Last night’s People’s Choice Awards were yet another example of why democracy doesn’t always work. Sure, it’s a nifty idea for government, but when it comes to TV, the people typically make bad or confusing decisions. As proof, look at the fact that the painfully unfunny $#*! My Dad Says was named Favorite New Comedy.
In my mind, we already have a People’s Choice Awards, and it’s called the Nielsen ratings. Surprisingly, what people choose and what people choose to watch are two completely different things. Take the People’s Choice category for Favorite TV Crime Drama. FOX’s Lie to Me won, despite the fact that it’s the lowest-rated series of the five nominees (it competed against Bones, NCIS, Criminal Minds and Law and Order: SVU). How can a show be the People’s Choice if no one watches it?
This isn’t my only problem with the People’s Choice Awards. Try to make sense of these winners.
Americans Love Gay Actors, Hate Gays
Every time a state referendum comes up to legalize gay marriage, it gets shot down in this country, even in California, the alleged liberal bastion. But I guess Americans only have a problem with gay marriage, not gay actors. Glee won Favorite Comedy while the acting honors went to Neil Patrick Harris for How I Met Your Mother and Jane Lynch for Glee, both openly gay. How can the people love gays on TV but not want them to marry?
Americans Love $#*!
I’ll admit that this year’s list of new comedies wasn’t that strong, but surely $#*! can’t be the favorite. Outsourced and Mike and Molly are marginally less offensive, Better with You is perfectly acceptable and FOX’s Raising Hope is, arguably, the best new show of the fall season. Yet the people voted for a real piece of $#*!. In the words of radio-sanitized Cee Lo, forget you.
America is Ruled by Teens
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse won four awards, including Favorite Movie and Favorite Drama Movie. Once upon a time in this country kids were ruled by their parents, but now everything is upside-down. Young kids today with their Twitter and Facebook think that their voice is just as important as everyone else’s because in Little League, everyone gets a trophy for participation and even underachievers get awards. Society has let teenagers take control of everything, from pop culture to fashion to politics. This epidemic is best illustrated by the fact that a dopey film about angst-ridden vampires and werewolves is the People’s Choice for the Best Movie of the Year.
Americans Don’t Watch a Lot of Dramas
I think House is a perfectly good show, but I always have a problem when one show dominates in any one category. House picked up four awards, including Favorite Drama, Actor (Hugh Laurie), Actress (Lisa Edelstein) and Doctor. Don’t the people watch anything else? Right now there’s a wide diversity of TV and a lot of it is quite good. But based on the People’s Choice Awards, America’s idea of diversity is eating at McDonald’s one night and Burger King the next.
To fully understand all of my outrage, check out the full list of People’s Choice Award winners.
TV
Favorite drama
House
Favorite comedy
Glee
Favorite drama actor
Hugh Laurie, House
Favorite drama actress
Lisa Edelstein, House
Favorite comedy actor
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Favorite comedy actress
Jane Lynch, Glee
Favorite new drama
Hawaii Five-0
Favorite new comedy
$#*! My Dad Says
Favorite sci-fi/fantasy show
Fringe
Favorite competition show
American Idol
Favorite crime drama
Lie to Me
Favorite crime fighter
Tim Roth, Lie to Me
Favorite doctor
Hugh Laurie, House
Favorite obsession
Dexter
Favorite guilty pleasure
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Favorite talk show host
Conan O’Brien, Conan
Favorite guest star
Demi Lovato, Grey’s Anatomy
Favorite chef
Rachael Ray
Favorite family TV movie
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam
Favorite family
The Simpsons, The Simpsons
MOVIES
Favorite movie
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Favorite drama
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Favorite comedy
Grown Ups
Favorite action movie
Iron Man 2
Favorite family movie
Toy Story 3
Favorite horror movie
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Favorite actor
Johnny Depp
Favorite actress
Kristen Stewart
Favorite comedic star
Adam Sandler
Favorite action star
Jackie Chan
Favorite movie star under 25
Zac Efron
Favorite on screen team
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Rob Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner
MUSIC
Favorite male artist
Eminem
Favorite female artist
Katy Perry
Favorite hip hop artist
Eminem
Favorite pop artist
Rihanna
Favorite R&B artist
Usher
Favorite country artist
Taylor Swift
Favorite breakout artist
Selena Gomez and the Scene
Favorite rock band
Paramore
Favorite song
“Love The Way You Lie,” Eminem featuring Rihanna
Favorite music video
“Love The Way You Lie,” Eminem featuring Rihanna
INTERNET
Favorite viral video star
Single Ladies Devastation
Favorite online sensation
Katy Perry
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
