BWW Blog: Why Award Shows Are Important

The older I get, the more I hear from people how award shows aren't important and that they are far too political, or have a host that doesn't quite land the jokes like they should, or their favorite movies get snubbed. I agree with many of these, but not the fact that award shows aren't important. Your favorite films or shows and actors may not always get the recognition they deserve but as an entity, these award shows mean much more than handing someone a trophy.

I decided to discuss this due to the fact the Oscars will be airing on February 9th, which is only a few weeks away. I personally love watching award shows. Do I agree with all of the choices made on who gets nominated or wins? No, I don't. There are many changes these shows could make to not only who they nominate, but how they are nominated. They can get me riled up, but then I try to focus on the true reason behind these award shows. Yes, there's an element of patting your fellow creatives on the back, and there should be. People discredit the arts far too much as simple, easy careers. There takes large amounts of people to put on any type of production and blood, sweat, and the occasional tears that are given to making something that is near to their hearts for the enjoyment of people who seem to constantly give them a hard time for wanting to congratulate each other on their astounding achievements.

It's not just a popularity contest. It's a chance for people to turn on their television and watch a program full of art and be inspired. It could a child's first time turning on the Tonys and seeing a musical perform a number that changes their life forever. You could've converted someone to become an actor, or a director, or even a playwright! It's the same for the Oscars, Grammys, and the Emmys and so on. You are opened up to a new world, maybe for the first time, or to new films or shows that you've never heard or gotten a chance to see in person. You have the opportunity to learn about a piece of art that you could fall in love with along with actors, writers, musicians, directors, and more creative individuals who make up the machine of a production you never knew about. These award shows allow people around the world who aren't lucky enough to attend a Broadway show, or to go to all the film premiers, to find out about something special that makes them wish to experience it for themselves.

There are so many movies that I never knew about until I started watching the Oscars, because most of the time they aren't advertised as much or they are limited releases. You see a show win all of these awards, it makes you want to go watch it for yourself, regardless if it deserved the praise it got or not. The same goes for the Tonys and all the other award shows. You also get to see actors who you may not know or recognize but you look them up and you find their work and once you watch one you might want to watch another and then you are supporting an actor's work that may have been under-appreciated or had gone unnoticed like any other creative field being represented in these shows.

Now, these award shows have their issues and I'm not trying to disregard that in any way, but they also do a lot of good. They need to make changes, but they should not be talked down upon simply for awarding creatives for their hard work or because an actor wants to throw in something political in their speech. Isn't it always appropriate? That's not my place to say. However, these award shows as a whole should be celebrated. Making art isn't and has never been easy or everyone would do it. That cliché, but oh so true line.