Why The Golden Globes Are Wrong

Okay, first off: Wrong might be a harsh word. It was used to get your attention. And got your attention it did. Extremely flawed doesn't make an interesting headline. Every year we watch the Globes but Why? Does anyone even have ANY slightest bit of an idea of who decides the winners and losers? Let's take a look, you might be shocked at what is revealed (or at least you'll have some interesting trivia to impress people with next year).

Did You Know that the Academy of Motion Science (the guys who vote on the Academy Awards) consists of over 6,000 members?

Pop Quiz: How many people make up the group that decides the Golden Globes?Answer: 88

Is it just a little shocking that the group that determines the second biggest award show in Hollywood is so small? I mean who are these people anyways?

Pop Quiz #2: How many of the members of the HFPA write for a United States publication?

Amazing isn't it? Not really. The HFPA stands for The Hollywood Foreign Press Association. There are no U.S. members, but four people from our neighbors to the north – Canada.

Yet every year we line up in front of our little (now bigger) televisions to see who won the awards. Every year critics associations from around the country give out awards. But that is all done in a press release. There is no actual award show even though some of these associations have a membership that rivals the HFPA. In fact, if you look at the list of HFPA members, you probably wont recognize anyone. At least a critics society like the New York Film Critics Circle has names you can trust, like J Hoberman of the Village Voice, or Rex Reed of the New York Observer.

Do you really care or TRUST what Ray Arco has to say about movies? Because I sure don't. Yet every year I watch the awards. But just think, if they called it what it should be called (The Foreign Press Film Awards) no one would watch it, attend, or even care.