at least not since the Globes have evolved into a tremendous marketing tool. The latter point is made here but not as emphatically as it should be.
The greatest achievement of an expose-style documentary is to shine a light on a dark area and, in so doing, produce enlightenment and reform. Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen here. As Waxman succinctly puts it, when it comes to the Globes, "People know, and they don't care."
Regardless of how many people vote and how strong or weak their qualifications, the Golden Globes award show has become glitzy, highly rated TV. Equally important, in recent years, the nominees and winners have, for the most part, been about as credible as those made by peer groups. Sometimes, there's even a significant correlation between Golden Globe and Oscar winners. And, besides, given the hundreds of ways Hollywood honors itself, what difference does it make that this one isn't exactly the product of a blue-ribbon panel? As another documentary on Trio pointed out earlier this month, the chief beneficiaries of these awards are as often as not the studios and presenters.
Seen from that perspective, the system isn't broke, and there's nothing to fix.
THE GOLDEN GLOBES:HOLLYWOOD'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
Trio
Vixpix Films/Gabriel Films
Credits:
Executive producers: Vikram Jayanti, Jonathan Stack
Line producer: Gabriel London
Director-narrator: Vikram Jayanti
Editor: Alysha Cohen
Original score: Ira Ingber
Sunday, Dec. 14
Trio
Contrary to the suggestion of the title, "The Golden Globes: Hollywood's Dirty Little Secret," and as Trio's hourlong documentary makes clear, the Golden Globes really aren't much of a secret -- dirty, little or otherwise. Interviews with a cross section of the entertainment industry, including journalists, a producer, a disguised Golden Globes nominee and others, indicate it is widely known that these coveted and much-publicized awards are decided by the vote of fewer than 100 individuals, most of whom aren't full-time journalists.
"It's a joke," declares Washington Post reporter Sharon Waxman. The awards go to "who kisses butt best," says the disguised former nominee. It's a case of "let's sell the public a lie," declares producer Michael Phillips. And it doesn't help any that, according to director-narrator Vikram Jayanti, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., sponsor of the Globes, told its members not to cooperate in any way with this documentary. While that's hardly an admission of guilt on the part of the association, it can't help but create an impression that there is something to hide.
The documentary does a decent enough job of making a case that the Golden Globes are overrated, but it falls way short in explaining why that doesn't really matter. Overrated or not, the award show churns up admirable ratings, brings out the stars and has a name that, to the general public, represents Hollywood success and glamour. Studios couldn't care less whether the awards are decided by isolated Benedictine monks in the Himalayas or angels on high, at least not since the Globes have evolved into a tremendous marketing tool. The latter point is made here but not as emphatically as it should be.
The greatest achievement of an expose-style documentary is to shine a light on a dark area and, in so doing, produce enlightenment and reform. Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen here. As Waxman succinctly puts it, when it comes to the Globes, "People know, and they don't care."
Regardless of how many people vote and how strong or weak their qualifications, the Golden Globes award show has become glitzy, highly rated TV. Equally important, in recent years, the nominees and winners have, for the most part, been about as credible as those made by peer groups. Sometimes, there's even a significant correlation between Golden Globe and Oscar winners. And, besides, given the hundreds of ways Hollywood honors itself, what difference does it make that this one isn't exactly the product of a blue-ribbon panel? As another documentary on Trio pointed out earlier this month, the chief beneficiaries of these awards are as often as not the studios and presenters.
Seen from that perspective, the system isn't broke, and there's nothing to fix.
THE GOLDEN GLOBES:HOLLYWOOD'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
Trio
Vixpix Films/Gabriel Films
Credits:
Executive producers: Vikram Jayanti, Jonathan Stack
Line producer: Gabriel London
Director-narrator: Vikram Jayanti
Editor: Alysha Cohen
Original score: Ira Ingber
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