5 thoughts on “Road To The Oscars – The 61st BAFTA’s Winners Announced”

1. …Ah…you were saved from having to watch it. Thankfully it was on free-to-air TV here and I recorded it so could fast-forward!

   I have a love-hate relationship with these awards shows – I find myself looking forward to what the presenters will say in the Golden Globes (ie. who will Ricky Gervais pick out for a nasty jibe, or more recently, what Amy Poehler and Tina Fey will get up to), and like to see British Films get their due at the BAFTAs. Obviously the Oscars is a big event but like all these shows the way the industry effectively pats itself on the back does grate a little. Ultimately it is us – the fans – that make them successful (and enduring). That's why I used to enjoy the MTV Movie Awards because they are fan-voted – but the increasingly crazy categories (Best Kiss, Best Gut Wrenching Performance, Best Scarred as S*** Performance) and winners has now put me off it.
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   1. Dare I say it, but shouldn't the Oscars be voted for by the public? Isn't that what the pinnacle should be – the best of the best as voted by those who actually watch this stuff?

      Okay, perhaps not, but surely these public voted awards should have some kind of global allure…. MTV are just shocking, in my book, but at least they're catering to the public market. The Oscars can be insular and self-serving it's hard to know where the genuine successes are and where the sycophantic dick-stroking begins sometimes, but at least being a peer voted system they know it's just not cultural favoritism. I guess there's argument each way, really!

2. Thankfully they cut out a lot of minor awards from the two-hour broadcast shown in England. Wow..was that ceremony boring. It was a shame it was kicked off by Tinie Temper – was that to look hip and cool on the British Academy of Film's part. It was cringeworthy seeing him walking around the audience rapping.

   Stephen Fry had some good jokes but I found myself wanting to skip the speeches and get him back on stage even if this was perhaps one of his weaker presenting efforts.

   I'm sure everyone enjoyed Helen Mirren showing off her acting skills when she was on stage but perhaps it was…well…showing off. Not surprised by the top awards and it'll be interesting to see if the American Academy follows suit.

   Of course, the highlight for me was seeing the BAFTA President rolled out for an appearance and plenty of mentions and camera time – the man, our Prince, who is so deserving of his position. I hope he has seen ALL the films up for nomination this year!!! That joke about Helen Mirren playing his grandmother didn't wear thin…did it!
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   1. Well, that was two hours more than we got here in Australia on FTA screens, Dan. I think the BAFTA's were screened on Pay TV here, but I can't afford that as well as my fim habit. LOL!!!

      Honestly, though, is it just more or are all the awards shows becoming more and more like each other – soon they'll simply blend into one, and audiences will become scarce. Or at least, more scarce than they are now. Award show fatigue is starting to set in a little, I think, considering everyone starts celebrating themselves from about December through to March, which is a solid three or four months of back-slapping.

      If you ask me, and you aren't, it's this award-show-junkie's opinion that the ceremonies should all occur within a single month – say, February, the shortest month of the year – to get it all over with quickly. Yeah, the prestige and the anticipation and the buildup would be contracted substantially, but then we could all get back to doing what we love most – watching films, instead of watching shows ABOUT film…..

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