Monday, February 14, 2005

Awards Season is Upon Us!

The Grammy Awards were on television last night. Now normally this doesn’t bother me since I don’t watch anyway, but it got me thinking that this was just the first is a long line of awards shows on television that I’ll be ignoring the year. All to my betterment I’m sure of that fact. However, if you have ever noticed the only awards shows that get broadcast all have to do with the visual or music entertainment industries.

Grammy, Tony, Academy, Emmy, Kennedy, and whatever they call the MTV and daytime soap awards are all broadcast, usually in prime time and usually for three, four, or more hours of nothing useful including the occasional left wing political ranting. The networks, both over-the-air and satellite conveniently forget the print awards except for maybe a minor mention on local and occasionally national news. What happened to the Hugo, Pulitzer, Poe or any of the other print awards?

Let’s not forget all the other awards given out throughout the year. Little things like the Nobel prizes for science and peace or the Baldrige for industrial quality in America are also forgotten. Such is the mindset of the entertainment industry that if it doesn’t concern them then it doesn’t exist!

What did I do while the entertainers were playing congratulations to each other? I was watching a video of course, but it was something that never won an award even if it should have.

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I’m a movie freak. Perhaps I should expand that as I also like to watch certain television shows on VHS or DVD that I like personally. The other day I was cruising around the internet looking for new movies to purchase. New is a relative term since I prefer movies from before 1980 mostly. Anyway, I ran across a large number of DVDs for television series. What amazed me was the number of them that were for shows that are running in syndication 20, 30 or even 40 times a week. I’m talking about things I’d never watch like Sex in the City, Friends, or Seinfeld. Then there are the ones I might consider buying if they weren’t also on an over abundance in syndication. Shows like MASH or Married with Children. Oddly enough, I didn’t see many that I would really think worth buying. Such shows as Newhart, Third Rock from the Sun, or one of my James Garner favorites Maverick seem to be missing from the list. Also missing from the list are the great mini-series from television, like Centennial. What is wrong with these studios?

I did notice that practically the entire Star Trek saga, all the movies and series, are available at what I consider a very over inflated price. Really, a hundred dollars for one season of Star Trek: Voyager, I can buy two season of a better science fiction series, Babylon 5 on DVD, for that price! Speaking of science fiction series, there aren’t many choices, but Babylon 5 and Stargate SG-1 are out there and are my recommendation for what that’s worth.

I noticed that I mentioned Third Rock from the Sun above and just realized that I had seen that available on DVD. The only problem is that it was released in the UK on PAL format for Region 2. Something which does those of us in North America not one damn bit of good. Enough, I’m getting depressed with the whole subject!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am with you on those Award shows. Hate them. For one thing they are too long and full of a bunch of baloney talk. They ought to spend their time playing some of those movies on TV. It would be much, much more interesting. I find other things to do during those Award things. Last night, I worked on our taxes. Doesn't that sound interesting? Ugh!

Phil said...

See, I really do read the comments.

Taxes! That ugly word again. I have to admire you getting right to it as I tend to leave the whole things until April 10th or so.