Good news for kudos fans: There were 50 --count 'em, 50 -- awards shows in February, at which 658 trophies were presented. In other words, an average of one award was handed out every hour, 24 hours a day, for the entire month.
January was almost as kudos-crazy, with 38 occasions with 652 awards -- fewer events, but nearly as many trophies.
But the next 10 months may not match that torrid pace.
The January-February golden gridlock is due to the accelerated Oscar season. When the Academy Awards moved up a month, other awards-season events were forced to jostle for space in a shorter time span.
The bid for attention during this shortened season is now a year-long battle. The day after the Feb. 25 Oscarcast, the Screen Actors Guild planted its flag for 2008, announcing a Jan. 27 kudos date at the Shrine). Within 48 hours, the Directors Guild chimed in, claiming Jan. 26 at the Century Plaza Hotel.
Who can blame them? This past Presidents Day weekend, for example, six kudofests were held over two days.
And it seems to be get-ting more intense. This year's totals mark a huge jump from the feeble 22 events and 410 awards in February 2006 (an average of merely 14 trophies handed out each day).
But, for the enterprising, there are still weekday opportunities. There were a few days in January and February when -- believe it or not -- not a single event was held.
We hate to think of deserving talent missing out on the red carpets, thank-you speeches and rubber-chicken dinners.
Still, as long as the public and the film industry are interested, these events will proliferate.
But there are troubling issues to contemplate. Some in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences think Oscar should move even earlier, giving rise to the question: How many awards shows can a single Presidents Day hold? Could that ever happen? And, if so, how many events would be held on Presidents Day?
Contact Shalini Dore at
shali.dore@variety.com