6 Ways to Make Awards Shows More Fun
Every once in a while, something exciting happens at an awards show: John Travolta hilariously mispronounces a name, Jennifer Lawrence takes another tumble and laughs it off, or maybe Ellen DeGeneres orders pizza for the audience. But most of the time, awards shows seem a little stale — and a little too long. As awards season comes to an end this weekend, here are a few ideas that Oscars producers might still have time to implement before Hollywood’s biggest night on Feb. 26.
Proposed rule No. 1: The red carpet is turned into a maze so only the most cunning celebs make it inside.
Questions that fans have heard answered time and again on the red carpet about why a Hollywood star was drawn to a certain movie role or gown will be replaced by a life-size maze that ultimately helps to determine who is granted access to the show. Moreover, only people inside the theater when the awards are presented are eligible to win. Things just got interesting!
Related: The Oscars’ Craziest Moments
Proposed rule No. 2: There’s a five-drink minimum for all attendees.
As reality TV show producers and anyone who’s attended college or even a tailgate party knows, booze can lead to lots of laughs — and drama. It’s the perfect combination for a live televised show. One minute the camera might catch a star making out with his or her date, while the next it zooms in on a celeb snoozing on the table. A simple way to implement this idea is to hold the evening’s after-parties before the show. Why do you think the Golden Globes has a reputation for being the most fun awards show? Because the champagne flows freely during the ceremony! You can even BYOB, like Rihanna did at the Grammys.
Proposed rule No. 3: Kanye West gets a microphone for the duration of whatever awards show is taking place.
No one ever really knows what’s going to come out of Kanye’s mouth. It might be something about wanting to run for president, not supporting the current president, or just, you know, sharing his opinion on who should have won an award … at the exact moment someone else is giving her acceptance speech. Whether you love or hate the rapper, implementing the Kanye rule would instantly make awards shows must-see TV.
Proposed rule No. 4: Audience members get laser pointers.
Here’s the thing: Having the orchestra play music in an attempt to signal to a winner to wrap up an acceptance speech hasn’t worked for a long time. The more democratic way to keep speeches short is for audience members to have a say in when a person should get off the stage. Who would continue rambling on if the crowd were demanding him or her to wrap it up? Attendees could also use the lasers to point out interesting things for the cameras to focus on. Maybe George Clooney and Matt Damon are goofing off, or Viola Davis and her good friend Octavia Spencer are debating who should win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, for which they are both nominated. That’s the stuff we want to see!
Proposed rule No. 5: The nominee in each category who reaches the stage first wins.
Imagine that all of the nominees went into the night on equal ground. When it was time to announce the winner, the presenter would read the names and boom! — off they would all go, running to the stage, taking whatever steps necessary to be declared the winner. Everyone in the crowd — especially sports fans — would go wild. So what if avid runners like Will Ferrell win everything? We imagine his hilarious speeches would keep the laser pointers to a minimum.
Related: Jack Black Asks Hollywood to Talk ‘More S***’ About Donald Trump at Oscars
Proposed rule No. 6: The host of each awards show will help determine the next year’s host by tossing a bouquet into the crowd, wedding style.
With all due respect to late night TV talk show hosts, throwing someone who doesn’t regularly host big events into that role could definitely liven things up. Imagine how different — or what a train wreck — an awards show would be if someone like Jaden Smith or Kim Kardashian suddenly found him- or herself having to host. We got a taste of that when Gigi Hadid co-hosted the 2016 American Music Awards with Saturday Night Live‘s Jay Pharoah. The 21-year-old model’s horrible Melania Trump impression had people talking for days!
Would you watch?
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