I, Tonya star Margot Robbie with her Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress.
Camera IconI, Tonya star Margot Robbie with her Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress. Credit: AFP

From the Golden Globes and SAGs to the Oscars and Critics’ Choice: What awards really mean in Hollywood

Nadia SalemmeNews Corp Australia

CONTROVERSIAL speeches, glamorous red carpets and glittering gold statues — Hollywood’s awards season is in full swing.

The latest is the Screen Actors Guild Awards, on in Los Angeles on Monday. Of all the awards shows, the SAGs are widely considered by the industry to be a near-accurate predictor of the Oscars (aka the Grand Final of acting).

The SAGs — to be hosted by Kristen Bell — are decided by the joint Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Arts. The voting committee is comprised of similar members to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which decides the Oscars.

But what do all these awards shows actually mean? And how credible are they in Hollywood?

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW
Margot Robbie at the Golden Globes.
Camera IconMargot Robbie at the Golden Globes. Credit: AFP

GOLDEN GLOBES

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association — a group of about 90 international entertainment journalists based in California — decides on the Golden Globes.

Hosted by late-night comedian Seth Meyers earlier this month, the Globes are considered the least prestigious of all the major Hollywood awards. It’s basically one big party.

They have long been the subject of bribery and coercion rumours, with studios accused of enticing the HFPA to vote for their titles through junkets and interview access to stars.

TheDaily Beast once labelled the Globes “nonsensical,” “infuriating” and the Oscars’ “drunk, corrupt cousin”.

Big Little Lies star Nicole Kidman won Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series at the Golden Globes this year.
Camera IconBig Little Lies star Nicole Kidman won Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series at the Golden Globes this year. Credit: AFP
Golden Globe-winner Saoirse Ronan was named Best Actress in a Motion
Camera IconGolden Globe-winner Saoirse Ronan was named Best Actress in a Motion Credit: AFP, (Musical or Comedy) for Lady Bird. Picture: AFP

CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

She missed out on a Golden Globe but Margot Robbie won a Crtics’ Choice Award for Best Actress this month, for her role in I, Tonya. But what weight does that gong carry?

Like the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice Awards are voted on by the media, so they don’t mean as much as the industry-voted SAGs or Oscars.

They are backed by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, a group of about 250 journos who report for TV, radio and online.

While the Globes are considered one big industry party — and receive a lot of media attention — the Critics’ Choice Awards are perhaps the least-covered awards of the season.

Margot Robbie was named Best Actress In A Comedy at the 23rd Annual Critics' Choice Awards.
Camera IconMargot Robbie was named Best Actress In A Comedy at the 23rd Annual Critics' Choice Awards. Credit: Getty Images

SCREEN ACTORS’ GUILD

Nominees for the SAG Awards are decided by “nominating committees” made up of more than 2000 industry voters from the SAG-AFTRA.

The Hollywood Reporter said SAG voters were “chosen at random from the 100,000-plus overall membership of SAG-AFTRA, the largest union of actors in America”.

Robbie is nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. Her main rivals are Lady Bird’s Saoirse Ronan and Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), who both won Golden Globes.

James Franco, pictured with his brother and co-star Dave Franco, with his Golden Globe. Will he win the SAG as well?
Camera IconJames Franco, pictured with his brother and co-star Dave Franco, with his Golden Globe. Will he win the SAG as well? Credit: AFP

Nicole Kidman and Geoffrey Rush are also nominated in the TV categories.

Like the Golden Globes, the SAGs are expected to be drama-filled in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein abuse scandal.

Golden Globe winner James Franco has vowed to attend — he is nominated for Outstanding Actor for The Disaster Artist — despite sexual misconduct allegations.

All eyes will be on the SAGs to see who is really an Oscars chance.

OSCARS

The Oscars, to again be hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, are the most credible of all the Hollywood awards shows.

Nominations will be revealed this week and they are voted on by more than 7000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Academy is made up of individuals who work in all aspects of Hollywood — in front and behind the camera — and does not include any members of the media (the Academy has strict admission policies and members can only get into the Academy if they’re “sponsored” by two current members).

The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 4.

Follow our live coverage of the Screen Actors Guild Awards across News Corp Australia on Monday morning.