We have reached the time of year when all types of media are having their award ceremonies. Let’s take a look at how they all started. The 1920s-1950s was the birth of many award shows like the Oscars. The four most renowned competitive awards in the field of entertainment are The Grammys, Tonys and Emmys and the Oscars.

The Oscars is the oldest of the four. As stated by Oscars.org, it started in 1929 at a private dinner party held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Started by Louis B Mayer, head of MGM studios, the Academy was built as a non-profit organization to advance the film industry. It only became televised 24 years later in 1953. 

According to Britannica, the Tonys, named after Antoinette Perry, leader of the American Theater Wing, was started on Easter Sunday of 1947 at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.  Eleven Tonys were presented with seven different categories and there were eight special awards. It wasn’t until 1956 that the Tonys were broadcasted on television.

Only 2 years later is when the Emmys came about, created by television engineer Louis McManus in 1949. According to Emmys.com, the name Emmy comes from a nickname for image orthicon, a camera tube that is used in TV production. Separate ceremonies took place for separate events like documentaries, sports and daytime programming. All of which were formed from 1973-1979. 

Following the Emmys a decade later is the Grammys, first called the Gramophone Awards, which were started in 1959 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, otherwise known as NARAS, according to Grammy.com. The first artists to win a Grammy include Domenico Modugno who took home Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Frank Sinatra took home most nominations and a win for his Only The Lonely album, which won Best Album Cover. Other winners include Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle and Ella Fitzgerald.

Let’s go back to the future and recap some of this year’s recent award show winners.

This year’s Oscars took place on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Starting with the annual red carpet event, celebrities make their grand entrances into the award ceremony looking their best.

Rosie Perez, Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes came together for the 30-year anniversary of White Men Can’t Jump to present the Oscar for Best Cinematography. This was a big moment for Perez as she has not been invited to the Oscars since 1994 for her performance in Fearless.

“Not even to sit in the audience, not to present, nothing – and I’m a member [of the Academy]. I love the Academy Awards. I cheer on my peers, but it hurts. It’s like when your home team doesn’t ask you to come back into the stadium after you get up to bat and hit the home run.” said Perez in an interview with Variety.

Click this link to read about the Will Smith and Chris Rock debacle from that night.
https://spartanspeaks.com/18411/features/a-surprise-stunt-at-the-oscars/

Another famed trio came together to present. Actors Uma Thurman, Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta reunited to celebrate the 28 year anniversary of Pulp Fiction as they announced the winner for Best Actor. Paying homage to the iconic diner scene along with the golden suitcase.

The red carpet gave us a plethora of outfits ranging from stunning designers to small-town malls. The bad outfits seemed to outnumber the good this year.

“The absolute worst dress was Tracee Ellis Ross. She had an atrocious dress. The top just looks like Mickey Mouse ears and then accentuates her body and that’s beautiful and wonderful but then it puffs out only on the outsides of the dress and then the inside of the dress is stick straight. It is just awful,” said Orono senior Claire Hyrkas.

To recap the night’s most popular awards:

Best Picture- CODA
Best Director– Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Best Actress– Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Best Actor– Will Smith (King Richard)
Best Cinematography– Greig Fraser (Dune)

Hosting the Grammys this year was Trevor Noah and presenting are famed artists Avril Lavigne, Ringo Starr, Ludacris and Joni Mitchell, along with many others.

The Grammys sparked some controversy this year involving Mac Miller and Cardi B. Miller’s family was invited to the Grammys after being told that he would be winning an award for Best Rap Album. As the award was presented, Cardi B’s name was called instead. This was no mistake, as Cardi B was the real recipient of the award. It seems like the media is just trying to drag out Miller’s passing by trying to make money and publicity off of his name, instead of letting him go in peace.

“I read an article that Mac Miller’s family said that if he doesn’t win, they want me to win so I’m sharing this Grammy with you [bad word]. Rest in peace.” Cardi B said in an Instagram video after the Grammys.

Miller’s family is not the only ones mad about this situation. Ariana Grande, after taking home her first Grammy, posted angry tweets about her feelings towards the event which were later deleted.

Here are some of the top winners of the night:

Record of the Year: Leave The Door Open- Silk Sonic
Album of the Year: We Are- Jon Batiste
Song of the Year: Leave The Door Open- Silk Sonic
Best New Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
Best Rap Album: Call Me If You Get Lost- Tyler, the Creator
Best Pop Solo Performance: drivers license- Olivia Rodrigo

Make sure you keep an eye out for this year’s Tonys on June 12 and Emmys in September!