Were Globes Voters Bribed Into Picking 'Burlesque'?

By Rob Shuter Posted Dec 20th 2010 09:50AM

When the poorly-reviewed film 'Burlesque' earned a Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) Golden Globe nomination last week, many observers and everyday movie fans were left with stunned looks on their faces. A fun musical romp? Sure. But one of the best of the year? C'mon! Well, thanks to Patrick Goldstein of the the Los Angeles Times, we may now have an idea at just how Sony was able to swing such an honor from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Goldstein opened a can of worms when he wrote last week that HFPA members "took a Sony-sponsored trip to Las Vegas to see Cher in concert, then gave her film a stunning best picture nod."

This shocking little nugget leaves us to wonder: Did the makers of 'Burlesque,' which currently sports a 39 percent rating from film critics over at Rotten Tomatoes, grease the palms of the 81-member foreign press voting bloc in order to secure a nomination? Well, it's been done before, as The Independent notes:

"In 1981, the unknown Pia Zadora won a Best Newcomer award for her role in 'Butterfly,' a film which had been universally derided. It later emerged that the movie's producer, who was also her husband, had flown the entire HFPA to Las Vegas for a weekend holiday immediately before they voted."

All this scandal has angered one of the stars of 'Burlesque,' Cher, who I'm told had no idea Sony was flying the voters to Vegas to see her perform.

"Cher is furious that this happened," an insider tells me. "She meets hundreds of people backstage every week and never asks what they do for a living. She just assumed this group was another group of fans for her to meet and greet."

My source tells me that if it's somehow confirmed that voters gave the film the nomination because they got a free trip to Vegas, "Cher would rather they keep the darn thing."

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Tags: burlesque, golden globes

Comments

(4)

Monday 20 December

By Abby

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This has been going on for years. Sharon Stone once sent every member gold watches before they voted and she got 2 nominations that year.

It's nice to see that Cher wants no part of this kinda thing though. Who would want to win an award like that?

By New York

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All the awards are like this. The only awards who speak the truth & the only awards show that really matters is The Peoples Chioce Awards. The fans vote. That is all that counts in the end.

By OhBrother

Excuse me, but how long has Cher been in this business? Give me a break. She knows damn well how studios operate and the deceitful tactics they use to buy award nominations for their films. She also is very well aware of her status within the industry. Did she really not think that the stuido would lie, cheat and steal to get a nomination for their movie starring one of the biggest entertainers in the world? Wake up, Cher, and smell the gourmet coffee. Don't act so naive, when the world knows you've been around the block more than a few times!

By Spirit

I have to say I saw this movie and loved it. Music was great as was the dancing. Too bad the critics panned it. The voices were amazing. I would love for it to win. So there!

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