Sometime after the People’s Choice broadcast and my simultaneous live tweeting session ended, I realized watching the awards show was a waste of time. I hadn’t voted in any of the categories this year. In fact, I waited until the day of to even look at the nominees list. All I knew was that this was going to be a buzz worthy televised event, so I had better watch to stay in the know.
After the credits rolled, however, my response could be summarized as indifference.
There’s usually one winner at each award show, typically a young Hollywood star, who mentions how they’d watched the show growing up and could then only dream about attending, let alone winning and now voila, here they are; it’s so incredible, they boast. I’ve let my dreams of becoming famous on the silver screen subside, with little to no expectations of ever performing or working in a role constituting its own category amongst the likes of Best Performing Actress. Entertainment PR professionals are recognized at less glamorous events, with ironically less publicity.
If it weren’t for the social component of watching the Golden Globes with a group of film-obsessed writers and fans, I wouldn’t have been much more entertained than I was the Wednesday night prior.
As the Oscars approach, I question whether that’s what I should do immediately after returning to London from reading week in Toronto. While celebrities were honoured at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, I spent two hours on the VIA Rail last night and did not feel a fear of missing out whatsoever. No one brought it up today, at least not in person; it was a regular Monday.
When students return to classes on February 27, I suspect more will enquire about each other’s spring break vacations than reactions to who took home statues while dressed in a designer’s dress.
The Oscars may be one of the most watched TV events every year, but the next day will still be Monday and then it’s back to the regular routine, waiting until you can proclaim TGIF. By then, the winner’s list will have drifted into distant memory, if you even bothered checking.