Why I Love Award Shows

Last Sunday was the Academy Awards and I loved most of it.  Chris Rock being the host was a bit controversial because many criticized the Oscars as too white.  Rock was not afraid to talk about the issue but as the show went on I felt as if it was talked about too much.  Don’t get me wrong; I think that there needs to be more diversity in Hollywood and in every other industry but the show should celebrate the good performances of the people that were nominated.  The winners did not surprise me, with the exception of Best Supporting Actor which went to Mark Rylance from Bridge of Spies, because I tied for the win in my Oscar pool with only one wrong.  I was happy for the winners, especially Leonardo DiCaprio, who should have won an Oscar many years ago.  I have not seen The Revenant so I will not judge his performance in that, but he definitely should have won for Catch Me If You Can.

The Oscars are not the only awards I enjoy.  Each year, I watch as many award shows as possible including the American Music Awards, which, honestly, is not that good.  It is the bastardized version of the Grammys.  But, aside from that, award shows are great!  The glitz and glam of Hollywood is appealing to someone who was born and raised in Queens, New York.  And you never know what could happen because it is live.  Who would have ever thought that Kanye West would run on stage as Taylor Swift was accepting an award?  That John Travolta would butcher Idina Menzel’s name?  Or that in the 70s a streaker would run across the stage of the Oscars as Best Picture was being announced?

I love the Grammys for the performances.  One performance that always stands out to me is Imagine Dragons featuring Kendrick Lamar a few years ago.  It was definitely unexpected because their music styles are so different.  I cannot say that I am a huge fan of rap music but I can see when someone is extremely talented.  Kendrick’s free style to Radioactive was unforgettable.  Award shows allow stuff like this to happen because talented people come together to make something great.

When people ask me why I enjoy reading about celebrities, it is because they are extremely smart.  The current election season has brought about some crazy quotes from the candidates, which are unbelievably ignorant and ridiculous.  But last Sunday when Leo won his Oscar, he took the time to tell the audience to worry about a serious issue like climate change.  Speeches like this are common during award shows and they are another reason why I keep watching.