Laughable Golden Globes telecast reveals annual awards as usual sham

NBC did what it could to prop up the strike-crippled Golden Globes Sunday, but in the end it was more obvious than ever that the Globes are Hollywood's "dirty little secret."

First things first: The Globes are a sham. Administered by about 100 largely anonymous members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, many with dubious credentials and referred to as "bottom feeders" by industry insiders, the Globes are at best trendy and at worst openly corrupt.

But the Globes are a popular party for both actors and fans, and even a blind hog can dig up a truffle now and then, as with the Globes naming Cate Blanchett best supporting actress Sunday for her inspired, spot-on imitation of Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There."

More Coverage Stories Golden Globes not a hit with viewers [1/14/08] Video The Critics Speak: 'Globe Awards' Format Weird' More to the point, NBC pays the HFPA a reported $6 million annually for the TV rights to the award ceremony, and can make back more than twice that in ad revenue. What's more, Hollywood loves the publicity leading up to the Academy Awards, and viewers find it irresistible, so the party goes on. When NBC's cable subsidiary Trio did a documentary on the Globes called "Hollywood's Dirty Little Secret," NBC soon after cut Trio TV production and banished it to the Internet. Coincidence? So when the Writers Guild of America strike against producers and the ensuing Screen Actors Guild decision to honor WGA picket lines brought the Globes award ceremony to a halt this year, NBC did its best to take the Globes seriously as an honor. Instead, NBC aired a two-hour "Dateline: Going for the Gold" special interviewing Globe nominees Sunday night. Then NBC presented a "press conference" announcing the voting results as "The Golden Globes Winners Special." Maybe that was a quid pro quo in exchange for NBC reportedly not paying the HFPA $6 million for a non-existent ceremony this year: try to bolster the Globes' integrity for a return in years to come. But with AMC's "Mad Men" being named TV's best drama in a category where the last episodes of "The Sopranos" didn't even get the show nominated, how could anyone take the Globes seriously? It was impossible to take the "press conference" seriously either, not with the abysmal Billy Bush joining the inconsequential Nancy O'Dell as co-host. When Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" won best dramatic actor, Bush could only ad-lib, "Imagine a guy named Hamm being an actor." The best thing about the strike is you couldn't blame a writer for that line. Afterward, NBC had hoped to do a special checking in on the various studio parties and interviewing the winners there. But with the WGA and SAG producing a total Globe boycott, NBC could only run an installment of "American Gladiators" instead. Don't expect this year's Globe winners to influence the Oscar nominations -- and that's if the Academy Awards take place. The writers' strike also threatens that award ceremony.Golden Globe winnersFILMDrama "Atonement"Comedy or Musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"Actor, drama Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"Actress, drama Julie Christie, "Away From Her"Actor, comedy or musical Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"Actress in a comedy or musical Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose"Animated film "Ratatouille"Foreign Language Film "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly"Supporting actor Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"Supporting actress Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"Director Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"Screenplay Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"Original Score "Atonement," Dario MarianelliOriginal Song "Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild," Eddie VedderTELEVISIONDrama "Mad Men"Actor in a drama Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"Actress in a drama Glenn Close, "Damages"Comedy or Musical "Extras"Actor, comedy or musical David Duchovny, "Californication"Actress, comedy or musical Tina Fey, "30 Rock"Mini-Series or TV Movie "Longford"Actor, Mini-Series or TV Movie Jim Broadbent, "Longford"Actress, Mini-Series or TV Movie Queen Latifah, "Life Support"Supporting actor, mini-series or TV movie Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"Supporting actress, mini-series or TV movie Samantha Morton, "Longford"