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Pandemic or not, the show must go on

The Golden Globes that kicks off on Sunday to be broadcast live on NBC television

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

Yet somehow the show is going on, albeit without 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. Some of the presenters, including Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, will appear in person, but the nominees will attend from their homes or other locations around the world.

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.

Yet Sunday’s show will be a far cry from the usual boozy dinner in a Beverly Hills hotel where A-listers chatter and exchange hugs with friends old and new.

“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.

The 1930s Hollywood drama “Mank” goes into Sunday’s ceremony with a leading six nominations, including for the top prize of best drama film.

But pundits say that’s no guarantee of success. The black-and-white film about the screenwriter of “Citizen Kane” faces stiff competition from “Nomadland,” a moving documentary-style drama about van dwellers in recession-hit America, and 1960s hippie courtroom drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” The #MeToo revenge black comedy “Promising Young Woman” and ageing drama “The Father” round out the film drama nominations.

—Reuters