There were a whole lot of changes being announced as the date for the first Sprint Cup Series banquet held in Las Vegas, NV approached.
Out was ESPN Classic and in was SPEED. Out was Jerry Punch and in were Mike Joy and Krista Voda. Along came Frank Caliendo to host and at the very last minute, Brooks and Dunn to entertain.
NASCAR switched the TV coverage of this event so that it could be live on SPEED. It was promoted just that way in the national media. Click here to read SPEED's own press release.
It was December 6th when TDP posted a column about the 2008 banquet. "Sprint Cup Series Banquet Not Exactly Live On ESPN Classic" was the title. We pointed out that much of the banquet was actually played back to TV viewers after being recorded. Click the title to read the post and viewer comments.
Luckily, NASCAR fans love to multi-task. Last year, fans listening on Sirius Satellite radio were hearing the banquet live. Unfortunately for ESPN, almost all of them were also watching the TV coverage. Needless to say it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out that when the radio and TV coverage did not match something was wrong. The TV coverage was over an hour behind what had happened live.
It was the fact that ESPN Classic kept a graphic on the screen that said "Live" that really drove some fans right over the brink. What a way to end the season.
Well, that was last year and now another Sprint Cup Series banquet has come and gone. Want to take a guess at what this column is about? That's right. This time SPEED and NASCAR tried to pull the same trick and it backfired again.
The problem is that trying to disguise something as live when it is not rarely works these days. The reason is the myriad of Internet-based communications systems that have changed the world as we know it. In this case, the culprit was Twitter.
All over the Sprint Cup Series banquet at the Wynn Hotel fingers were busy on keyboards. NASCAR reporters from TV networks and online news sites were tweeting away. Team PR reps, NASCAR spokesmen and even SPEED's Rutledge Wood were describing the music, comedy and opening speeches. There was only one problem.
TV viewers that tuned-in at 9PM to see the banquet live were being entertained by SPEED's Steve Byrnes and Jeff Hammond. After an exciting opening sequence of action footage, this duo began to introduce various clips and highlights. Lots of clips and highlights.
Meanwhile, Twitter users were being treated to descriptions of Frank Caliendo's opening remarks and then the live music of Brooks and Dunn. Once again, things were out of whack. It quickly became apparent just how out of whack they could get.
As Byrnes and Hammond continued to introduce clips, fans spotted a countdown clock over their shoulder. It looked like it was counting down to the start of the banquet. It also looked like there was a long way to go. What started with momentum quickly lost speed as it was apparent fans were once again watching pre-recorded content instead of a live show.
Instead of 9PM, it was 10PM before Frank Caliendo appeared on TV for NASCAR fans. The opening portion of the Sprint Cup Series banquet had again been delayed on TV by one hour.
Meanwhile, NASCAR's own Twitter news service was still typing away and offering detailed descriptions to the fans of what was actually happening live. Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing.
While Caliendo was just starting out on TV the actual attendees at the banquet were enjoying dinner. Pictures of menus and entrees were being sent via Twitter even as Caliendo welcomed everyone and the first musical number got underway on the delayed SPEED broadcast.
Eventually, after the hour of highlights from Byrnes and the recorded portion of the opening festivities, things got slightly more in sync. However, the time delay was still significant and nothing from the entire evening was ever live on SPEED.
Unfortunately, the two recorded portions combined had taken such a long time it quickly became apparent that the top three drivers would be speaking well after midnight Eastern Time. In fact, Jimmie Johnson did not appear until after 1AM Saturday morning.
Fans who worked a full day on Friday started to sign-off before midnight with email and Twitter messages that were not particularly positive in nature. Some said they would record the remainder of the broadcast. Others were so put off by the format they did not care. One thing is for sure, this has to change for next season.
Allowing the TV viewers to see the opening portion of the banquet live and then inserting Byrnes and Hammond during the dinner service would have made much more sense. After recapping the season, SPEED could then return live for the final part of the evening that included speeches from the top ten drivers.
On a positive note, Voda and Joy were perfect in their roles. Byrnes and Hammond had fun and it was a welcoming vibe from the telecast. Edited footage this year included the reality of racing accidents, tight tempers and even team radio chatter that required lots of bleeping. However, the faked footage of Ryan Newman made to look as if he was upside down after a crash was not such a good idea.
