So saysJoey Berlin, CEO of theCritics Choice Awards.
None of us knows that for sure, but Berlins adamant.
Its like what is this patriarchal pyramid where someone stands up here.
Joey Berlin, the man in the Panama hat, knows his numbersBaz Bamigboye/Deadline
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And stop the televised horse race of it all, she continued.
I share this with you all.
Blanchett was slammed in some quarters for being hypocritical.
Cate Blanchett accepts the Best Actress award for ‘Tár’ at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards (Getty Images)
You think thats why Blanchettlost the Academy Award to Michelle Yeoh?
I do, nodded Berlin.
This is silly what were doing here, Berlin argued.
Berlin slammed down his tea cup.
OK, maybe vote for somebody else then.
Tilting his dandy new Panama, Berlin pulled out a rabbit.
Im in an interesting position because I can see the raw votes, he revealed.
He made clear, though, that the accountants do everything.
I dont touch anything, but I do see at the end, they see the actual totals.
And whenever anybody wins a Critics Choice Awards by a fair margin, they will win the Oscar.
Theres no doubt about it.
Cate Blanchett, she was at a close race, he attested.
He asks in all seriousness who actually won the Oscar.
Oh, right, right.
That was close, he said.
And of course, Michelle Yeoh, she was at our show.
Very gracious and came upwhen [Everything Everywhere All at Once] won Best Picture.
The lesson being thatif you play nice, the Oscar gods and goddesses will shower golden statuettesupon your head.
Which really is so lovely, isnt it?
The kind that put people watching on their sofas in Kansas and Kensington instantly to sleep.
And we belong there because, lets say we are the professional film and television watchers.
This is what we do all day.
And if youre a professional filmmaker, you havent got time to watch everybodys films.
So how do they decide whats the best of the best?
And arguably its the greatest we are the people who really do see everything.
Berlins of the opinion that the Golden Globes are in the dumpster now nobody cares about em.
Virtually everybodys going to be away.
I was very happy when they planted their flag on January 7 and ours on January 14.
Did he do a little jig?
Full of smiles, he said: Its the perfect day for us.
Its also, in the States, its Martin Luther King weekend.
To be clear: Berlin couldnt remember what film won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
It wasEverything Everywhere All at Once.
He remembered, though, thatTop Gun: MaverickstarringTom Cruisedidnt win.
Well, the Academy Awards are not thePeoples Choice Awards, Berlin said.
These are the films that the professional filmmakers admire the most, and I think thats a reasonable position.
But yeah, its not a popularity contest.
And frankly, I thought thatTop Gun: Maverickmight win anyway last year.
Its a real crowd-pleaser.
But yeah, I dont have a problem with the Academy members being a little snooty.
But he admires the Academy forsometimes aiming for 10 Best Picture nominations.
And they might want to go for six nominees in acting categories, he advised.
But he said our thinking is always to be more generous.
The Academy is going to be stricter, do different things.
Berlin sees his group as the final stop for Academy voters, saying: We are the significant influencers.
We were influencing before there were influencers.
Thats literally what we do.
Unlike Marc Antony in ShakespearesJulius Caesar, Berlin hasnt come to bury the Golden Globes.
I think theyve done that to themselves.
TheHollywood Foreign Press Association literally is no more.
Were doing our thing, theyre doing their thing, he said.
My shows dont exist if theres a strike, he explained.
The inaugural Critics Choice Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television also was due in June.
Hopefully we can do it in October, he said.
We got totally distracted from the purpose of our breakfast meeting.
Berlin was in London to find a UK partner to broadcast the Critics Choice Awards.
He knows that its not necessarily a great proposition what with the eight-hour time difference.
When the awards start over in LA, Brits are tucked up in their beds.
But any of the networks here [in the UK] could show highlights that night, he suggested.
Its a great 90 minutes of television, he boasted.
We have a lot of international distribution … except for the UK.
Cruise has a Ph.D. in international relations.
Im kidding, but the man sure knows how to draw in an international audience.
I make no apology for loving a rollicking, all-action, nonstop-thrilling blockbuster.
This one had something more.
Its such a thoughtful performance.
I caught the picture twice just to be certain of my reaction to what Atwell does.
