Why do we watch award shows?
Well, we made it through another year and it’s February, which means we just kicked off the entertainment industry’s award season.
I just watched some of the Grammy Awards (they were airing on our television station while I was at work), and I’m once again awestruck at just how out of it I am when it comes to what’s hip and happening these days.
I sometimes watch the shows just to see how out of it I really am when it comes to music, movies and television shows. I have no idea who 90% of the nominees or performers are and around 100% clueless when it comes to the movies, TV shows and songs they are nominated for because I haven’t seen or heard any of them.
My husband and I are old school: We still have cable television, and I still listen to the good, old radio when I’m driving, mostly alternating between music, talk news and sports stations. That doesn’t mean I know the latest songs or artists because I usually wind up playing an oldies station or ’80s music.
Occasionally, I’ll stumble upon a new song and wonder who is singing it (since my car radio doesn’t have the fancy readout of the artist or song name). Most of the time, I’ll hear a current song and think many of the artists sound alike.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this year’s Grammy Award performances featuring artists who have incredible voices. I know this shouldn’t be surprising, but in this day and age of computer-generated music and auto tune recording, it’s refreshing to hear someone belt out a song live on stage!
I used to watch every award show from the Emmys to the Tonys to the Golden Globes and Oscars. I still enjoy watching the Tony Awards because of the fantastic Broadway musical numbers they show. They make me want to go to New York to see a show. By contrast, I haven’t watched the Emmys or SAG Awards in years. In fact, I only watched the Oscars pre-show and start of the awards last year to see the glamorous outfits and gowns everyone was wearing.
It’s always nice to be recognized for your hard work and efforts, and especially to be recognized by your peers. Still, the older I get the funnier these award shows seem to be with a roomful of people voting for one another like some sort of popularity contest.
The Espy awards are particularly funny to me with voting on which sports teams, athlete or play was the best of the year. Isn’t that what the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals and the Olympics already determine?
I do realize that it’s all in good fun, and that’s what entertainment is about after all. Maybe I still have time to look up the Oscar nominees before the show.
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.