The Future of Award Shows. Is it Time for a Change?
Administrator, August 18, 2021
The pandemic hit the entertainment award shows hard, but the decline of traditional live ceremonies was already on the downward slope. The allure has been waning for years and the pandemic may have provided a chance to try something new.
Low ratings, gaffs of reading the cards..or the wrong cards, tedious wait times while winners make their way through crowded venues, listening to lists of people we have never heard of being thanked, and speeches being cut off after waiting what seems like forever for a star to finally get in front of the camera seems to be the format these days. Even the pre-shows have started to drone on with entertainment hosts filling time with nonsense and then when a star does stop to talk they are given inane questions about the role they are being recognized for, asked utterly embarrassing questions, or worse, we get a promotional spot for a designer. I think it is time for a change and I am not the only one.
If social media has taught us anything it is that people like to engage directly with others and if we have even the slightest chance to engage directly with someone we admire, all the better. However, engaging with the award show sites had decreased in recent years as fans bore of industry back-patting. We want to see the show, be entertained, see stars in their natural state, watch them perform, and get a glimpse of what they are like in "real life". We want to feel like the stars are engaging with us too. I don't care about industry accolades; I want George Clooney to acknowledge that I exist. I want my vote for my favorite role to be recognized. I want my questions to be answered. Social media has made us all a bit narcissistic and we want our fifteen minutes.
Here is an idea for a SASSAwards show. A handful of entertainers are selected each month or so and highlighted on a Graham Norton/James Corden Carpool style show. They talk about which performances have the highest vote tallies from the SASSAwards site at that moment and answer questions from a comment section or that have been vetted prior to filming. Votes can be monitored live to see how the discussion alters the preferred performances at that time. There are lots of great host potentials although Tyler Perry is at the top of my list. OK, that might need some work, but you get the idea.
The industries can have their recognitions, they are deserved and important, but I don't want to have to sit through it anymore just to catch a glimpse of my favorite stars, there are better platforms for that.
What say you?
Hollywood Award Shows Are In Free Fall. Can They Be Saved? - Lucas Shaw. Bloomberg.
What Can Future Award Shows Learn To Bolster Engagement and Viewership Again? - Allison Butler, TVREV
SASSAWARDS - Vote for your favorite acting and directing performances.