In general, I avoid watching award shows. I stopped watching them a while ago and haven’t missed them. There are several reasons why I avoid award events, and if you’re here, I feel you feel the same way. Or have decided not to!
It’s that time of year again when Hollywood’s elite dress to the nines, fake air-kiss each other on the red carpet, and then preach on the most pressing political, environmental, and social concerns facing the world today.
You can find me skipping the filler and going straight to the best via Twitter or YouTube recaps of intros like Ricky Gervais’s at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards.
Please, before we proceed any further, observe this…
Wow, if only all TV shows were as exciting as this one!
There will be no host for the upcoming Oscars in 2020. Who will act as captain of this ship?
Here we are in the midst of award show season. Some people are destined for heaven, while others are destined for hell.
Fewer and fewer people are tuning in to award presentations each year. The decline in viewership from year to year can be attributed to a number of factors.
As I sat through the Golden Globes a few years ago, I reflected on why I rarely watch award programmers. In this essay, I’ll outline the various valid arguments I’ve come up with. Even if you don’t watch the show, you can still benefit from some of the advice given here.
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I Have More Important Activities to Do
The answer is yes; I am a parent. It’s more important to tuck him into bed than to watch the red-carpet parade. Now that he’s asleep, I can finally relax and take a breather from the trauma. Since putting a young child to bed may be as difficult as herding cats.
By the time I get some “me time,” it’s late at night, and all I want to do is curl up with a book or sit at the computer and write. Despite how boring it may sound, doing something as simple as that is much more pleasant than watching the sham.
The Award Shows Take Too Much Time
Given their structure, many awards show run long. What should be a two-hour show might easily go on for three hours or more due to musical or other “entertaining” elements, lengthy speeches, and the inevitable breaks for advertising.
Then, there may be a lengthy delay while victors make their way from their seats to the stage (usually with the Golden Globes). It’s probably because the tables intended for the finalists and the winners were put there in a disorganized fashion.
Finally, speeches are typically lengthy… but we’ll get to that in a second.
The Award, Unfortunately, Most Speeches are Quite Tedious, Drawn-out Affairs.
The inevitable happens when a nominee hasn’t practiced a brief acceptance speech. They tend to blather on, either out of nervousness or a desire to impress the millions of viewers they have (e.g., Michael Moore bashing President George Bush).
And if they get political, well, that’s just a turnoff. Tweets in response to Ricky Gervais’s satire of celebrities’ hypocrisy demonstrated that the general public finds celebrities’ preaching intolerably.
Some are tedious because they list every single person who had any part in making the picture (e.g., Daniel Day Lewis for winning the Oscar for Best Actor for There Will Be Blood).
Like Adrian Brody, who won the Oscar for The Pianist and passionately kissed Halle Berry onstage, I can overlook a lengthy acceptance speech if it’s engaging.
This incredibly slow and monotonous one by Greer Garson from 1942 — and I’m only giving you a sample of her acceptance, which was 5-and-a-half minutes long — is one of the ones I can’t forgive.
In Most Cases, the Award Goes to Someone Who Did not Deserve It
There’s too much BS behind the scenes, which is another reason why I don’t watch award programmers. It’s no secret that there’s much lobbying for wins and a bias toward particular films and TV shows regarding these awards.
Why? Consumers like you and I are more inclined to see a nominated film or television programmed.
A wonderful approach to brainwash the masses that don’t search a little deeper to comprehend the real tale is through films with revisionist history (to fit a specific narrative) or those having a clear message and ideology behind them. Critical praise makes audiences more likely to see a film in theatres or rent it later.
Winning films are the finest method to get any certain story over to the audience, and Hollywood is quite effective at pushing social agendas.
Oftentimes, award shows are boring.
The last reason I don’t watch award programmers is that they bore me.
If it isn’t obvious, I thought Ricky Gervais did a fantastic job as the show’s host. The contentious introduction and jokes were funny.
Both Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have achieved what many would consider an impossible task for award ceremony hosts: they have delivered jokes that entertain. Yet this is not enough to hold my attention for very long.
Furthermore, the Twitter conversation around award events is frequently more entertaining than the shows themselves.
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Methods to Enhance Presenting of Awards
To be nominated, a film or actor must be of exceptional quality. There will be no limits imposed. We have no hidden intentions. The public at large is maturing and becoming more perceptive.
Award shows are boring, so please make them more attractive. Avoid patronizing and dismissive language.
This is not the time to be political whiney while you celebrate your victory. Gratitude for skill should be expressed now. Take pride in your accomplishments and celebrate them with genuine delight.
Maybe some fresh guidelines for accepting accolades are in order.
Actors can take the first step toward leadership and influence by redefining the bar for poise and elegance in their field. That’s what Hollywood’s been missing all along.
I won’t be tuning into any award shows till then. There must be millions of others who agree with me.
Deteriorating ratings are evidence of this. Numerous justifications will be offered by the entertainment sector.
The truth, however, is that the majority of people, regardless of their political or ideological beliefs, like being amused and participating in a CELEBRATION. If you make it so, we will return.
And if you really want to stir things up, stop talking about political correctness. Come up with some shockingly funny jokes that will make others laugh, even if they wince. When the number of people who watch the video clip exceeds the number of people who watch the show live, as Ricky Gervais has done, you know you have something special.
There are more fun things I could be doing in the meanwhile, like making plans for my ideal vacation.
