Is HFPA to blame for member's suicide?
"It now has blood on its hands."
That's the outrageous claim being made against the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. by a British media source reporting the suicide of a suspended HFPA member. Thus we witness a shocking new low in a favorite media sport: Golden Globe bashing.
Big Buzz magazine writer Nick Douglas recently hung himself in a thrift shop in Belfast, Northern Ireland, allegedly because he was depressed over having been suspended from HFPA for rules infractions.
"They basically took a livelihood away from a guy who was out there trying to earn a living," Barry O'Kane, managing editor of the local Belfast entertainment publication, told the New York Times. "It led completely, directly to what ended up happening to Nick."
But that allegation doesn't add up. O'Kane says he had to drop Douglas' column after Douglas was ousted from HFPA and no longer had access to celebrities. However, Douglas had only been an HFPA member for three years and O'Kane had no problem publishing the column during the previous eight years.
Furthermore, Douglas' yearlong suspension was technically over in September. His access to celebs had been fully restored to what it was previously, but HFPA wouldn't pay for his trips to out-of-town junkets and film festivals. That proviso will be reversed in another few more months, though. The worst of his troubles had passed.
At the time of his death Douglas was receiving medical treatment for depression, which suggests that he may have had deeper problems than not getting a freebie flight to New York to chat with Heidi Klum. Suicide seems like a rather extreme response to having to stay back in the HFPA hometown of L.A. where he could gab with Charlize Theron or Heath Ledger.
But Douglas didn't return to Hollywood after his suspension was lifted. He remained back in Belfast where he planned to work for a local radio station. At the time of his suicide, it looked like Douglas couldn't go back to Los Angeles and perhaps he was really most depressed about that.
The bottom line: HFPA cannot be blamed for his death. The group had the right to oust Douglas completely, but it had chosen only to suspend him temporarily for breaking its rules repeatedly and lying about it. Douglas had sold a photo of himself with Tom Selleck to a tabloid, a violation of member guidelines, then denied he'd done so when he was caught. He had been a wannabe actor, so he broke the rules again in order to circulate HFPA photos of himself with Tom Cruise while trying to drum up work. He argued often with other HFPA members and at one point was caught snitching unopened beers from a MGM party.
That's exactly the kind of cheesy, freeloader behavior that the old HFPA used to be accused of, before it established firm rules to clean up its act. Now members are monitored carefully. They must be because jealous media peers love to take potshots at the HFPA, whose Golden Globes telecast is the third highest ranked awards show on TV every year, generating nearly $6 million for the group.
"We are only as strong as our weakest link," former HFPA president Helmut Voss once bellowed at the office a few years ago while squaring off against a member protesting the decision that he could no longer vote for the Globes. I inadvertently overheard the whip-cracking scene while I was visiting the office doing research for my "Movie Awards" book. The member had failed to pen the minimum requirement of four published articles over the previous year and was begging to be allowed to vote anyway.
"No one will know!" the member pleaded.
"No," Voss said. "We are taking no chances. You can remain a member for now, but you cannot vote. That's final."
I wanted to applaud, but I would've revealed my unseen presence down the hallway where I was using the office copy machine.
More than two dozen years after the Pia Zadora scandal, HFPA is still smarting, suffering the mockery of Yankee journalists who make constant sport of the foreign freelancers. And even though HFPA leaders struggle valiantly to maintain ethical standards, they're still ridiculed often — and now are being labeled murderers.
Only in the past few years have U.S. film critics' groups enacted some of the same minimum membership ethical standards maintained by the Globes since 1990. But not all. While it's been 15 years since any HFPA member has accepted a freebie junket, Yankee journos accept them all the time from studios nowadays, then turn around and vote on that studio's films for awards. More than a thousand times a year an American journalist accepts free airfare, hotel and a daily stipend of at least $50.
Theoretically, that means that more than 1,000 Pia Zadora scandals could break out, if anyone bothered to scrutinize those writers closely. But no one does. Why? I firmly believe that the reason they get a free pass in more ways than one is because they're American.
