Hollywood’s award season got under way on Sunday (Feb 28) at a very different Golden Globes 2021, with winners dialling in remotely to a ceremony – featuring a few early glitches.
Usually a star-packed party that draws Tinseltown’s biggest names to a Beverly Hills hotel ballroom, this pandemic edition is being broadcast from two scaled-down venues in California and New York, with essential workers and a few glamorous A-list presenters among the few in attendance.
Comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler – hosting from opposite coasts – opened the ceremony via split-screen while pretending to reach across to one another, before an opening routine that made fun of the Globes-awarding group of obscure foreign reporters, which has been under pressure for its lack of diversity.
Three senior HFPA officials took to the Globes stage early in the night, pledging “a more inclusive future”, after several influential showbiz groups had piled on criticism over the weekend including Hollywood’s actors and directors unions.
Despite that controversy, the Globes – which also honour the best in television – remain a coveted prize, and a high-profile source of momentum in the run-up to the season-crowning Oscars, which were pushed back this year to April 25. Here are five highlights from the event.