Award shows are not important
Marina Gephart
And the Grammy goes to… Adele. Again. Honestly, how many award shows are out there that, rather than choosing the most deserving artist, seem to salute the same person or group again and again? Too many.
While I have no reservations about recognizing a job well done—everybody loves praise—I have a serious issue with a monopoly, and that’s exactly what a select group of singers and actors have over Hollywood and consequentially, the nation.
Over the past three years, Robert Pattinson has won nine MTV Movie Awards. Despite the unwavering hold the Twilight Saga has over the world, MTV had to shove more Edward Cullen down our throats. Pattinson’s underwhelming acting didn’t deserve one award, let alone nine. And we rewarded this notion by collectively sharing the moment and tuning in to MTV to watch it all go down.
While I enjoy a romantic vampire movie as much as the next guy, it seems unethical to award the most popular actor with award after award (especially with a guy like Pattinson, whose fan base relies massively on his looks and British accent).
This sheer unoriginality plays out at every awards show. I’ve created a fool-proof method to predicting the winners: look at those nominated in each category, choose the most popular nominee, and proceed to revel in psychic glory when they all win.
There are exceptions to the rule; Meryl Streep, with 26 Golden Globe nominations and 17 Academy Award nominations, wins an award at almost every award show she attends due to her vast record of successful movies and moving performances. Overall, though, young, popular actors and singers have increasingly drawn awards.
Such coveted awards should remain exclusive and special and not be exploited by such stars as Lady Gaga, a one-trick, pop music pony who, in the few years she has been famous, has reeled in nine American Music Award nominations and hundreds of other awards worldwide.
Why would we, as viewers, the fuel to the fire, want to feed into this madness by watching these shows? They’re always the same, regenerated programs of lackluster performances, embarrassing clothes, undeserved awards and notoriously bad presenters. Not to forget, these awards are going to mostly rich, spoiled and sometimes drug-abusing individuals who don’t deserve the public’s support. These awards aren’t for us, they’re for celebrities, and I don’t understand why we think we connect to them so much.
So my proposal is this: stop this award show insanity. These shows may remain, but please, let’s stop airing them. Give the deserving celebrities their awards and let us move on with our lives.
Award shows are important
By: Sarah Johanson
Award shows were originally created to recognize all the hard work different artist put into their careers. From the Academy Awards to the Grammy’s, award shows are a time to show the public how hard people in the entertainment industry work. The public only sees the glamour and end product; they don’t see the work that goes into making a song, album, or movie. Award shows inform the public of that hard work.
Publicity is always good for an artist. At the Grammy’s, there have been several occasions where a random band or artist beat out huge musicians. At the 2012 Grammy’s, the winner for “Best New Artist” was a band called Bon Iver. A lot of people had never heard this band but because it beat out Nicki Minaj, The Band Perry, Skrillex, and J. Cole, the public was interested. Certain award shows are not fan voted, which is great for artists that sometimes go unnoticed.
It’s hard to think, “Oh wow! The set design in this movie is great!” while you’re watching a movie. These shows point those details out to the public and show what went into making a movie. The actors and actresses are always being recognized for a great film because it’s not hard to miss them while watching. The people behind the scenes, such as the directors, producers, set designers, and make-up artists, are the ones who make all the magic happen. These artists don’t get as much credit as they should, which is why these award shows are so great…the people in the background are noticed.
My favorite part about loving music and loving bands is seeing them succeed. In middle school I really liked a band that I saw play at a local fair. I even got the chance to meet them a few times. A few years after I met them, they were performing at the Grammy’s with Stevie Wonder. For a lot of bands and artists, performing at the Grammy’s or winning a Grammy is the pinnacle of success. It’s reassurance that they’re doing something right.
It was really inspiring for me to see a band go from playing a fair to playing at the Grammy’s. It shows the world that hard work and dedication pays off.
The humor and controversies that come along with watching award shows are always a plus. Although controversies may not be a good thing for an artist, they’re always interesting and sometimes funny to see happen. Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMA’s made headlines for weeks.
Opening monologues from hosts are ones for the books. A lot of the time they make fun of celebrities in attendance and sometimes throw in a song and dance. Picking a host for an awards show can make or break the night.
Not only is it fun seeing who’s considered the best of the best, but these shows have tributes to important people who have changed the industry. Michael Jackson, legend. Whitney Houston, legend. The tributes aren’t always for people who passed away but for people who inspire others. The tribute to Britney Spears at the 2011 Video Music Awards had other musicians raving about her. Lady Gaga even said that Spears was her inspiration while she was trying to break out into the music industry.
Whether you like awards shows or not, you’re not required to watch them. For a lot of people it’s fun to see the fashion and the performances. Other people respect artists