Awards 0
In his review of James English’s book, The Economy of Prestige: Prizes, Awards, and the Circulation of Cultural Value, Art Carey of the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out:
You’ll be hearing that phrase a lot in coming weeks, for the prize season is upon us.
Monday night, the Golden Globes, then the Grammys (Feb. 8), and the Oscars (March 5), plus the American Idol sweepstakes (premiering Tuesday, the coveted recording contract and attendant celebrity anointment conferred by viewer votes).
And let’s not forget the Pulitzers (April 17), a high holy day for word-slingers.
Truth to tell, when it comes to prizes, “there really is no season. It’s 365 days a year.”
I don’t pay attention to most of these; oh, I’ll read about them in the local rag, but watching a bunch of suits and gowns on the idiot box is not my idea of a good time. Now, if Mr. Blackwell had a television show for giving out his awards, that I might watch.
But I stumbled across a series of awards today that I found quite amusing:
Though the “Tarnished Halo” doesn’t feature a red carpet ceremony, it does shine the spotlight on the year’s best (of the worst). People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the assassination-endorsing physician Jerry Vlasak took home awards. So did “dietary crusaders” like Yale professor Kelly Brownell and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the Chicago Tribune were also “honored,” and are listed with all the “winners” at http://www.ConsumerFreedom.com.
You can see the complete list here.
