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Josh Lawson: Lack of Comedy categories “a slap in the face”

Actor Josh Lawson has criticised the AACTA Awards for failing to recognise Comedy as a stand-alone category.

2013-12-06_0534Actor Josh Lawson has criticised the AACTA Awards for failing to recognise Comedy as a stand-alone category.

On Facebook, Lawson said merging Comedy with Light Entertainment was a “slap in the face for all the hard working, incredibly talented Australians who work their arses off to make us laugh and help define our proud and unique sense of humour”.

“Bafflingly and insultingly for both categories, comedy is combined with light entertainment, he wrote on Facebook.

“And only one comedy acting category compared with FOUR for drama. No gender distinction for comedy, no lead or supporting differentiation. And if it’s anything like previous years, the comedy awards will likely be given out on the NON televised night.

“What are we to take away from this – that comedy is somehow easier? That people who work on comedies don’t work as hard? That actors who do comedy aren’t as talented or as deserving of accolades?”

AACTA responded by saying: “We did have stand alone awards (for comedy and light entertainment) but we had to combine them against our best wishes in a rationalisation.

“There has been some strong work in comedy this year. As an industry we have to find a way to support these categories.”

Lawson is right to lament Comedy’s demise amongst Awards season, with the Logies also lacking a Comedy category.

Source: News Corp

8 Responses

  1. As Tim Ferguson said recently, “Comedy doesn’t get any respect ….. A comedy has never, ever once won an AFI Award which is the …… Middle-Class, Over-Serious-People-With-Rectangled-Spectacles Award.”
    I agree with him, and while there is a place for dreary, depressing, profound, miserable, angry, violent, serious, confrontational, emotional drama, can’t we be have a laugh once in a while?

  2. Great work to Josh Lawson for bringing this up to our attention and to the aacta board. We need more comedy awards, and don’t deserve to me incorporated into another award.

    But why wait until nominations day to ask about the comedy, instead of a few months ago when they announced that they are moving Comedy into Light Entertainment? It shines away from the nominees!

  3. Funny you mention that bettestreep, i nearly terminated my membership too after 25 years this year, but hanging in there! I was really appalled at the whole awards process last year, including the telecast which was just awful and disrespectful to the films, to categories etc.

  4. The AACTA is being run by buffoons.

    Not only have they stuffed up the TV comedy awards but a few months ago there was a huge outcry about documentary award changes.

    Not surprising that the AACTA is hurting financially and has let many staff go this year.

    A friend of mine had been an AFI member for over 25 years but didn’t renew this year because he was disgusted with the changes they have implemented.

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