In a normal year, the Golden Globes show is the ultimate Hollywood party: thousands of champagne flutes, free acceptance speeches, backstage antics, dozens of stars having fun at crowded banquet tables.
If the Oscar shows the film industry in its most formal and self-conscious state, the Globes give us Quentin Tarantino spitting his drink after losing the director’s award to Ben Affleck.
“It’s usually a big party,” said Anne Thompson, general editor of IndieWire film publishing.
But this year – as at weddings, office meetings and almost every other event involving people outside your home – Globes will be a virtual event. In a socially detached style, co-hosts will appear from opposite sides of the country: Tina Fey of the Rainbow Room in New York and Amy Poehler at the Beverly Hilton, the traditional home of the ceremony.
Globes producers sent camera kits to the nominees that will allow them to enter the broadcast, no matter where they are. Most virtual Emmy awards at the end of September tried a similar approach. Fey, Poehler, selected personal presenters and other team members will comply with Covid-19’s strict security protocols.
In an interview with Seth Meyers last month, Poehler joked about the unusual nature of industry honors this year. “Preparation is going very well. We only have a few final questions, which are: When, how, why, where and what? That’s all we need to find out, but we’ll find out. “
The restrictions demanded by Covid-19 could cause this year’s Golden Globe (8 pm ET on Sunday on NBC) to lose some of the drunken and improvised spontaneity of a typical program. “Although people can drink at home,” said Chris Beachum, editor-in-chief of the Gold Derby prize prediction website.
In particular, broadcasting the pandemic era can deprive viewers of “meme-capable” moments that have become more common in the past decade, said Joyce Eng, senior editor at Gold Derby – as Leonardo DiCaprio’s viral GIF 2016 appeared to shudder when Lady Gaga passed him to accept a statuette.
All award experts said last fall’s Emmys, presented by ABC personality Jimmy Kimmel, provided a solid and flawless model for the Globes. Beachum said it was particularly fun to see winners like Zendaya and the cast of “Schitt’s Creek” receiving awards from remote locations, giving viewers a greater sense of personal connection.
“It was exciting to see someone win alongside their parents, spouse or children, right there in the room with them,” said Beachum. “You wouldn’t be able to see this in a normal televised ceremony.”
The broader context for this year’s Golden Globe also represents a challenge for producers. The nation is facing social and economic crises that could make a Hollywood award show seem especially out of step unless the backstage gurus find a way to balance self-indulgence with seriousness.
“The question of how such a frivolous and frivolous company is going to present itself is an interesting one,” said Thompson, who has covered award races for many years. “I’m curious to see how they do it. Everyone will want to achieve the right tone. “
In the past decade, as conventional linear television has lost ground to streaming services, ratings for award programs have generally declined. (The Globes audience broadcast last January, hosted by Ricky Gervais for the fifth time, was at least eight years old.)
Eng said she did not expect a jump in audience for this year’s Globes, although she wondered if Hollywood’s brilliance could offer a welcome escape from the harsh reality.
“It’s been such a depressing year, so I think there’s a bit of escapism here: three o’clock on your Sunday night, where you can watch a fun awards show and make fun of celebrities,” said Eng. “Maybe there’s a factor out of curiosity too. “
Thompson added that some casual viewers may be attracted by the sheer number of nominated films and TV shows from popular streaming services – especially Netflix, which has garnered an impressive 42 nominations. In a time of theater outages, she said, most viewers watched new releases at home.
Two of Netflix’s top rated titles – “Mank” by David Fincher and “The Trial of the Chicago 7″ by Aaron Sorkin – are considered favorites for the drama film award, while the British royalty saga of the streaming platform ” The Crown “leads the group. of TV nominees with six nods.
