Brendan Fraser has received universal acclaim for his portrayal of The Whale.  Although he’s a contender for a Golden Globe, he is still angry at how the Hollywood Foreign Press Association handled an incident in 2003.  He claims that Philip Berk, the organization’s head at the time, got a bit “handsy” with his posterior.  “His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint.  And he starts moving it around.”  I presume he means moving his finger around, because most taints are stationary.  Fraser says, “I felt ill.  I felt like a little kid.  I felt like there was a ball in my throat.”  Wait, did he say he had a ball in his throat?  The HFPA did an internal investigation and ruled that Berk did indeed “inappropriately touch” Fraser…but it “was intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance.”  This is why Brendan will not attend the awards.  “I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.  No, I will not participate.  It’s because of the history that I have with them.  And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite.  You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”

The Globes have always had a checkered history in Hollywood.  From being a trifle, to being a joke, to being a harbinger of the Oscars, to being tossed off network TV.  They are currently attempting to rise from the ashes and return to the airwaves.  Yes, NBC will once again air the event formerly owned by Dick Clark (oh, the humanity).  As if to conclusively prove that the HFPA is embracing diversity, the show will be hosted by Jerrod Carmichael – who is both black and gay!  It’s like a twofer – a two-for-one!  Nominations will be announced later this week.