by Michelle Graf

Created on: August 17, 2010

The Oscars may have the prestige, but the Golden Globes Award Ceremony is often considered the most fun and enjoyable to watch.  Alcohol may play a factor in that opinion, as the stars assembly around cozy banquet tables with an open bar loosening tongues and ties to spontanaety not often seen at it's cousin event.

However, the history behind the Golden Globes, and its benefactor, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has roots in the most serious of world events.  In 1943, as the world was gripped in the war,  While Hollywood did its best to provide distraction from the troubles of the day, a few foreign journalists stationed in Los Angeles used their press credentials and contacts to help the war efforts both at home and overseas.  Decades before the Civil Rights struggle gripped the US, the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association banded under the motto "Unity with Discrimination of Religion or Race". 

The Golden Globes awards began as 'world favorites', and honoured the best of film from the perspective of citizens all over the world.  Voted on by foreign journalists rather than Hollywood Insiders, the Globes are often described as being less influenced by campaigns and Hollywood politics. 

In 1951, the Globes split its categories to have separate awards for lead performances and outstanding films in comedies/musicals and drama.  It had become clear that, perhaps because of the greater emotional sway of dramatic films, musical and comic achievements were often shut out of Hollywood recognition.  The Foreign Press created the separate categories to ensure that outstanding achievement in all film genres had the same chance at accolades.

1955 saw the first Golden Globes awarded for achievement in the new medium of television.  While the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Academy of Television have maintained separate awards, the Golden Globes have continued to award stars of the large and small screens simultaneously. 

Today, members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association represent fifty five countries around the globe, with a combined readership of over 250 million people.   Their mission continues to promote sharing information and bringing cultural undertanding throughout the world through film.   In addition, the non-profit organization raises funds to support film education, preservation, arts and music programs throught the United States and the world.  These include university fellowships at film schools, inner city arts and music programs, and museum and film archives.

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