There has been a dramatic tug of war over the A-list celebrity presenters between rival awards shows the Golden Globes and the Oscars, with academy bosses telling stars they could not appear on the Oscar stage if they were presenters at last night’s Globes.
Jennifer Lopez pulled out of the Globes after she and other stars were warned by e-mail through their agents that it could prevent them from appearing on the Oscars in February as presenters. Sources tell us the move has caused drama.
One said, “There have been complaints about this from the studios and the agencies. The Globes lost Jennifer Lopez as a presenter, but many other stars took the view that they don’t want to be told what to do.”
COMPLETE GOLDEN GLOBES COVERAGE
Sources tell us that Christian Bale also declined to present at the Globes, but other sources close to last night’s show insisted that “he was never confirmed.” His rep later told us that he couldn’t do the Globes because he’s out of the country.
A rep for Lopez didn’t get back to us last night. Reps for the Golden Globes insisted they have never been left with a shortage of A-list presenters.
Those taking to the stage last night included George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Tina Fey, Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Alba, Nicole Kidman, Madonna, Colin Firth and Gerard Butler.
A spokeswoman for the Golden Globes said, “The Globes are always the most hotly anticipated show of the awards season and the party of the year. As always, the room was the most glamorous in town, packed full of the industry’s biggest and brightest stars.”
This year’s Academy Awards will be masterminded by Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer, who did not comment last night. But sources tell us a decision may be made this week to relax the presenter role.
Academy President Tom Sherak said in a statement: “The academy has always placed a premium on exclusivity, but, ultimately, each individual makes his or her own decisions.”