Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Defunct entertainment awards: The Flixies, Blockbuster Awards and more

NBC on Thursday is airing the first-ever People Magazine Awards. The two-hour special will spotlight the year in pop culture.
The award categories were not announced except for the one fan-voted award: Best People Magazine Cover of the Year.
Ratings likely will determine whether this becomes an annual awards show.
In May, NBC aired the “first annual” iHeart Radio Music Awards. The ratings were good enough for NBC and Clear Channel Media to agree to do the second annual show in 2015, the Hollywood Reporter said.
The entertainment industry loves to honor its own, so there’s never a shortage of awards shows.
But here’s a list of awards that are no longer given.

The Flixies

In February 2013, Netflix announced the Flixies, awards given to TV shows and movies on its streaming video service. The awards were in seven tongue-in-cheek categories including “Best Marathon TV Show,” “Best Tantrum Tamer” and “Best Commute Shrtnr.” (See articles by the Los Angeles Times, Hero Complex and AV Club.)
But after one go-round Netflix apparently gave up on the Flixies. The website is now blank.

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

Video rental store chain Blockbuster had its own awards, which were designed to celebrate audience favorites rather than critic’s darlings.
For example, Jennifer Love Hewitt won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for favorite actress in a horror film for “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” in 1999. (See UPI article.)
The Blockbuster awards ran for seven years and were broadcast on television from 1995 until 2001. (See Wikipedia entry.)
Now, like the rental chain itself, the Blockbuster awards are history.

CableACE Awards

The CableACE Awards were given from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in U.S. cable television programming. They were created by the National Cable Television Association to serve as a cable television counterpart to the Primetime Emmy Awards, which before their 40th ceremony in 1988 did not recognize cable programming.
The CableACE Awards ended when cable programming began to dominate the Emmy Awards. (See Wikipedia article.)

Slammy Awards

The Slammy Awards were presented by the WWE to professional wrestlers and other noteworthy individuals within the organization, such as commentators and managers.
The awards were first handed out in 1986 and four more times over the next 10 years. After an 11-year hiatus, the Slammy Awards returned for seven consecutive years through 2014. (See Wikipedia entry.)
But the WWE isn’t holding the awards this year, according to Uproxx.
The Slammy Awards might be down for the count. But they could just as easily return.

American Television Awards

The American Television Awards was held only once, in 1993. It was an awards show recognizing the top performances and programs seen on American television from April 13, 1992, to April 12, 1993, as determined by a survey of television critics, columnists and journalists.
It was filmed on May 23, 1993, at the Barker Hanger at Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, Calif.
IMDb has a list of winners from that one and only show.

Vibe Awards

The Vibe Awards, produced by Vibe magazine, ran from 2003 through 2007. The R&B and hip-hop awards are best remembered for a stabbing incident and fight that broke out at the ceremony in 2004. (See Wikipedia entry and stories by MTV and Associated Press.)

Family Television Awards

The Family Television Awards ran from 1999 to 2007. The show honored family-friendly TV programming. It was produced by Dick Clark Productions.
The 9th annual Family Television Awards, which aired on Dec. 27, 2007, was apparently the last one.
Here’s a photo of now disgraced actor (and accused pedophile) Stephen Collins accepting an award at the 5th annual Family Television Awards in 2005. (See Zimbio article.)

No comments: