Re: Globes and SAG’s and Oscars, Oh My
It’s award season again–the time of year when Hollywood congratulates itself on a job well done and viewers are expected to join in the celebration. Film and TV award shows are unique because no other industry demands such a collective cultural moment. Lawyers don’t hand out trophies for ‘best closing argument of the year’ and if they did, they wouldn’t expect a camera and an audience.
Hollywood however, demands our attention as they direct us toward their “quality” products but our role in this performance is small. If we’ve watched the television show or film represented, we share in the act of viewing but we don’t share in the act of judging. The Golden Globes are decided by a vague group of foreign press. The SAG Awards are actors deciding amongst themselves and Oscars are given out by an academy of industry voters. The ceremonies themselves are, as one critic noted, like crashing someone else’s family reunion. There are a few in-jokes and some people share personal memories that mean nothing to anyone else.
And let’s not forget the enthusiastic E! reporters who breathlessly man the red carpet asking the hard hitting questions–namely, what fashion designer the actors are wearing and how many calories they consumed before the big day. Once the action moves inside, we try to find the humor in hosts who recycle jokes about plastic surgery, patiently wait as the winning nominee slowly meanders their way to the stage and resist the urge to turn the channel as they thank people we’ve never heard of and/or give praise to the Lord. The point is, from the red carpet banter to the expected rise in exposure for the winners to the post ceremony deconstruction of dress choices, we are instructed on what to think and how to feel.
So what’s in it for us? According to one commentator, it’s good feelings–a conclusion they came to after deciding that a few brightly colored dresses seen at the Golden Globes were meant to lift our mood and momentarily take our thoughts away from the situation in Haiti. (Okay, so Sandra Bullock’s purple gown was cheerful but Mariah Carey’s plunging neckline was just distracting). Then again, maybe what’s in it for us is a yearly confirmation that there’s a conspiracy against Leonardo DiCaprio. Or perhaps it’s a chance to float the theory that George Clooney always has a new friend in time for award season.
Whatever you take from this year’s celebration of Hollywood, remember that in the end award season is a calculated marketing exercise that has nothing to do with you unless:
a) You actually see a film simply because it won an award–in which case you could be a zombie robot.
Or,
b) You are James Cameron–in which case, it is all about you.
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