Golden Globes show to go on despite pandemic

The Golden Globes ceremony will kick off a pandemic-era Hollywood awards season on Sunday after a year that paralysed the entertainment industry and saw celebrities on red carpets replaced with webcams on sofas.

Yet somehow the show is going on, sans the chummy gala dinners, hordes of photographers, and designer gowns associated with the celebration of the year’s best films and TV shows.

Sunday’s ceremony, to be broadcast live on NBC television, will take place for the first time on two coasts, with comedians Tina Fey hosting from New York and Amy Poehler hosting from Beverly Hills, California.

Tom O’Neill, founder of awards prediction website Goldderby.com, said Fey and Poehler were the perfect hosts for unusual times.

“They are snarky, lovable and mean, and they are fantastic entertainers. They are also good at handling those inevitable fiasco moments,” O’Neill said.

“The Globes have traditionally been more fun than the Oscars in terms of the telecast. They are looser and funnier, and everyone’s drinking and it felt a little more unpredictable,” said Alison Willmore, film critic at entertainment website Vulture.com.

“When there is magic in awards shows, it comes from everyone being in the same room together,” she added. - Reuters