Golden Globe Awards Organizers Promise to Add Black Members

(Bloomberg) -- The Golden Globes, one of Hollywood’s most-watched awards programs, vowed to add more Black members to the elite group of foreign journalists who hand out its statuettes after a series of critical stories -- and a sharp elbow from the hosts of their Sunday night show.

In a short speech before a national TV audience on NBC, leaders of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association acknowledged they haven’t put enough emphasis on inclusivity and pledged to do better.

“We must also ensure everyone, from all under-represented communities, gets a seat at our table,” said Meher Tatna, chair of the association. “And we are going to make that happen.”

The HFPA is no stranger to controversy. Questions about the 87-member group’s methods go as far back as 1982, when actress Pia Zadora was crowned best new star after her husband spent lavishly to entertain members, including a trip to his casino in Las Vegas. The latest criticism stems from a series of critical stories by the Los Angeles Times.

Golden Globes hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, fronting the group’s 78th movie and TV awards show Sunday, delivered a barb to the group from the stage.

“The point is, even for the stupid things, inclusivity is important,” Fey said about her bosses for the evening’s show. “I realize HFPA, maybe you guys didn’t get the memo, because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonalds, but you gotta change that.”

This year’s HFPA nominees for best picture failed to include any of the Black-led films that have been mentioned as Oscar contenders, including “Da 5 Bloods,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” It’s been at least 20 years since the organization had a Black member, Tatna has acknowledged.

A lawsuit filed by a Norwegian journalist who was denied membership accused the organization of corruption, the Times reported. The suit was dismissed, but several existing members told the newspaper that awards can effectively be “bought” with expensive press junkets, among other inappropriate behavior.

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