They might be fun for the stars who are nominated - but are awards shows such as the Grammys, Baftas and Oscars as interesting for viewers at home?
We are in the midst of what is now commonly known as awards season. This weekend the Grammys take place in Los Angeles, while the Baftas are dished out in London. Tuesday brings the Brit Awards before the month ends with the big one ? the 83rd annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. For the next few weeks these sycophantic telethons will stretch across the TV schedules; barging aside soap operas and football highlights and delaying the news. Anyone would think they were worth watching.
Actually, despite their sometimes great length, I think they are. They often highlight TV programmes, films and albums you've missed and generally give a pat on the back to people who, for the most part, make our lives more entertaining.
As a viewer there is much sport to be had. First, there's the game of guessing who will win ? if it's a British awards show and an actual genuine American has seen fit to attend then the answer is usually them. Then, if the show is live, there's the hope that somebody will make a tit of themselves or change people's perceptions by actually being quite funny and charming. Jessie J is apparently going to sing her acceptance speech at The Brits next week - it'll either make her or destroy her.
For many musicians and actors, award season passes in a blur of indifference: earlier this week The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg compared the process to being 13 and going to barmitzvahs every weekend. "I put on a suit every weekend and go and meet with a lot of Jews," he told Us Magazine.
But the art of a great award show is to make it more than just another barmitzvahs for them and something enjoyable to watch for us. There are two ways this can be achieved ? either make your event so grand and important it gains significance, or get everyone in the room drunk and hope someone will do something stupid ? like dive onto a table filled with glassware, or make a joke about fisting Norman Lamont.
The Brits have spent the best part of three decades attempting to recover from their disastrous employment of Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood as hosts ? one of the most toe-curlingly awful pieces of live television ever. The hedonistic Britpop era brought a couple of memorable acceptance speeches, including Robbie Williams challenging Liam Gallagherto a fight, but the most notorious event (Jarvis Cocker mooning Michael Jackson) went unseen.
There is a growing sense that such ribaldry isn't quite the done thing any more ? a shame considering that a large number of viewers will watch next week in the hope that Matt Cardle wrestles hosts James Cordon to the floor in an uncharacteristic fit of wild rage. What will most likely happen is that Rihanna will wear tiny pants and people will complain that it upset their gran.
Who actually wins any award, apart from the Oscars, is of little consequence. Often we only remember the shows because of the hosts (the Golden Globes will only be remembered because Ricky Gervais upset a few people), or some staged stunt designed to stop us falling asleep (Sacha Baron Cohen's buttocks landing on Eminem's face).
The Academy Awards is the World Cup of award shows ? we expect to see something epic and emotional. Kate Winslet's over-acting aside, it's all part of the fun watching stars overwhelmed by the occasion. It might be ridiculous, but all that pomp and ceremony makes it easy to get swept along ? and genuinely feel aggrieved if the actor in the one film you've actually seen loses.
The Baftas are like a good-natured friendly cousin of the Oscars and one of TVs most watchable and credible award shows. That's partly down to host Jonathan Ross, partly to its positioning on the pre-Oscars calendar and partly because it's been made very, very British. Unlike the Brits ? which seems like a gaudy Lidl version of the MTV Awards ? it has integrity. Oh and a decent award ? a Bafta looks like something you'd cherish, a Brit like something that would be good to keep loo rolls on.
So will you be watching or doing your best to avoid them all? And what makes a good awards show?
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/feb/11/awards-season-oscars-grammys
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