Award Shows: Check Out The Mark Twain Prize

First, I believe there are far too many award shows and the vast majority of the public cares very little for them.  It is a Hollywood fetish that the rest of America is expected to understand, but why do I care who received the award for sound mixing?  Just give the the awards list and go away. 

Second, the shows can be drawn out and dry, or simply mean, as was the case with Ricky Gervais, who managed to insult the actors and audience at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.  For just a taste, you can see his opening monologue here.  I also did not care for his attacks on the viewing public, such as when he said about the Best Foreign Language category, "...a category that no one in America cares about."

That said, I found one awards show that I can recommend; the Mark Twain Prize (first awarded in 1998).  Held last November at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the program includes truly funny material from the likes of Steve Martin, Steve Carell, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Hudson, Amy Poehler and Betty White.  It is great to see Tina recognized for her work on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock.  Where would our nation be without her deft portrayal of Sarah Palin?  The ceremony is not mean or demeaning, as many such programs can be, and you see all of the talent at their best, which is more than you can say for Steve Martin at last year's Academy Awards ceremony.  You can find the Mark Twain Prize program here.  Check it out.

Quick Note:  You can spot Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin during the opening shots of the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.  She is being a good sport and smiling.

4/10/11 Update:  Today's New York Times had a good article on Tina Fey and her role as a leading female comic writer (and actress).  It also covers her new book, Bossypants.