Can the Critics Choice Awards Replace the Golden Globes?

Does Hollywood need a Golden Globe? NBC’s cancellation of the 2022 broadcast has caused soul search in an industry suddenly without the most widely known precursor to the Oscars, at least this year. Small, eccentric Hollywood Foreign Press Association — being affected by exclusion nature in terms of memberships as well as trading relationships that seem to have developed with various studios – has turned its annual awards into an important one by sheer willpower: active translation, flexible network marketing and continuous excellence of Grade A candidates. Popular, savings program for 2021 Compulsory virtual failure COVID; it delivers value, if only in terms of visibility it provides to competitors just starting out on the trail.

So there’s a gap to fill next year — and possibly longer term, depending on if and how the Globe returns. And the annual Critics’ Choice Awards, broadcast on The CW and voted for by members of the Critics’ Choice Association, have worked hard and openly to fill that void.

After the Globes’ cancellation, CCA quickly fixed the other show’s 2022 broadcast date, January 9, to itself. The organization later announced a international branch, adds about 30 members who, if they meet the requirements, will both vote for the Main Critics’ Choice Awards and shape a new, targeted “World Film Awards” awards ceremony. global consumption. Reports surfaced that the CCA even compete to take over the iconic home of the Globes, the Beverly Hilton, for the 2022 show.

The misappropriation attempt couldn’t be clearer — and CCA’s CEO, Joey Berlin, is okay with that perception. “It is something to replace the Globe, but we want bigger and better,” says Berlin Vanity Fair. “Better is really important.”

For any awards campaign, the Academy’s vision is a central goal — a clear signal to Oscar voters that a given film or performance is worth seeking out and celebrating. This is where the Golden Globes always come. That’s right, the award doesn’t have much of a practical effect; Historically, Globes nominations alone have not correlated with eventual Oscar recognition. But when an unexpected Globe winner — last year’s drama-actress champion and eventual Oscar nominee, for example, Andra’s Day (USA Vacation vs Billie) – achieve a national televised victory, the impact on the campaign can be substantial. Similarly, due to the sheer buzz surrounding the Golden Globes, Oscar stories often begin to take shape there. (And often, those stories are false; of this year’s Golden Globe winners, only Daniel Kaluuya repeat his win at the Oscars.)

Similarly, the Critics Choice Awards consistently manage a strong, if not quite, number of nominees at the Globes level. The ceremony also brought greater fame thanks to the participating journalists and critics. Berlin said: “Suddenly, there was a strong wind behind us. “The major studios, including the top streamers, have an awards department — and the key people, plus all the consultants and the public about the awards, have been calling us. me in the spring when the HFPA was hitting, told us the industry was looking for a Critics’ Choice Award to move forward and take the place of the Globe. ” (Vanity Fair confirmed that many insiders have indeed contacted CCA.)

Meanwhile, clear discontent among HFPA members persisted. The two have publicly resigned, and tensions remain between them and the public opinion advocates in Hollywood, who have teamed up to reform the Globes. Encouraging signs of progress — revising outdated rules for recognizing non-English-language films, ending studio gift-giving habits — continue to flow steadily but quietly. “I hope it’s not too late,” said a senior source. “I hope it works. We haven’t written them forever; we hope, but we’ll have to see.”

In a recent joint letterhowever, former HFPA members Go Xu and Diederik van Hoogstraten cast doubt on the group’s ability to actually reform: “The majority of members resisted profound change, despite our attorneys and spokespersons suggesting otherwise publicly.”

Like the HFPA, the CCA presents the film and television awards in a single ceremony. But as Berlin points out, the CCA has a much better track record for legitimacy and transparency, with almost 500 members publicly named on its website, as well as a strong new international team. People inside the CCA went as far as to discuss engaging more “legitimate” journalists in the HFPA, a source within the organization said.

There’s also a lot of respect in Hollywood for the Critics Choice Awards, judging from conversations with awards insiders. (At least for its major accolades; awards like the Super Awards, which honor largely comic-based fare, are much less taken seriously.) Cite CCA initiatives like the Award. SeeHer and its annual celebration of Black cinema, the studio source said, “They were very aware of representation and diversity, and it felt very real. They did this job when no one else was doing it. They dug…. This group is smart and proactive.”

The question is whether CCA can overcome the media bubble and reach a wider audience — and in turn, Academy voters. “All noise is important. It’s all the noise you want,” said an industry veteran who has worked on several top award campaigns. “That’s why people do this in the first place.” But in the frenzy of voting, award-seekers are looking for more than peer groups like the Screen Actors Guild, which will return to a live show in 2022 after this year’s taped test, to outpace their candidates.

While never reaching ratings, SAG also attracts talent and can fill the Globes’ void. It might even be an even more natural fit: Guild membership overlaps significantly with the Academy, giving its awards more weight and the number of candidates in attendance closer to Globes — which means almost perfect.

CCA’s attempt to move its show to the Beverly Hilton is an obvious attempt to replace the Globes in 2022, at least symbolically. This tactic failed, apparently due in part to the machinery surrounding HFPA. (The MRC Company owns Dick Clark Productions, the company that produced the Golden Globes; its host, Todd Boehly, has a financial stake in Beverly Hilton.) Sources close to the CCA believe HFPA orbiter Dick Clark prevented Beverly Hilton from hosting the Critics Choice Awards. (Dick Clark Productions did not respond to a request for comment for this story.)

At the end of June, Diversity report “The HFPA appears to be blocking any such attempt as CCA has been unable to secure a location for its TV show due to a response from Beverly Hilton management regarding the delay.” Responding to the report, HFPA told nói Diversity, “HFPA values ​​its longstanding relationship with Hilton…. However, the organization is focused on reform efforts and working on the transformative changes it has announced and has no other plans for the program at this time.” Vanity Fair can confirm that CCA will hold its 2022 show at Fairmont Century Plaza, reopening this fall after more than $2 billion in renovations.

But Hollywood insiders see another problem with the CCA trying to take away the Phase One shell from HFPA: its network. “CW — it’s something that doesn’t get smarter,” the studio source said. Others in the award field expressed similar concerns, including in terms of production quality. (The 2020 Critics Choice Awards broadcast was watched live by more than 1 million people, according to Diversity; On the contrary, the Globe 2020, attracts about 18.3 million viewers.)

The CCA is aware of the barrier. “Earth globe [is] party of the year. It gathered all the movie and TV stars into one room, and then branched out with lots of parties later in one place,” said Berlin. “It was a great launch pad for the award nominees because of all the spectacular coverage on the same night…. This year, our intention is to give the industry and the public the party of the year and fill that void.”

Vanity Fair It is known that The CW has begun negotiations with potential network partners to expand the audience and footprint of the Critics Choice Awards, although a network source familiar with The CW’s 2022 plans for the show is familiar with the matter. The program said it was still too early to say what would happen to them. However, it feels safe to say that CCA and The CW are linked to create a real role for Globes influence.

The people watched from behind the scenes and slowly rolled out Phase One campaigns for their top Oscar nominees, not focusing too much on the power struggle. Their ultimate goals and strategies remain essentially fixed, with or without the Globes alternative. “At the end of the day, the Oscar campaign is just about getting people to see the movie,” said the industry veteran.

Can CCA make a difference in that regard? Voting can be legit, and it can certainly send an all-star team into a glittering, trophy-laden ballroom. At the very least, a slightly raised profile for the ceremony in 2022, feels inevitable. Berlin says, “This is a lifetime opportunity for the Critics’ Choice Award.”

The big test now is whether enough Hollywood players agree.