The announcement that Woody Allen is to receive the 2014 Cecil B. deMille Award was immediately echoed by media outlets around the globe.

On Friday, Sept 13, HFPA President Theo Kingma announced  the unanimous decision by the association’s Board of Directors to honor the prolific veteran actor and director of 45 films with the highest award the international press organization presents at every Golden Globe Gala, the award named after the legendary Hollywood titan Cecil B. deMille.

Minutes after the announcement the social media switched to turbo speed, responding overwhelmingly with positive and congratulatory comments, such as that from Yonne Moreno, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who wrote: “(The award goes to an) intelligent and educated author who was able to capture on screen different eras and the evolution of families”.

Praise also came from blogs such as Japan’s top entertainment site Eiga, Venezuela’s Capsula Cinefila, and the PanArmenian Net. The French journalist Marine Glissel expressed her excitement: “We can only wait with impatience. His acceptance speech promises to be brilliant“.

Traditional media around the globe followed: From the China Weekly to Peru’s Onda Cera Radio; from the Irish Examiner to Spain’s Antena 3 TV; and Radio Gong, Munich. Sweden’s papers picked up the headline circulated by the Swedish News Agency TT: Woody Allen får ta emot hederspris (W.A. receives honorary award) and the Hindustan Times added a quote by Woody Allen: “I don’t think of a joke and then say it. I say it and than realize what I’ve said. And I laugh at it, because I’m hearing it for the first time myself“.

Many media commentators mentioned Woody Allen’s well-known reluctance to appear at award shows, be it the Oscars or the Golden Globes. The German weekly Der Stern was among many speculating whether the honoree will show up at the Golden Globes Gala on January 12, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills: “The announcement excited movie buffs around the world. But he dislikes appearances at award shows.”  There was a similar response from the Italian Corriere della Sera: “At this point everyone is asking: Will he personally be there to receive the statue? But the possible absence of Allen does not discourage the organizers of the Globes”.

There is reason for optimism. At many occasions, mostly during location visits of Allen’s films by HFPA delegations, Woody Allen stated: “I really like the Hollywood Foreign Press“. –—-Elmar Biebl