Award Shows More Competitive Than They Appear

Of course, 99 times out of 100, the reaction is always the same. They crack their widest smile, do their best to look genuine and clap as though they wanted whoever did win to walk away with their award. It happens on the other side as well. The winner sometimes, though not always, acknowledges the field of nominees or says something along the lines of “I’m so honored to be considered with my fellow nominees” or the even more passé, “I accept this award on behalf of all the wonderful nominees tonight”. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. No doubt some nominees really are happy for whoever wins, and that those who do win feel as though their performance was no more deserving than any of the others. But not always. Take last year’s debacle at the Country Music Awards, where Faith Hill’s reaction to Carrie Underwood winning was headline news in country music circles. It seems Hill was offended that someone who hadn’t paid their dues would win the award while those who had struggled to stardom were passed over. But honestly…if someone started work at the company you’ve been in for 20 years and won “Employee of the Month” while your contributions went unnoticed, wouldn’t you be a little sour? Aside from the CMA’s, the Oscars are well known for competitiveness, though not so much at the artistic level. In this medium, it’s the studio’s that go head to head, mounting major campaigns with the AMPAS voters to cull favor and hopefully get the nod. They not only do it for the film itself, but the nominated actors and directors as well. So the next time you watch an awards ceremony, just remember…competition is still king.