Los Angeles, California - It's awards season yet again, and this year's Golden Globes look to rehabilitate their tarnished reputation after a slew of scandals. But is it too late?

The 80th annual Golden Globes are set to take place on January 10, featuring a star-studded list of nominees from across film and television.

Though the night has typically been seen as the pinnacle of Hollywood glamour, the ceremony has been rocked by a significant number of scandals and controversies.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization behind the annual ceremony, has had its reputation all but ruined in recent years, but the awards show is set to make a big comeback, with many of the brightest stars in Hollywood confirmed to be attending.

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In April 2021, the HFPA sparked backlash after Philip Berk, who was president of the association for eight years, forwarded an email to members that condemned Black Lives Matter as a "racist hate movement." The disturbing message led to Berk's expulsion as a member of the HFPA.

Actor Brendan Fraser has confirmed he will not be attending the Golden Globes this year despite a nomination for his acclaimed performance in The Whale.

In 2018, the 53-year-old told GQ that Berk had groped and assaulted him in 2003, which led The Mummy star to be blacklisted from Hollywood for many years.

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The scandals don't end with Berk, unfortunately. The HFPA as a whole has been slammed for its consistent lack of diversity in its voting body. At the time of the outcry against it, there was not a single Black member among the 87 voters.

Additionally, a Norweigan reporter filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the association in 2020, which was dismissed last month.

In 2022, NBC dropped the ceremony's broadcast, with winners being announced on social media instead amid criticisms of the lack of diversity and subpar attempts to amend it.

The HFPA has implemented a wave of changes in an attempt to correct its many wrongdoings.

The overdue reforms included increased charitable donations, 21 new members (six of whom are Black), and the addition of a chief diversity officer.

In September 2022, the HFPA added over 100 new nonmember voters for the Golden Globes. The new voting group represents 62 different countries.

Another positive step is the association's selection of comedian Jerrod Carmichael as host for the 2023 ceremony. The choice was met with praise, bringing a fresh new face amid the frequently-recycled hosts that normally plague awards season.

Whether or not these reforms will be enough to dispel the public's dismay towards the HFPA remains to be seen, but are the Golden Globes really worth saving?

In today's world, are award shows even still meaningful?

Diversity has always been a major issue in the film industry, and awards season far too often amplifies inequities in representation rather than amending them.

Michelle Yeoh, whose starring role in Everything Everywhere All at Once is earning her Oscar buzz, shared a telling perspective on how people of color don't have the same opportunities as white actors in a recent interview.

"I honestly look at all of you with such envy because you get an opportunity to try all the different roles, but we only get that opportunity maybe once in a long, long time," she said in a roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter.

Yeoh is highlighting a crucial issue here – it's about lack of opportunity far more than lack of talent. Awards season typically sees the same ensemble of familiar faces, leaving little opportunity or recognition for those outside this inner circle. That has left many fans disillusioned by the ceremonies as the awards slowly lose true meaning in signifying the best of the best.

While we can hope that the implemented changes will set things on the path toward progress in the case of the Golden Globes, some institutions are simply beyond saving.

The HFPA's issues go far beyond issues of representation, though that remains a significant problem. The allegations of sexual assault, the spreading of blatantly racist messages among its members, and exposed corruption prove that the foundation is rotten.

The recognition of awards season still carries significant weight in Hollywood, and with the long line of award ceremonies each season entails, it may be better to move our attention elsewhere.