“Except for death and paying taxes,” they sing in the musical Avenue Q, “everything is only for now.” We might take issue with that — corruption at the Golden Globes seems pretty evergreen, too. The Globes are now owned by Penske following a boycott of the previous ownership due to racism and corruption, but it turns out you can still pay to play. Variety, owned by Penske, is offering studios “a series of intimate, curated dinners” with Globes voters, per a new report by Puck. (Penske Media Corporation has invested in Vox Media, owners of New York.) For a reported six-figure price, a studio can buy “a panel conversation with your contending talent followed by an upscale dining experience with a guest list of 30-40 voters,” the pitch deck reportedly outlines.
Additionally, it now costs major moolah to even be eligible — Puck reports that this year, studios could pay at least $5,000 per project as an “admissions fee” to put it on the Globes viewing portal. Films would cost an additional $2,000 a pop and TV episodes $350 a pop to even be submitted. If a studio submits at least 14 titles, then it’s reported that they’ll get better display treatment on the portal. Anyway, when Madame Web gets nominated for Best Motion Picture — Drama, at least we’ll know what happened.