Nearly 4 years Nick, can't believe it. Still missed as much as ever and always in my thoughts. xx
Posted by: Lynn | November 22, 2009 at 05:34 PM
Nick - your friends at school will be thinking of 'you' at the 25th reunion in Belfast. I'm sure you'll be there in spirit, mingling and sharing the craic with the best of them. Thinking of you Nick. Cheers.
Posted by: P. Middleton | October 01, 2009 at 03:39 AM
Nick Douglas was devastated by the loss of his job. I know that it played a substantive role in his depressed state. If he had not been so treated, he would not have lost his income and would not have returned to Northern Ireland, which was certainly a contributory factor to his slide into depression. But that is not the poitn I want to make.
Nick was the most gentlemanly, decent human being anyone could hope to meet. I miss him deeply, he was a great guy and above all was a down-to-earth human being who took an interest in the welfare of others and had no materialistic interests whatsoever.
I was in a band with him for several years and he was the life and soul of everything we did, always the joker and the fun guy to be around, and a caring person with much enthusiasm for everything he did.
Anyone that beleives Nick would have stolen "unopened beers" is being seriously misled about Nick's charatcer. Nick was the most innocent and decent man to have walked the planet. I say innocent, in that he was an extremely generous person and all that mattered to him was other people - that is not just a nice thing to say, but completely true about Nick. He did not have a selfish bone in his body.
There will never be another one like you Nick - you were unique. In a way, you were too good .... because people who are innocent get treated badly just like everyone else.
I will always remeber the old days ... go on, "badger", "eBoy", count me in and I'll be there with my guitar.
Posted by: Badger 2 | February 12, 2008 at 04:36 PM
nick was a close family friend of mine. my dad and him were great friends. it's terrible that this has happened, devastating actually.he is terribly missed by his parents and sister. i remember seeing him fly about in his wee orange car, even when he came bak to N.I he still looked as if he was in hollywood, with the cool shades and shorts and everything. Nick's job was his life, he left his family and friends to fulfil his dream. So yes, I DO hold the HFPA responsible for this. It is a petty organisation, if stealing a few beers is classed as a serious offence! no-ones perfect! anyone who knew Nick will agree with me that he was the most kind-hearted, friendly guy anyone could ever meet. He truly was a gentleman. Love you Nick xx
Posted by: Lynn | March 10, 2007 at 04:42 PM
I went to school (Campbell College, Belfast) with Nick and met up with him over the years a few times in London (I've been a newspaper journalist for 15 years now, having trained with Thomson News Group). Nick was full of life and loud. I still remember those long rocker type golden locks of his and he always seemed to make time for folk. It's very sad that such a gifted young man so full of life chose to take it away. Nick who I remember as a down to earth County Down lad will be sorely missed, ...Nick, the 'craic' won't be the same without you my friend, I am so, so sorry, as many of us are.
Posted by: Paul "PADDY" Middleton | December 28, 2005 at 07:36 AM
I was a publicist in Hollywood for thirty-five years, and worked with the HFPA for much of that time. There were some wonderful folks with whom I had a warm relationship. There were a few who were beneath contempt. One could say the same thing about press agents. I don't know why anyone complains, the HPFA can be a huge help to the careers of many in Hollywood. Besides, if there weren't a HFPA, Hollywood would have had to invent one.
David Kramer
Posted by: David Kramer | December 23, 2005 at 05:23 PM
By the Helmut Voss, who I know personally, is a good, honest and respectful man. I would value anythng he has to say.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 23, 2005 at 10:49 AM
I used to work for the Hollywood Foreign Press. I worked in the mail room for a couple of years and got to know everyone. It is an odd assortment of phenomenal journalists/movie critics and talentless Hollywood parasites. However, that much said, overall it is a decent, quality organization and I can't see how in any way it could have anything (directly, indirecly, environmentally) to do with Nick Douglas's death.
These people have their infights, their petty squabbles, but they all love the movies and that's what they unite around. They're not out to hurt anyone.
It's a shame what happened to Nick Douglas. My prayers go out to his family.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 23, 2005 at 10:48 AM