ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE: The Golden Globes will be back on television next month after an embattled tenure for the organization that hosts the annual ceremony honoring film and TV. And this morning, nominations were announced, as NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports.
MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: Comedian George Lopez was supposed to read the names of the nominees. He stayed home with COVID. Instead, his daughter Mayan and Selenis Leyva from the sitcom "Lopez Vs. Lopez" did the honors.
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MAYAN LOPEZ: Best motion picture drama - "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Elvis," "The Fabelmans," "Tar," "Top Gun: Maverick."
DEL BARCO: In the television categories, "Abbott Elementary" led with five nominations. Actor Tom Cruise, who starred in "Top Gun," was not nominated. Neither was Will Smith for his performance in the film "Emancipation." Next month, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association plans to hand out its trophies with a lavish Hollywood party emceed by comedian Jerrod Carmichael. The ceremony will be shown on NBC, which scrapped its broadcast last year after controversy over the host organization's questionable practices. The HFPA was criticized for conflicts of interest, for having very few Black members and for alleged inappropriate behavior by some members who are supposed to be journalists for international media. During last year's nominations announcement, President Helen Hoehne said the HFPA overhauled itself.
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HELEN HOEHNE: We've worked tirelessly as an organization to be better. We changed our rules, bylaws, added a new code of conduct and restructured our governance.
DEL BARCO: Even so, many studios, network stars and publicists boycotted last year's ceremony. There were no celebrity presenters, no red carpet, no media and no broadcast. This time, actor Brendan Fraser, who was nominated for the film "The Whale," says he will not be attending. He alleges he was sexually assaulted by the HFPA's former eight-term president, Philip Berk, in 2003, an allegation Berk has disputed. It will be interesting to see who does or doesn't show up for what's traditionally been Hollywood's loosest, booziest awards celebration.
Mandalit del Barco, NPR News, Los Angeles. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
