January 10, 2023 Golden Globe statuettes make their return tonight. Will viewers tune in to the ceremony? (Matt Sayles / Associated Press) By Rachel Schnalzer Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 10. I’m Rachel Schnalzer, an audience engagement editor at The Times, which means I work each day to deliver our journalism to readers like you in a clear, captivating way. This involves posting our stories on social media, brainstorming headlines … and sometimes, writing newsletters. I also regularly answer readers’ questions about L.A. and California. Why is L.A.’s skyline far from the beach? What’s the history of the nickname “Cali”? You can check previously answered questions here. (Send me yours using this form.) Speaking of questions, the Golden Globes is set to return tonight — and it’s unclear how audiences will respond after the award show’s reputation-shattering controversy nearly two years ago. In February 2021, a Times investigation revealed a lack of diversitywithin the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the organization that holds the awards. The investigation highlighted concerns about the association’s financial practices and ethics, and in May 2021, NBC announced it would not air the Golden Globes in 2022. The HFPA has undergone significant reforms since 2021. Changes include banning gifts, establishing a misconduct hotline and adding six Black journalists to its ranks. For more than 20 years, the organization did not have a single Black member. But many in the entertainment industry remain skeptical of the organization and the Golden Globes. Times columnist Mary McNamara is one of them. “Having finally been called out, the emperor can put on some clothes if he wants, but that doesn’t negate the fact that he was walking around naked for years — and gaslighting everyone in the kingdom about it,” she wrote in December. Todd Boehly, interim chief executive of the HFPA, says he understands that skeptics remain. “I have nightmares where it doesn’t work too, you know?” Boehly told The Times. “I get it, you can’t convince all of the people all of the time of anything. … We know we have to add value and we know that we have to be part of the solution.” For a list of tonight’s nominees, click here. Need a full refresher on our Golden Globes investigation and the aftermath? We’ve got you covered.