Best & Worst at the Golden Globes

After a 12-month hiatus ordered by NBC, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) Golden Globe Awards have resumed. The organization has been through years of upheaval before the event this year, which was presented by comedian Jerrod Carmichael.  After widespread criticism of the HFPA’s total absence of Black representation from across the industry, NBC, which usually broadcasts the event, declined to do so in 2022. The year prior, the awards were delayed by over two months due to COVID-19, and first responders and other vital personnel attended in place of actors. The Golden Globes will honor the biggest films of the year, including Everything Everywhere All at Once, Abbott Elementary, and Elvis, this year. Jerrod Carmichael will serve as this year’s host. Can the show actually be rescued, though? The verdict is still out based on the night’s highs and lows. With his opening monologue, Jerrod Carmichael came out fighting and voiced those who were against the HFPA. While pacing the platform, he continued, “I’ll tell you why I’m here. Since I’m Black, I’m here. He explained the HFPA’s problems to the crowd, prompting awkward laughter. He said, “I’m not going to say they were a racist organization, but they didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd died. So, use that information as you see fit. Carmichael walked the audience through his decision-making process when he was approached to be a host, including the fact that he was paid $500,000 to host, noting that he was “asked to be the Black face of a beleaguered white organization.” To suggest that the HFPA received value for its money would be an understatement. Later on in the program, Carmichael made fun of Tom Cruise’s three Golden Globes that were sent back. The emcee entered the stage holding three awards and exclaimed, “I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned… I believe we could give up these three items in exchange for Shelly Miscavige’s safe return. He then went on to introduce the other Top Gun: Maverick cast members of Cruise. Despite being a front-runner for his work in The Whale, Brendan Fraser won’t be attending the Golden Globes as part of his successful comeback to the spotlight. Fraser charged former HFPA president Philip Berk with groping him at a dinner in 2003 in 2018. Fraser openly stated his intention to skip the Golden Globes ceremony even before he was nominated for Best Actor in a Drama, while Berk publicly refuted the accusations and later resigned the HFPA in 2021. “I have less respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association because of my relationship with it in the past. No, I won’t take part, he said to GQ in November. “My mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”Fraser’s decision to stay away from an organization that was toxic to him is definitely a personal win, but a low for the Globes and the HFPA, which clearly still has a lot of work to do. Even though Ke Huy Quan was widely expected to win Best Supporting Actor, nothing could have prepared us for his moving acceptance speech. The former child star opened his remarks by thanking Steven Spielberg for giving him his break in blockbusters like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. However, he stopped acting when he saw how few roles were available for Asian Americans. “I feared that I had nothing left to offer for a very long time. That no matter what I did, I would never be able to outdo what I accomplished as I was a child,” he stated before thanking the Daniels, who directed Everything Everywhere All at Once “Thankfully, more than 30 years later, two guys thought of me, they remembered that kid, and they gave me an opportunity to try again.”