Everyday now you can flip on the television and find an award show to watch. From the Guys' Choice Awards to the Teen Choice Awards and so on and so forth, there is an award show for each demographic, each genre, each mood of pop culture there could possibly be. It seems that there is no mystique now to winning an award. You can look good and get an award (i.e. Guys' Choice). Last week I did catch the first hour of the ESPYs which I know feel like are necessary as an awards show. They honor athletes who do get the respect they deserve in their sports individually, but as a collective sports aren't received in the same way as music, movies, and television. However according to Media Life Magazine, the ratings were down 24% from the previous year. This might perhaps be because of the lockout situation as well as stiff competition from the reality world.
Award shows in general have become so ridiculous it seems like a long commercial for whatever vehicle the presenters, hosts, and winners are promoting. Now granted, the MTV Movie Awards were the first of it's kind but initially the movie awards did serve as a way for MTV to connect to younger viewers for movies that are actually watched as opposed to the Oscars (no offfense, AMPAS). However as the internet has become a place for viewers/fans to voice their opinions, the number of awards shows that allow for voting has significantly increased.
Full disclosure here: I loved the Teen Choice Awards as a tween in the late 90s and early 2000s. The thought of getting to vote *NSYNC as favorite group was very important. But the category du jour was Choice Hottie. You could choose who was the best looking celebrity for each respective gender. However, for me it captured the innocence of reading Teen People and Seventeen and putting posters on your wall.
And now as that show and many others continue, the thought of sitting through at least two hours of awards, cheesy jokes, and obvious plugs is too much. The best parts are usually the jokes that make celebrities flinch in the host monologue or shaking your head at presenters who can't open envelopes and/or read names. It becomes expected to the extent I only watch for certain presenters and celebrities who never disappoint with their wit and charm. Awards show are bookends of career moments for most celebrities who want to promote, endorse or just show their face to the public for one reason or another.
I think for the Emmys, I'll pretend to watch and then YouTube the funny parts.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Unsung Musicians of Past Are Finally Heard
So many people are catching on to a show that I think has eclipsed other biography shows in terms of honesty and accessibility into exploring the lives of people in the spotlight. Behind the Music triumphantly returned two summers ago to VH1 profiling current artists' careers (namely Lil' Wayne, 50 Cent and Christina Aguilera among others), but in my opinion has dropped the ball at what made it so intriguing initially. While I don't discount the stories of some of the biggest phenomenons of the past fifteen years, with all of the media exposure these artists have, the stories in most cases become known before the episode already airs. And while Biography is still around, it only airs on Bio network via digital cable/satellite and more recent episodes have focused on younger people in the spotlight whose impact isn't entirely cemented. This being said, I would urge anyone who loves music particularly R&B/Soul acts of yesteryear who you always wonder about to watch TV One's Unsung.
Unsung began a few years ago focusing on artists who typically have died or faded into obscurity without proper credit from their peers in the music industry. The stories are saddening and shocking but it gives you a new appreciation for the music these people have essentially sacrificed their lives to make as well as the influence it has on younger generations of artists. What I like about the show is it's intimate approach to allowing the artists' themselves who have survived the turmoil to be honest about how their lives and careers played out.
You're probably asking at this point what's in it for me? If you know music it's an awesome way to remember why you love it. I have watched several episodes with new songs for my iPod. If you're not particularly hip to this specific genre, it gives insight to artists who unfortunately haven't been given enough credit for their contributions to the music industry. But what I would recommend for parents and grandparents is to watch it with your children and grandchildren to show them how music of your generation affected you. As a Generation Y person with Baby Boomer parents, it provides a link to what my parents enjoyed before they were known as my parents. So if you're free to watch on Monday nights be sure to give this show a chance.
Unsung began a few years ago focusing on artists who typically have died or faded into obscurity without proper credit from their peers in the music industry. The stories are saddening and shocking but it gives you a new appreciation for the music these people have essentially sacrificed their lives to make as well as the influence it has on younger generations of artists. What I like about the show is it's intimate approach to allowing the artists' themselves who have survived the turmoil to be honest about how their lives and careers played out.
You're probably asking at this point what's in it for me? If you know music it's an awesome way to remember why you love it. I have watched several episodes with new songs for my iPod. If you're not particularly hip to this specific genre, it gives insight to artists who unfortunately haven't been given enough credit for their contributions to the music industry. But what I would recommend for parents and grandparents is to watch it with your children and grandchildren to show them how music of your generation affected you. As a Generation Y person with Baby Boomer parents, it provides a link to what my parents enjoyed before they were known as my parents. So if you're free to watch on Monday nights be sure to give this show a chance.
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