The 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards came and went this past weekend and I couldn't be happier to have it in the rearview mirror once again. The laboring three-plus hour show - a celebrity insider boozefest masquerading as art appreciation - is yet another Hollywood indulgence in a growing list of self-congratulatory events. For those of you starved for materialistic red carpets, you can now feast on the steady year-round diet of the Oscars, Grammys, SAGs, Emmys, CMAs, VMAs, People's Choice, and more, as if Hollywood A-Listers needed any more pampering.
I'm sick of it.
That doesn't mean we should do away with awards shows completely. Greatness deserves to be recognized and appreciated, especially in the passionate landscape of entertainment. More people need to go see the phenomenal "Spotlight" or the breathtaking visuals in "The Revenant." The Golden Globes and similar events bring attention to less mainstream offerings like these. But we all already know Leonardo DiCaprio is a talented actor; do we really need 10 different awards shows clubbing us over the head to remind us?
The sheer overkill dilutes any legitimate praise as each show begins to blend together without much differentiation. What's worse is that each broadcast is becoming more focused on dirty jokes and less about the entertainment itself. Jonah Hill as the bear from "The Revenant?" "Making a Murderer" has more laughs than that bit.
The Golden Globes, and other awards shows, don't matter because they don't alter our opinions. Those that loved the diesel engine powered adventure of "Mad Max: Fury Road" aren't going to pull a 180 because it didn't win Best Motion Picture. Even if it had, who's to say that would be the right choice? How can we trust the Globes' judgment when it listed "The Martian" as a comedy? Ultimately, it's all subjective; there is no "right" answer and no bias voting base is going to change that.
But give Hollywood any reason to trot out designer outfits and receive awards for their own work and they'll jump all over it. It's the nature of the beast, I suppose. But maybe, just maybe, it's time for all of us to stop taking it so seriously. These awards shows don't matter.
