Sensing Lack of Awards Shows, MTV Networks Launch Comedy Awards

[Elizabeth Grunewald]

Sensing Lack of Awards Shows, MTV Networks Launch Comedy Awards

Get those acceptance jokes ready, comedians: The Comedy Awards are here to reward you for your efforts.

It's awards season again, and 2011 welcomes a brand new awards show, which will probably run really long like all the rest, but hopefully be funny in the process. MTV Networks is launching The Comedy Awards, and hopes it will prove to be a flagship awards franchise in the vein of the MTV Music Video Awards or the Kids' Choice Awards, which air on MTV and Nickelodeon, respectively. This isn't the first American awards show to focus on comedy; the American Comedy Awards ran from 1987 until 2001, and Comedy Central failed to replicate its success with the Commie Awards in 2003.

The newly formed Board of Directors will be responsible for nominating honorees; according to Deadline, this body includes such comedians as Billy Crystal, Will Ferrell, Whoopi Goldberg, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Jay Roach, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, and Phil Rosenthal. Voting will be largely performed by an invitation-only group of directors, performers, producers, and writers, but there will be some fan-voted categories as well.

The announcement was not focused solely on the awards: "In conjunction with the launch of The Comedy Awards," reports Deadline, "the MTVN Entertainment Group has joined forces with the Entertainment Industry Foundation to launch The American Comedy Fund, designed to provide financial assistance, health benefits and other resources for comedians in need." The website of The American Comedy Awards [http://www.thecomedyawards.com/] indicates that this is the first non-profit charity catering exclusively to the needs of the comedy community.

The inaugural Comedy Awards will be presented on March 26, and the Awards Show will be telecast simultaneously on Comedy Central, Nick at Nite, Spike TV, TV Land, and VH1 on April 10.

Source: Deadline [http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/mtv-nets-launch-comedy-awards-show/]

(Image [http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandman_kk/3788034781/in/photostream/])

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[Quiet Stranger]

MTV knows nothing of comedy, fail!

 

[Zer_]

I'm going to say this as politely as I can considering the situation.

Fuck off!

 

[kibayasu]

Well at least they went with judges, even if some of them are questionable in their comedic talent. At least Dane Cook won't win every category somehow.

 

[Loonerinoes]

Given the fact how MTV completely did everything they could to downplay Rick Astley winning "Best song of all time." rather than try rolling with it and milking it for what it'd be worth, I hereby proclaim that MTV wouldn't know 'funny' if they looked it up in the dictionary.

 

[Svenparty]

The only thing comedic is this news piece...I doubt the winners are going to be from the school of Bill Hicks and Robin Williams

Just looking at the possible winners: Will Ferral and Ray Romano(I HATE RAYMOND) why don't we just give the award to Shia La Beouf and make this a party!.

 

[Tiswas]

American comedians aren't even funny 99% of the time.

Let's put Rhod Gilbert, Frankie Boyle, Sean Lock, Dara O'Brian, Dylan Moran and Ed Byrne AT LEAST in there.

 

[Femaref]

American comedians aren't even funny 99% of the time.

Let's put Rhod Gilbert, Frankie Boyle, Sean Lock, Dara O'Brian, Dylan Moran and Ed Byrne AT LEAST in there.

We need a "like" button for posts.

 

[CINN4M0N]

^ Like!!!

 

[Casual Shinji]

This would've been a good idea back in the 90's when MTV was still funny.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

MTV knows nothing of comedy, fail!

To be fair, they know nothing about music either.

 

[LightspeedJack]

I think I speak for everyone when I say: Who cares?

 

[tkioz]

Does anyone actually watch award shows any more? I mean really watch, as in 75% or more of it, not just a clip on youtube?

I think the last time I sat down and watched one was the Oscars in '02; and I didn't even watch all of it. Hell most of the I don't even skim news articles on them. They've totally lost their relevance, most of the time you either know ahead of time who is getting the award (example, Red Dead Redemption or Avatar or Titanic), or you know it will be some shitty movie/game that only the critics like that (Hurt Locker, that White Guilt thing with Sandra Bullock), even the "popular" awards shows just piss me off (Twilight winning anything for example makes me want to vomit, how can people be dumb enough to like that misogynistic filth).

It's one thing for a site like the Escapist to run videos show casing games that each journalist liked personally, but to claim that you speak for an entire industry is just rank arrogance.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

MTV, just.. stop. Just stop, for all of our sakes.

On that note, I don't watch Awards Shows anymore. All of them go for "indie" or "politically correct" plotlines in which really only appealed to presumptuous individuals sitting in a particular booth checkmarking boxes and writing down commentary, pretending to be the only one's to actually "understand" these "deep" cinematic productions.

Bleh.

 

[Jesus Phish]

The only thing comedic is this news piece...I doubt the winners are going to be from the school of Bill Hicks and Robin Williams

Just looking at the possible winners: Will Ferral and Ray Romano(I HATE RAYMOND) why don't we just give the award to Shia La Beouf and make this a party!.

Will Ferral and Romano aren't potential winners being named in the news piece, they're on the board to decide who will be eligible for nomination in what catagories.

Since this is going on "Nick at Nite" I don't really see anyone who couldn't be called a family friendly comedian getting the spotlight they deserve.

 

[Gahars]

Yeah, I mean, their other award show is just soooo good that we have to get another.

The only good thing their Music Video Awards ever did was give us the "Kanye Interruption" meme, and that wasn't even planned.

Hopefully these'll end up like the VGA's and be watched by nobody.

 

[teh_Canape]

remember the good old days when MTV was exclusively about music?

man, those were the days =P

 

[Throwitawaynow]

American comedians aren't even funny 99% of the time.

Let's put Rhod Gilbert, Frankie Boyle, Sean Lock, Dara O'Brian, Dylan Moran and Ed Byrne AT LEAST in there.

Someone from one country saying the comedy of another isn't funny? Shocking stuff! Next thing you'll know is different countries will have differing cultures.

 

[Woodsey]

If Dane Cook wins something, I think we can all say that this definitely some ol' bullshit.

 

[Sean Strife]

Seth MacFarlane on the board of directors? I'm sorry, but none of his shows have managed to even entertain me, much less make me laugh, since Family Guy came back on the air. In fact, last time I watched one of the newer episodes of Family Guy, I felt like Seth MacFarlane slapped me in the face.

This inclusion on the Board of Directors alone is enough to make me call bullshit. In fact, I will go ahead and say this awards show will make the likes of Mitch Hedberg, George Carlin, and Bill Hicks roll in their fucking graves!