“Scrap the Logies” says RocKwiz host
EXCLUSIVE: RocKwiz host Julia Zemiro will decline a Logies invitation, claiming nobody takes the event seriously and it should be replaced with AFI TV Awards.
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EXCLUSIVE: RocKwiz host Julia Zemiro has declined a Logies invitation, dismissing the event and calling for a new form of television awards.
Zemiro, who hosted the AFI Awards last year, says the industry doesn’t take the Logie Awards seriously anymore.
“I just don’t see the point in going,” she told TV Tonight. “No-one seems to take it seriously. After hosting the AFIs last year I thought, ‘Yeah awards…. that’s weird isn’t it?’ I had one of those epiphanies on the side of stage. How can you say this actor was better that actor in a film?
“With the Logies people go, they make fun of it, they take the piss out of it when they are onstage. So then you wonder why are we here?” she said.
“If people took it seriously fine, but when they bring in international guests and say to them, ‘Make fun of it by all means’, you kind of look around and go, ‘Then why are we all standing here all dressed up if it doesn’t actually mean anything?'”
While she agreed having Bert Newton as a solo host was a redeeming feature and a much better idea than a parade of hosts, she admitted that otherwise the night isn’t any fun.
“There’s never any good entertainment, apart from the fact Bert Newton is hosting –that’s something I would enjoy seeing. The best thing about last year was Annie Lennox (singing) and I literally was in a cab at midnight.”
Zemiro also dismissed the event as a day of work, not socialising. Having been criss-crossing the country on a RocKwiz live tour she would prefer to take a day off, relaxing with friends.
“You turn up at one clock for a three hour hair and make-up and dress and all the rest of it. RocKwiz is never nominated, we’re not presenting anything, so I declined,” she said.
Her suggestion to revamp the night follows other industry calls for a sit-down theatre event with a more serious tone. But with the might of TV Week magazine behind it, not many personalities will go on the record to criticise the event.
“I think they should scrap the Logies and have AFI TV and AFI Film. And just separate it. Have AFI TV Awards in April, AFI Film Awards in November or December and be done with it, because there’s too many awards,” she said.
“So have a great time, but I won’t be there.”
The TV Week Logie Awards will air on Nine at 7:30pm this Sunday.
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- Tagged with AFI Awards, Logie Awards, RocKwiz
51 Responses
Good on you Julie. Lets get a real awards show out there where the voters are made up of more than young TV Week reading Home and Away fans.
Couldn’t agree with you more Julia! We need some decent awards
sorry if i’m repeating, cbf reading so many long comments.
i think the logies would have more of a place in tv world if they went 100% peoples choice and leave the peer voting to an official body. most countries would laugh at the fact that we have peer voted and people’s choice on the same night, it’s just not a done thing.
people’s choice is the way of the future in terms of the actual awards show. awards like the emmy’s are dropping in interest every year because every year there is a bigger gap between what viewers like and what peers vote as good. no one likes to see award after award go to a show they’ve never heard of regardless of how good it may be. where people’s choice is taken with little seriousness and is mainly for entertainment purposes and people feel more involved.
a major issue with separating peer voted with people’s choice is where do the peer voteds go? would there be enough interest in them to even make a commercial network? i think not. this is where logies does come in handy people have the peer awards thrown in their face, awards that they would otherwise ignore.
Good onya Julia…
It’s important to acknowledge quality and achievement within the TV industry (or any field of endeavour), but most awards ceremonies have become little more than self congratulatory pulp.
Bravo Julia!!! Could not agree with her more. The night is a joke and the fact that it’s constantly made fun of my the “celebrities” that they bring in from overseas just adds insult to injury.
Wonder if any other Australian actors/producers/writers/directs/etc will join her. Probably be too scared and worried they’ll be declared “Un-Australian”
Yes, let’s replace an awards show “artists” don’t care about it with one viewers don’t care about. Then maybe they can nominate shows nobody watches, like Rockwiz.
I have been a fan of Ms Zemiro since I met her back in 1996 on Good News Week and enjoy her shtick, but find her stance a case of sour grapes! The Logies are not high art, never have been. They try to straddle both populist and peer sentiment. I cringe at the Logies – but it historically has been the main avenue for recognition in our industry. The Penguin awards and Sammy awards were around in the 70’s and 80’s – but only the Logies have surivved. The AFI’s attempts to honour the critical ‘best’ but their system is similarly flawed – ridiculously small panels of people deciding.
