Golden Globes still on, despite NBC dropping the awards show

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organizes the annual Golden Globes, said on Friday it will present the awards for television and film in January despite the NBC television network deciding in May to no longer air the show.

The association has drawn criticism over ethics issues and a lack of racial diversity in its membership, prompting NBC to drop televising the Golden Globes that the group hosts. The group’s members also were accused of making sexist and racist remarks and soliciting favors from celebrities and studios.

The association said in a news release that nominations would be announced on December 13 and that it would host the 79th annual Golden Globes ceremony on January 9. The group did not make any announcement about whether the show would be televised.

The group in May agreed to recruit more Black members and make other changes, and in July banned its members from receiving gifts and free trips from movie studios and TV networks seeking to secure awards for their shows and stars.

The Golden Globes ceremony, attended by A-list stars and industry executives, established itself as one of the biggest annual Hollywood awards shows in the run-up to the Oscars. But it has been under close scrutiny following an investigation published in February by the Los Angeles Times that showed that the group of 87 journalists had no Black members.

Actress Scarlett Johansson and other critics including Netflix, Amazon Studios, WarnerMedia, and dozens of Hollywood’s top publicity companies have said they would no longer work with the group unless it makes far-reaching changes. Actor Tom Cruise in May returned three Golden Globe statuettes he won. – Rappler.com