The Oscars and The Golden Globes

The Golden Globes

The Golden Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The first awards were given in 1944 with the best picture award going to “The Song of Bernadette”. The first year’s awards were actually in the form of scrolls rather than globes.

From just a handful of foreign journalists in the 1940s, the Foreign Press Association has grown to an organization that has representatives from 55 countries around the world, but even so, it is still a fairly small group with only around 90 members. Unlike the Oscars, Golden Globes are awarded for both television and motion picture actors and productions.

Because of the revenues generated from the annual ceremony, the Foreign Press has been able to donate millions of dollars to entertainment-related charities and for future film professionals scholarships.

Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is popularly known as simply Oscar. The first award was given to Emil Jannings, named Best Actor for his performances in “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh” in 1929.

While the origins of the nickname aren’t clear, supposedly the name arose when academy librarian Margaret Herrick remarked that the trophy looked a lot like her uncle Oscar. It wasn’t until 1939 that the Academy officially adopted this nickname.

The statuette stands a little over 13 inches tall and weighs 8 ½ pounds. The design is that of a knight holdinga crusader’s sword, standing on a reel of film.The reel features five spokes, each representing one of the five original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, writers, and technicians. Originally

constructed of bronze, the statue is now made from Britannia, a pewter-like alloy which is plated in copper, silver, nickel and finally layered in 24-karat gold.

Since the first awards banquet in 1929, over 2,800 statuettes have been presented. It’s not known ahead of time how many statuettes will be given out during the awards ceremonies, owing to the possibility of ties in voting and multiple recipients for the same category. Unused Oscars are placed back into the Academy’s fault until next year’s event.

Besides the Oscars and the Golden Globes, there are other significant Hollywood awards given out. Peers vote for peers in the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG). Committees of American film critics vote for the Critics Choice Award. Despite the fact that the Golden Globes are more popular, the Critics Choice Awards have a better track record in predicting eventual Academy Award winners.