The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is an organization comprising journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications outside of the United States. The group is best known for the Golden Globe Awards, of which it is the creator and on-going organizer. The group was founded in 1943 by a correspondent for the Daily Mail, a UK newspaper. The chief aim was, and is, the dispersing of news about Hollywood to countries outside North America. They vote and decide on Golden Globe nominees for each year.
Accusations/criticisms
- Exclusivity:
The New York Times reported that the HFPA "functions like an exclusive club, admitting a maximum of five new members a year, though more often...accepting only one. Any single member may object to a new member, making it extremely difficult to join. The association does not represent internationally renowned publications like Le Monde or The Times of London—indeed, it has repeatedly rejected applications from Sue Kim, a Le Monde correspondent, while accepting applications from freelance writers from Bangladesh and South Korea".[1]
- Accusations of buying votes:
The HFPA has also been scrutinized for being susceptible to heavy lobbying by studios and artists for nominations and awards. In 1981, the HFPA was heavily criticized after it was revealed that an award given to actress Pia Zadora (as "Best Female Newcomer" in the critically panned film Butterfly) had been preceded by a junket to Las Vegas for HFPA members paid for by Zadora's husband and a producer/financier of the film, Meshulam Riklis.[2]
In 1999, HFPA president Helmut Voss ordered all 82 members to return gift luxury watches sent by either Sharon Stone or USA/October Films (now merged into Focus Features) as a promotion for a nomination for her performance in The Muse. According to Variety, Voss ordered the return of the watches "to protect the integrity of its award".[3]
- Small membership:
Another criticism is of the small membership that casts votes. For the 2009 awards, the Association had 95 members.
Notes
- ^ Waxman, Sharon (Dec. 20, 2005). "Suicide Reveals Strife in Group Behind the Globes". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/20/movies/MoviesFeatures/20glob.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
- ^ Waxman, Sharon (January 11, 2008). "Hollywood Con Job: Either Fix the Golden Globes or Get Them Off the Air". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jan/11/opinion/oe-waxman11. Retrieved 12 December, 2008.
- ^ Wolk, Josh (December 21, 1999). "Bribe, She Said". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,84878,00.html. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
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