I'm a sucker for awards events. The swirl of glitterati, red carpet bursting in a thousand bulbs of flash, paps shouting "Over here! Turn left! Give me a smile!", stars gently nudging along at the behest of their nondescript handlers with an occasional entourage in tow, wannabes clamoring for interview crumbs. When awards season hits the scene, so does my inner stalker. Luckily for all involved, a big screen TV and cable are more than enough to send my demons packing.Of course with all the Hollywood upheaval, this awards season is shaping up to be a hot steaming bath of dung. Case in point: The 65th Annual Golden Globes. I don't know about you, but if I glanced away from the screen just to scratch my foot, Mary Hart and whats-his-name had already announced a category winner and were racing on to the next. Yes, there is something to be said for condensing what used to be at least a three hour telecast into thirty or less minutes, but if I had my druthers I'd take fashion and glitz.
No wonder the announcement of 2008 nominees for the Orange BAFTAs left me pinging with excitement. The name itself is rather intriguing...don't you think? Orange? Is there a Purple BAFTAs too (as a Ravens fan I had to ask)? The event's location in the UK is huge! No striking writers or picket lines and unlike the Oscars, fans will not have to contemplate possible letdown.
Normally, I would not give the Orange BAFTAs a second thought, but now everything is different. Now, stars are hungry to walk a red carpet in glam. Now, gobs of people need a celebrity stalker fix. Now, plenty troll videos of last year's award shows just to gossip about Jack and Johnny. If I had known last summer what I know today I would have paid far more attention to the MTV Movie Awards. Bring back the snark!
Over to BAFTA's website I traveled.
Since my modus stalkerendi is not the Orange BAFTAs, I have no idea whether their traditional format includes an award for Short Film Making Iniative. If not, it should. This is an amazingly cool category tailor made for the web. Aspiring film makers submit sixty second videos embodying a pre-chosen theme. This year's theme is "unite." Visitors can rate and vote for their favorites. The Academy chooses fifteen regional winners to rub elbows with real tinsel at the February 10th telecast. A grand prize winner is announced at the ceremony.
There's even something for the little people. More Magazine is running a contest with Nicky Clarke to style one lucky winner's hair. Benefits include grazing with the A-list on the day of the show.
I don't know how many sixty second shorts the British Academy received. Probably thousands. Could be millions. At sixty seconds a clip, I could afford to view some. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending upon one's point of view, new job responsibilities prevent me from fully devouring this cinemagraphic cornucopia. If you have a lot of time on your hands, I strongly urge you to run -- not walk -- to their website and begin watching. Online voting starts on January 28, 2008 and ends midnight on February 3, 2008. You may need the January 28th lead time just to view all the entries.
While you're there, don't forget to vote for the Orange Rising Star Award. My spyware program popped a phishing warning, so you may not want to divulge your true e-mail address with your vote. Don't tell anyone, but I made something up and voted anyway.
If you don't have time to kill on videos, here are ten fairly impressive film shorts with something for everyone in no particular order:
The Photo Man - Clever use of cinematography reaffirms the power of love.
Santa's Unite - Engaging mockumentary on the herding rituals of Santas.
Lady Peaceful - Horror noir lives happily ever after.
Love Hurts - A brief encounter between a robot and cactus produces something beautiful.
Common Ground – A single photograph unites the heartbreak of women.
Peek-A-Boom - Worlds play cat and mouse, then collide in a burst of brilliance. My nomination for best make-up.
Directions - Souls collide in an unexpected manner.
Hound(ed) - A man struggles to understand why society seems united against him.
Red Herring - Excellent use of the color red leaves much to the imagination.
number 88 – Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Jonathan Ross will host this year's Orange BAFTAs at London's Royal Opera House on Sunday, February 10, 2008.