UNITED STATES—What is it about awards season that puts so many Americans in a tizzy? Is the excitement about the fashions? No. Is it the excitement of seeing big time celebrities? No. So what is it? It’s the notion of seeing a possible dream come to fruition. Yeah, there are plenty of awards shows, but I think when it comes to major awards: The Grammys and Oscars are at the top of the list.
Why? Well it’s the largest pinnacle that a musician or someone in the film industry can earn. It’s not easy to become a member of these elite Academies, so when you join the club it becomes a badge of honor. The question that so many of us ask over and over again is why is their a level of uproar when someone we expected to win an award fails to earn it? We feel like we’ve been robbed just like our favorite musician, actor or actress. I mean we go examine the 2015 Grammy awards as evidence.
So many people were certain including myself that Beyonce would take home the prize for Album of the Year, but it was Beck who won the award. Even he was surprised to take the stage. It didn’t help matters that everyone nearly gasped when opinionated Kanye West looked like he was about to interrupt Beck’s speech.
Was it a joke or wasn’t it a joke? It sure seemed like he was willing to make a fool of himself the same way he did at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. I tell people not to argue with the Recording Industry, they are notorious for going against the grain, when it comes to predicting, this is the one awards show where you should always expect the unexpected. Many have been in uproar about the Academy Awards lack of diversity in the 2015 acting race, as well as snubs for Best Picture contender “Selma.”
Why are so many people surprised? The membership is predominantly White, and consists of older White males; there is very little diversity in the Academy. We should not expect any massive changed till maybe 2030 or later. I can’t tell you on how many occasions that films, directors, actors or actresses were overlooked for another person because they were ‘past due.’ What the hell does that even mean?
I hate when the Academy utilizes this tactic. If the goal is to honor the best performance of the year, than do just that. Don’t hand out an award to an esteemed actor, actress or director after you’ve overlooked phenomenal work time and time again, and then hand the award for a performance that is mediocre to say the least.
Perhaps the worst thing about any awards show is the level of scrutiny that celebrities face. Damned if you do damned if you don’t. There are those who win year after year after year. Guess what this creates boredom! No one wants to see the same person when time and time again; we like to see some fresh blood every so often. What would be interesting about all the glitz and glamour that comes with awards shows if they were spread out a bit more.
Instead of having all the shows grouped from December to February, spread them out a bit more during the year. The Golden Globes in January, the SAG awards in February, the Grammys in March and the Oscars in April; a bit more unpredictability I’d say. Guess the goal is to showcase all talent in a niche time frame so they can spend the rest of the year working.
