The Golden Globe nominations have just been announced and there’s the usual hullaballoo about them, but what exactly are the Golden Globes? Well they’re awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – an important sounding institution. Hollywood’s films are of interest around the world, and it’s only right that the various critics “who disseminate information about movies and television to the world through their various publications throughout the world” should have an organisation at its heart.
Except that the membership seems very meagre at just 90 members, with another half dozen affiliate members. Still, the UK seems well represented, but when I cast my eyes over the list, I’m not completely familiar with many of the names. In fact I haven’t heard of any of them.
But that might be my problem – I don’t read every publication in the UK, so lets have a quick run through the list. The following is obviously incomplete, but is an honest account of what searching Google reveals.
Gabrielle Donnelly
There’s a Gabrielle Donnelly who’s written such books as The Girl in the Photograph amongst others. They seem to be fiction though. Still there’s a record of a Gabrielle Donnelly who wrote an article on Colin Firth (he has quite an internet following) for Real Magazine. This isn’t a magazine that I’m familiar with. Is it British?
Gloria Geale
Now in her late eighties, she’s obviously something of a stalwart member given her mention in this article. But that’s as much as I could turn up on her.
Mike Goodridge
Goodridge is an active journalist in Hollywood working for the British trade magazine Screen International and its sister website. There’s also a Mike Goodridge who’s written books on directing.
Emanuel Levy
With his own website, Levy is obviously an active writer in Hollywood. But I don’t see the connection with the UK. Indeed the About Me on the website doesn’t mention any British publications or broadcasters, nor does it mention his membership of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, despite mentioning membership of several other organisations.
Howard Lucraft
There’s a Howard Lucraft who was born in the UK in 1916 (making him 88), and there’s a Howard Lucraft who writes about (and plays) jazz on the west coast of the States. Are they the same people? I don’t know. But I can’t find any mentions of any Howard Lucraft who writes in the UK.
Jerry Watson
A common name, so much trickier to tie down. I can’t find any record of a Jerry Watson writing in a UK publication. There’s a Jerry Watson who was Director of Photography on a couple of films, but that’s about it. No correspondents of that name.
The following list England among other countries. So I can’t discount the fact that they’re the equivalent of Barry Norman or Jonathan Ross in those countries – just that I’ve not heard of them in the UK (or even England)
Jenny Cooney Carrillo (also lists Australia and New Zealand)
Definitely writes for Australian publications including this one. But I can’t see any British publications.
John Hiscock (also lists Canada)
Writes extensively for The Daily Telegraph in the UK. Until recently Telegraph newspapers were owned by Conrad Black who had extensive press interests in Canada, hence the probable link.
Anita Weber (also lists France, Japan and South Africa)
All I could find about Weber was a quote from an enlightening criticism about the HFPA on wikipedia – “everyone comes in as a writer but many eventually become photographers as well, because there’s more money in photos.”
Jean E. Cummings (also lists Japan)
Absolutely no idea. The only listings I can find are those that speak of her membership of the HFPA. Surely she’s not the same person who’s office manager of an accountancy firm?
Isabelle Caron (also lists France and Spain)
Difficult to say, as there are significant French listings to be found. There is a Caron who translates British writer Pat Barker into French, and a writer in Canada. Can’t find any British offerings though.
Mohammed Rouda (also lists Kuwait and UAE)
Obviously a true Hollywood correspondent for the Arabic region, he’s likely to be published in the UK in the Arabic press here.
I don’t deny that even those journalists that I’ve not found a UK connection with haven’t published occassionally in the UK – we speak the same language just about. But just because you can get Variety here really isn’t the same thing. The Wikipedia article linked to above mentions that membership requirements mean that you only have to publish four times a year – not what you expect from a working journalist. So kidding on about being the “Foreign” press really isn’t on.
I suspect that if I was part of quite a powerful club, I wouldn’t want to let in many of the correspondents who really do work in La La Land. It’d dilute my power. But I don’t work in the industry, so I’m sure that there are many things I don’t understand.