What's That On the Telly, Then?

No, not a penguin - it's an award.

Apparently my show's won a handful of those babies - three, to be exact: special effects, sound/sound design and comedy. On one level it's cool and on another level I'm somewhat ambivalent.

First, yes, obviously it's kinda cool. Any time you get any sort of acknowledgement for your work it's always cool.

Now, for why it isn't so cool.

For starters, nominations aren't really done through an objective process; understandable, considering the fact that the awards aim to cover both regional and national networks. After all, they can't have people watching all the local networks looking for good programs; they'll have to rely on those networks to send in shows they want to nominate. And, of course, if you want to nominate your show in more categories, it's going to cost you more money. They charge you yet again in the event that you win. But hey, it's all about the art, right?

Second, I'm not really sure how I feel about awards in general. One of the crappy things about being involved (no matter how insignificant my position is) in the entertainment industry is that all the magic is stripped away. It's incredibly difficult for me to watch a movie, musical or play without analysing the performances and technicalities of the production. Similarly (though this is hardly a difficult conclusion to arrive at), the various awards have been revealed to be little more than an exercise in industry politics; another chance for all the haves to pat themselves on their backs for being so talented. Wasn't it just a little too coincidental that Denzel Washington and Halle Berry won Oscars on the night that Sidney Poitier was being given an honorary one? Not to mention - Halle Berry? Halle Fucking Berry? COME THE FUCK ON. And if you realize that about awards, then what do they really mean?

In the words of Ash: "Jack, and Shit. And Jack left town."