Guest fountainhall Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 Decided to see the BAFTA Awards repeat this morning. At around 90 minutes long without any commercials - and thankfully also without any singing or dancing numbers - I found it slick and quite watchable. Stephen Fry has improved since I last saw him do this show about 3 years ago, but one of his little quips fell totally flat on an audience who clearly knew virtually nothing about the performing arts. When he talked about the Royal Opera House stage having witnessed Nijinsky sing and Caruso dance, absolutely no-one laughed. Nijinsky, of course, was one of the great dancers and Caruso one of the great tenors of the last century! I have not seen Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, but it must have been an extraordinary performance to best Tilda Swinton's searing portrayal of the mother in "We Need to Talk about Kevin". Quote
Rogie Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 When he talked about the Royal Opera House stage having witnessed Nijinsky sing and Caruso dance, absolutely no-one laughed. Nijinsky, of course, was one of the great dancers and Caruso one of the great tenors of the last century! I haven't seen the ceremony but it looks like Fry was on form. I didn't see the BAFTA one either but from reading about it I'm glad I didn't - sounds like the chap from The Office (you see, I can't even remember his name! if it comes to me in the next hour I'll edit this!) made a fool of himself and the awards because deliberately trying to court controversy smacks of desperation ....of what? to show they are more edgy, I dunno, anyway that gag of Fry's is a good one, I doubt if any of us reading this ever got to see Nijinsky (and we all know about him and Diaghilev..? spelling...don't we) 'perform', wow, maybe he could be persuaded to do a song and dance routine after a few drinks, and maybe a few of us have a scratched 78 with Caruso strutting his stuff. By the way why did they have Fry presenting, I would imagine they'd go for an American every time. Guaranteed not to inflict any too-subtle gags on the attendees. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 I didn't see the BAFTA one either I think you mean the Golden Globes, which I also missed. I've never been a fan of Ricky Gervais but he certainly has his admirers. that gag of Fry's is a good one There won't be anyone alive who actually saw Nijinsky dance, as he gave his last performance before 1920. Sadly thereafter he was confined to lunatic asylums for the remaining three decades of his life. Mind you, he is remembered not merely as a dancer, but also as a choreographer who pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable re implied sex on stage a good deal further than hitherto. Wasn't the Paris premiere of L'après-midi d'un faune a delicious scandal because of a very explicit masturbation sequence? Quote
Rogie Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 I think you mean the Golden Globes, which I also missed. I've never been a fan of Ricky Gervais but he certainly has his admirers. Thank you for clarifying that FH. I must have got out of the wrong side of bed this morning. Not only did I confuse Golden Globe with BAFTA, I didn't read the topic title properly and thought FH's post was telling us about the Academy Awards. He was too polite to point that out! So my comment about Stephen Fry presenting the show is a load of baloney. The 84th Academy Awards, honoring films in 2011, will be held at the Kodak Theatre on February 26, 2012. To make amends and just in case anybody else is confused here are the three relevant Wiki entries (with a nice bit of history attached): The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. The annual formal ceremony and dinner at which the awards are presented is a major part of the film industry's awards season, which culminates each year with the Academy Awards The broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards, telecast to 167 countries worldwide, generally ranks as the third most-watched awards show each year, behind only the Oscars and the Grammy Awards. Until Ricky Gervais hosted the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards Ceremony in 2010, the award ceremony was one of two major Hollywood award ceremonies (the other being the Screen Actors Guild Awards) that did not have a regular host; every year a different presenter introduced the ceremony at the beginning of the broadcast. Gervais returned to host the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards in 2011, and the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards in 2012 The British Academy Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is the British counterpart of the Oscars.[1][2][3] As of 2008, it has taken place in the Royal Opera House, having taken over from the flagship Odeon cinema on Leicester Square. The 65th British Academy Film Awards took place on 12 February 2012. The ceremony used to take place in April or May, but from 2002 onwards it takes place in February in order to precede the Oscars. The awards are mostly open to all nationalities, though there is an award for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Producer or Director. The Short Film and Short Animation awards are also only for UK films. An Academy Award is an accolade bestowed by the AmericanAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The Oscar statuette is officially named the Academy Award of Merit and is one of nine types of Academy Awards. The formal ceremony at which the Awards of Merit are presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world, and is televised live in more than 100 countries annually, however the first broadcast was not televised. It is also the oldest award ceremony in the media; its equivalents, the Grammy Awards (for music), Emmy Awards (for television), and Tony Awards (for theatre) are modeled after the Academy. The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, at theHotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of the 1927/1928 film season. The most recent ceremony, honoring films in 2010, was held at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on February 27, 2011. The 84th Academy Awards, honoring films in 2011, will be held at the Kodak Theatre on February 26, 2012. Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 I don't understand award shows. I don't understand awards. Statuettes, trophies, plaques, pins, you name it, I don't like it. What does it prove anyway? That you are admired and respected by your peers? It seems more like an ego trip to me, justification for making more money in some cases, certainly as in the Oscars. I know some are just spellbound by the spectacle and glamor, but (yawn . . . ) it is just plain boring. If there are going to be awards for some, there should be awards for all. Best plumbing in newly-constructed houses, best garbage collection in a seedy neighborhood, or where it really counts, best surgeon for terminal cases. Then there's the problem of an already crowded mantle, what to do with all those yearly trophies. If there's going to be any worthwhile award, I would want to win a Rogie. Best post of the year. When you collect 10 Rogies you get awarded a Fountainhall Lifetime Achievement Award. Of course, Gaybutton will be the Master of Ceremonies, preceded by a liturgy of George Carlin jokes. The winning nominees would be kept in a sealed champagne bottle, held under guard by z909, underneath his mattress the whole night before. Now that's an award show. And the only one I would be interested in. Quote
Bob Posted February 14, 2012 Posted February 14, 2012 Then there's the problem of an already crowded mantle, what to do with all those yearly trophies. Well, there could be an award for the Best Hand-Crafted Cabinet To Hold Awards Your Sorry Ass Should Have Never Won, right? Thinking somewhat along the same vein although in a somewhat opposite directions, I would propose annual STIA's (stupid fucking idiots awards) which might be shaped in the form of a noose - and either used to elevate the sorry loser to heaven (or wherever) or, if undue kindness should overtake us, simply used for an enthusiastic public flogging. All nominees, of course, would be required to attend, the survivors being dragged before the forum via some type of arrest warrant. And the awards would extend to people far beyond the usual public entertainment genre (wtf, it's rather difficult to ignore those who have truly added to our real-life miseries). Come to think of it, for the first lifetime achievement STIA, I hereby nominate Dick Cheney. And I volunteer to do the flogging. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 14, 2012 Posted February 14, 2012 I don't understand award shows. All that business about being acknowledged by your peers or Joe Public is basically bs. Behind all the glitter and the crap, there is one very serious purpose - pure marketing. Any film that gets an Oscar or other such nod, will almost certainly stack up a bundle more cash at the box office. And with tens of millions watching the shows on TV, yet more cash piles into the tills. for the first lifetime achievement STIA, I hereby nominate Dick Cheney. And I volunteer to do the flogging. I vote for Henry Kissinger. But I hope someone gets these awards up and running soon because ol' Henry is unlikely to be with us for many more years! Quote
