13 January 2008

How to Turn 4 Hours into 30 Minutes . . .

. . . just hold a WGA strike. The Golden Globes press conference just finished, and instead of 1hr of red carpet fawning, and 3hrs of self-congratulatory ceremonies, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association managed to announce all the winners in just about 30 minutes.

I prefer the half hour version, myself.

You could probably get the Academy Awards done in only 15 minutes, that'd be awesome.

Glad to see Extras won for best Comedy Series, can't believe Ricky Gervais was beaten by David Duchovny (turns out, bemused detachment and fake humping starlets is brilliant acting), and sorry to see that Ellen Page didn't win, otherwise couldn't care about any of the other results.

4 comments:

reader_iam said...

No doubt, it depends on one's perspective. For my part, why waste 30 minutes listening to people read out the nominees and awardees, when you could just read those results, in print (dead tree or online) in roughly 3-4 minutes? I mean, really?

For my part, I prefer the award show. And I've never had a problem with the length--onward ho, I say! Those who dislike, and therefore complain about, the length of the shows aren't forced to watch them, after all. What's stopping them from abstaining and then doing that 3- to 4-minute scan after the fact?

And who are such people to say that anyone else shouldn't enjoy the full-length, even over-length, versions of awards? After all, as I just said, no one has to watch those; there's always the obvious option (wait and scan).

The "cut 'em short crowd," along with the "ain't this just great, it's so short" crowd, OTOH, would, if they got their way, narrow the options of choice to partake in and enjoy the GGs and Oscars. Because, you know, their way is the best way, and therefore should be the only way!

Think about it--that, and the idea that, after all, limiting those awards shows wouldn't ultimately be the thing, anyway, in those terms--you know, given that it would cut off an important and much loved opportunity to mock, mock, mock the unwashed and lesser.

Would you really want that?

reader_iam said...

Really, XWL, how decidedly unconservative of you.

XWL said...

First, I'm more of a libertarian than conservative, second, I think this transcends politics.

I always consume these shows this way, I don't watch any of the award shows anymore, I prefer to just read the recaps, and I'll peruse the red carpet aftermath at Go Fug Yourself or Defamer for that junk.

I prefer the nomination announcements over the actual shows, so this press conference thing was like those early morning pressers.

But this crap does wonders for the local restaurant and car rental business, so hopefully they'll come to some sort of accommodation before the Grammys and Oscars.

The only award shows I watch from start to finish is the Independent Spirit Awards, mainly cause they have more interesting hosts (John Waters was host a few years in a row, and Sarah Silverman did a good job last year).

In politics I'm conservative/libertarian, but when it comes to art, I don't mind most of the commie claptrap, and even like some of it.

(I even went to a Free Mumia concert back in the early 90s cause of the line up of bands)

reader_iam said...

Touche.

(Really.)