Julia has admitted the truth in her statement with the line ” RocKwiz is never nominated, we’re not presenting anything, so I declined,” she said. It’s fine that she doesn’t want to ‘play the game’ and go dress up and hang out with the glitterati, but it doesn’t have to denigrate the experience for others. I have never been to the Logies, and neither wish to.
Maybe I am unusual, but I have never watched the Logies. Nor have I ever seen the Academy Awards, Emmys, etc. I do not have the patience to sit through shows like this, even the trailers for awards shows bore me. I can’t really comment on the actual broadcast as I am not familiar with its format, but from what I have read in the past, it is not taken seriously by those who attend. It appears to be a free booze-up, with a few weird looking statues handed out (seriously, what is it with those Logies statues, they are butt ugly!). Typical w*nky Australian cultural cringe with a bit of biting the hand that feeds you thrown in. I think Ms Zemira is probably on the money with this observation.
“So have a great time, but I won’t be there.”
I’m sure they will – and doubt you’ll be missed
The only good thing about the Logies are the scandals that inevitably come out of it. Feuding celebs or drunk morning show hosts are great fodder for sights such as this and allow the average punter to cut a few tall poppies down and have a laugh at the industry’s expense. The Logies have meant nothing to me since TV Week became a teen magazine and stopped catering to a broad demographic.
Absolutely spot on. Well done Julia for saying what everyone thinks.
If she was nominated she would be there I bet. She sounds bitter and I find her comments annnoying, remember she use to be on Totally Full Frontal on Channel 10, what amazing tv that was! The logies rate better than the AFI’s shoved in a late Saturday night slot and how do you vote??
In a way, i agree with Zemiro about ‘no-one’ taking the Logies seriously. The AFI Awards (the tv section) is good, but i dont know if they should become the main awards here.
If the Logies slowly got rid of the ‘popular awards’ and just had the ‘industry’ awards, then I reckon that the Logies will get better
I totally agree with Julia here. Let’s have AFI TV awards and get some prestige into this event! Having no comedy category in this year’s Logies makes it a particular joke!!!
As lame as the Logies they should be celebrated for what they are. People actually watch the Logies – AFI’s are put together far worse, they were cringeworthy last year and did 300K – Logies did 1.6. Why replace something that has such a huge history and that draws so many together to celebrate Aussie TV and repace it with something most people probably haven’t even heard of?
I politely disagree with Julia’s views as I feel the AFI Awards themselves are far too elitist and skewered to a certain demographic.
The Logies represent the views of the ordinary viewing public and have done so for decades.
Whilst we may take the mickey out of the Logies and howl at some of the antics of the celebs, it’s the public’s only way of being able to vote who they wish to see receive them.
I’ve always disliked the AFI Awards and even feel they should free itself of the shackles of certain members who view commercial films as ‘cynical money making exercises’.
If anything it’s the AFI Awards that should go and be replaced by a more fair system where the public can vote for which films they feel is deserving of praise.
Hear, hear Julia. We should have a legitimate TV award ceremony, not just a glorified “owned and operated by Channel 9” p**s up.
The Logies are to awards and Hey Hey It’s Product Placement is to legitimate entertainment – an embarrassing dinosaur.
Was Julia Zemiro really invited or did she decline a non-existent invitation?
Funnily enough, going by their ratings and inability to remain viable without government funding, people don’t take the the AFI Awards seriously either.
What a silly idea! The AFI would never separate the Awards anyway. The only reason they added TV awards was to get them televised and to get people watching. Julia should stick to the AFI Awards then if she feels that way – nobody watches them anyway!
You rock Julia and you are soooooo right !!!
Well done Julie for speaking out!! The system she is suggesting is very similar to the BAFTAS in the UK!! They still have all the other “magazine” shows like TV Quick etc but its the BAFTA that you really want to win!! TV Week awards should go back to purely fan voted awards and leave the AFIs as the only peer awards!!!
She could be onto something.The Logies are certainly a joke,in fact most of our awards shows are.The AFI’s are no exception.Why do the persons putting these shows together turn them into amateur night for non funny actors,actors that cannot deliver a funny line.Enough of the comedy skits & lets have something a little classy.Alas i am sure this year will be no exception.Even the U.S ones (Oscars) are the same.At least the brits with the Bafta’s have got it almost right.Sure the host can make a few funnies,but let’s mature it up a bit.Leave the vileness to after the broadcast.And no more imported singers/actors please.Maybe one of the other networks could come up with an alternative awards.However the name Logies should stay,it is tradition,represents history & is a lasting memory of Graham Kennedy.While i’m on the great GK,10 how about putting Blankety Blanks on at 7pm?Better than what you offer now.
Yes we all know the Logies are a joke. While it rates well, it’s here to stay.