The US awards show is aiming for a fresh start, and comedian and actor Jo Koy will host the newly redesigned Golden Globes, the organizers announced on Thursday.
The stand-up comedian, who starred in Disney’s Haunted Mansion and Easter Sunday, expressed his excitement about being in charge of the celebration, which marks the beginning of three months of industry ceremonies.
“In my career, I’ve performed on many stages all over the world, but this one is going to be extra special,” he remarked.
“I get to make my Filipino family proud at this very moment.”
The 81st Golden Globes are hoping for a bit of a comeback for a brand that has been in the doghouse of Tinseltown for the past few years.
The HFPA was dissolved earlier this year after a group of private investors, led by US billionaire Todd Boehly, acquired and redesigned the awards’ trademarks and assets.
Former HFPA members who were based in Hollywood are no longer allowed to accept gifts and are instead compensated with a salary in exchange for casting their votes for their preferred movies and television series.
The Globes pool now includes over 200 non-member (and unpaid) voters from 75 different countries.
The unlikely duo of movies that ruled the box office and gave rise to a ton of internet memes this summer, Barbie and Oppenheimer, were revealed by the organizers to have topped their nominations this month.
With their simultaneous theatrical releases, the two blockbusters became known as “Barbenheimer” and are off to a great start in Hollywood’s film awards season, which culminates in the Oscars in March.
“Past Lives,” with five nominations, and Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things, each with seven, were among the other films that showed a strong appeal with Globes voters.
Following NBC’s termination of its broadcast agreement, CBS, one of the largest national television networks in the US, has taken over as the Globes’ new home.
The 2023 Golden Globes saw a new low of just 6.3 million viewers, and while other shows like the Oscars recovered from pandemic viewership nadirs, CBS executives will be hoping for significantly higher ratings.
Marvel superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie are among the other nominees.
A-list actors like Emma Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Giamatti from The Holdovers, Timothee Chalamet from Wonka, Natalie Portman from May December, and Bradley Cooper, who starred in “Maestro” as both an actor and director, are also involved.
On January 7, the 81st Golden Globes will be held in Beverly Hills. ― ETX Studio
