(MACKENZIE - 2005)BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE BIG AWA

(MACKENZIE - 2005)

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE BIG AWARDS SHOWS

 

If you     (I)     a friend or relative for his or her favorite awards-show moment, you     (II)     about the kiss between Madonna and Britney Spears at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. Or the time, in 1973, when Marlon Brando sent "Indian Princess" Sacheen Littlefeather to accept the Best Actor Oscar on his behalf. But what if you were to ask Hollywood starlets or rock stars for their favorite award-show moment? It would probably include champagne and cigars at a party you couldn't even imagine attending. Awards shows fill our TV screens nearly all year round. They include the television Emmys, the Golden Globes, and the Grammys. The biggest of all is the Oscars, scheduled for February 27 this year. They were seen by 43.5 million people worldwide in 2004.

That's quite a difference from 1928, the first year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its annual Oscar awards. Back then, there was no TV. And the ceremony itself had little drama. Winners were announced three months before they received the now famous gold statuettes.

Today most awards shows have a format that viewers are familiar with: The previous year's winners present awards. Stars and important executives, producers, and directors introduce nominees. Everyone jokes about staying on schedule. The hosts are usually comedians who are not too controversial.

But MTV's Video Music Awards are different. As they celebrate the year's best music videos, the producers try to create surprises, such as Michael Jackson's appearance with Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, during a time when he had been hiding from the public. They also put together interesting and unlikely musical collaborations. Last year, for example, an Alicia Keys medley was backed by Stevie Wonder and Lenny Kravitz, and Nelly played piano while Christina Aguilera danced above him. A 1993 jam session with Neil Young and Pearl Jam led to the two recording an album together. After her performance with Wonder and Kravitz, Keys said, "It was incredible. I know this is something that I will never forget for my entire career".

Backstage at awards shows, a variety of workers - from carpenters to costume fitters - are busy making sure that the event runs smoothly. At the June 2004 MTV Movie Awards, host Lindsay Lohan kept running from the stage to her dressing room to change her clothes. She did it six times. But there was room for fun too. Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst hugged and kissed in the hallway. Paris Hilton asked people, "Do I look cute?" Eminem and his D12 crew joked with Sharon Stone, Halle Berry, and Jessica Biel. "Halle, we love your music", one of the D12 crew said. Berry does not record music.

Adapted from English2go

 

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