Things were quiet at the HFPA, but a new one-two punch just put the besieged Golden Globes givers back in the headlines.
The first slug came as two members of the House petitioned the IRS to investigate HFPA’s enviable tax-exempt status. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) & Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) cited ongoing media reports about HFPA’s “seemingly corrupt and unacceptable deal-making patterns,” raising doubts as to whether it’s “meeting its IRS section 501(c)(3) demands.”
In reply, HFPA said, “their letter is taken largely from previous news accounts that have misrepresented or omitted the significant and thorough progress made” in membership diversity and the “implementation (of) new ethics and conduct rules.”
Backed up with pandemic era work, as the IRS is understood to be, it’s likely to take time for any conclusions to be reached. Nonetheless, no one ever feels good waiting for an IRS response.
As for Punch #2, that inside blow came with the departure of Sunshine Sachs, HFPA’s A-List PR consultants in 2011. Specifics are unknown, but Hollywood buzz claims the split was no surprise. Some 100 other top publicity firms have stopped working with HFPA, so it could be difficult replacing Sunshine, which reps top celebs & the Motion Picture Academy.