GOLDEN GLOBES GROUP SUES FORMER PUBLICIST

Ricky Gervais may have made similar allegations against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association during the Golden Globes ceremony last month with impunity, but the HFPA is not going to take charges of wrongdoing from its former publicist lying down. On Monday it filed suit against Michael Russell and partner Stephen LoCascio for comments made by Russell that members of the group accepted gifts and lavish junkets in return for their votes.

“Without a shred of evidence, [Russell] manufactured a fanciful tale of Hollywood intrigue that hearkens back to the early days of rock ‘n’ roll radio, with its colorful reference to ‘payola,'” the lawsuit said. Last month Russell, who had represented the group for 17 years, sued the HFPA, maintaining that he was terminated after he insisted that its members stop accepting bribes for their Golden Globes votes.