Caliendo was a last minute host and he did what he could do. That meant lots of John Madden, President Bush, Charles Barkley and Dr. Phil impressions. What real role a celebrity host has when the bottom line issues are length of show and NASCAR content is debatable. Voda and Joy may just need a shot at going it alone to find out.
Brooks and Dunn hit a home run but musicians David Gray and the group Escala did not. Even comedian John Pinette entertained without any NASCAR references at all. What was the point? Perhaps, building next year's program for TV and then letting the drivers, teams and sponsors have fun after the televised portion is over might make more sense.
SPEED's TV team was brought in at the last minute this season. The network promises that if they are allowed to carry the event next year there will be some significant changes in format. Nothing could make a lot of weary fans happier.
Please share with us your opinions on this telecast and suggestions for the future. To add your comment, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, so comments may be moderated prior to posting. Thank you for stopping by The Daly Planet.
42 comments:
I was at work so I taped it. I've watched a lot of it, and some of it twice. I can't figure out why they chose to do some of what they did, but at I'll least give them credit for what they did do. The NASCAR Media Group videos, which I have railed against on TWIN, were a pretty good setup for the banquet, albeit the segment before the banquet should have been a half-hour instead of the hour it took.
But as soon as I saw Ryan NEwman upside down I said, "Wait a minnit!" if the camera is in the car, it should show him right side up, and the tube hanging out of the helmet should be pointing up toward his visor and not down at his body! Good old fashioned video tape to the rescue ;-)
And the comedian turned out to eventually be funny, but only one passing reference to sponsors is not what I'd have expected from a performer at a NASCAR banquet.
Come on people, who do you think is watching?
BY THE WAY:
There were some really fine moments towards the end, like Mr. Hendrick choking up with honest emotion at all that has happened. Brian France, though his enthusiasm was a bit forced, convinced me he actually cared about what was going on.
A lot of people out here in the San Diego area are very proud of Jimmie. Though I'm originally from NYC, I've been here almost 25 years and I live about 5-6 miles from where he grew up, and know people who know his family.
Good show CHAMP!
I guess they wanted to stay consistent. We watched many portions of races this year that were recorded that were presented as live. I guess they are slow learners.
SPEED was better than ESPN. Thumbs down for the 1 hr tape delay and it needed to end at 12 ET. B&D best musical. Didn't like Gray. Escala, music good but not live. Caliendo struck out for me because he didn't do his funniest stuff. Or, at least, I didn't get to see it. His remaining stuff was lame, I felt he was trying too hard. Didn't like Pinette either. Denny had the best driver speech, well fortified. Next year, would like to see the audience better lit, so I can actually see the people being thanked.
Overall, I liked the events in Vegas better than NYC, as far as Fans went. Some say there weren't enough, maybe more stuff next yr when we have a new champ. I had a few reports from the banquet that fans who got to be there had a great time. Just wish more of the fun stuff, like the Roast, made it to TV in some way. Loved the Tweets & radio from the guys who got to ride along for the Victory Lap.
I finally watched the banquet today. Thankfully I started taping the 1st replay early, so I got the end of the banquet. I watched that part first. I was able to ff through the 1st hour and the parts I didn't want to see.
What I didn't understand was the need for a host and a comedian. Frank Caliendo did nothing to host, Mike Joy and Krista Voda took care of that. Hopefully next years SPEED will get the nod earlier so that they can be a little better prepared.
One thing that I saw going through the Twitter comments, maybe it was said here, was that people were complaining that the banquet started too late, especially for those on the East Coast. I agree since there was probably no way that I would have stayed up that late if I was home. Jeff Gluck responded that they had to serve dinner, so it couldn't be started any earlier. Somehow the awards shows that are put on in LA can start at 5pm PT, 8 ET. Even the Golden Globes start that early and they eat dinner during the ceremony. I know that the banquet "isn't for the fans", but if it is going to be broadcast, then it should be at a time when the fans can stay awake.
Here's hoping that if SPEED broadcasts the banquet again next year, they can actually air it live.
I watched every single moment of the banquet...started out aggravated as all get outs with the 'live' but not really 'live' coverage and then...well you all know how it went.....I surely hope that next year they ditch any idea for 'entertainment' with the comedians...what a waste of time...NASCAR itself is entertainment enough and would help cut the length of the show...thought that Mike and Krista did a great job...appreciated the fact that they weren't handing out the $$$ up until JJ got his $6m+...realizing he donated alot that week they could have left that out...thought he did a sorry job of thanking the fans (all of the others made a big deal about us)...I'll continue to watch each year because I am, after all, a fan...no matter what...good or bad!! How many days til Daytona?
Didn't like the extra hour of wasted time at 9:00. I planned on watching live but turned it off after about 20 minutes and watched later on the DVR. Nonetheless I'm very happy NASCAR kicked ESPN to the street and let Speed's group of Joy, Voda, Byrnes and Hammond handle the festivities. Just wish they'd get rid of ESPN permanently.
My big complaint is how long and drawn out these banquets have become. I miss the 1990's when I could turn on the TV and watch nothing but live speeches in a nice short 2 hour program. Get rid of the comedy acts, the musicians, and the dancers and just let the night be about the drivers and the championship owner/crew chief/manufacturer like it used to be.
If I had a choice, I'd rather see the Roast instead of the Banquet.
Since this was the first time in LV for the Banquet, I think they'll fix what was wrong with it for next year. (It's here for two more years).
Here are my ideas.
Light the audience. Especially when someone is being acknowledged. BTW JD, you mentioned on Twitter that the lighting was for the live show. They knew this was going to be on TV, so this makes no sense. A lot of "live" shows are televised and the lighting looks so much better.
Have the dinner part first (not seen on TV). Start the awards stuff at 6:00PM. Then we won't have to watch all those videos again.
Someone suggested that the sponsors be shown on a crawl. Good idea.
Fake or not, I liked Escala. B&D aren't my type of music. Only use one comedian.
Don't have Jeff Hammond talk about who's wearing what.
From what I heard, the drivers really liked being in LV. It was thrilling for me to see them at After the Lap. The fans here lined the Strip six deep to see them drive down the Strip. I'm already looking forward to next year.
why would anyone watch something as boring as this banquet? Oh, I forgot, the same folks that watch something as boring as the "races".
I didn't manage to stay awake to see the entire coverage. Wondered why the wasted so much time showing all those 'highlights'. Is anyone going to watch who hasn't been following Nascar most of the season? Rather than spend so much time on 'entertainment', I'd rather they put more racing related things in the show...like, maybe, the winning crew chief's speech and presentations? how about the MPD Award, since the fans actually vote for that one? Since Mike Joy and Krista Voda did such a great job, I don't know why the need any other hosts for the show.
I must say the drivers did seem much more relaxed than usual, and the teleprompters, when used, weren't so intrusive. Maybe the boys are just getting more at home on stage. Too bad they couldn't have Wendy Venturini greeting guests on the red carpet and chatting. It might be a bit less jarring to have her comment on the ladies gowns?
Not a bad first effort. could use some tweaks.
Sadly, it was the same, lame show that we have watched over the years. They just moved it out west. Bad lighting, dull comics who bombed big time. Did you hear the tepid applause? Why listen to Steve and Mr. Tan ramble on when red carpet interviews should have been taking place? I really expected the show to look so much more professional, but alas, it looked like it was put on by a Junior High AV group. Even Ronnie Dunn looked bored. The fiddle group was the only real highlight of the night. The only thing I like about watching the show is just to see how bad it is. Finally, once again the Truck and Nationwide show was WAY better.
All I can do is back up my post from Friday night. Turned the show on at 9pmEST. Got talk and talk for 1/2hr. No awards. No drivers. When we saw the drivers enter at 9:30 the wife and I knew it was not going to start untill 10 or 11pm, our time. We simply didn't know. Nascar refuses to advertise the REAL start time of anything. NFL. 1 and 4. Turn it on, I see football.
We went and watched a Christmas show and had a great evening. Funny to hear now that the best decision was to turn it off. 1am?? Who the heck is going to watch that on the east coast?
Just told the wife this news. She just said "maybe they had to edit it down to fit the time slot?" Ok, maybe. I don't argue there, if you know what I mean. Valid thought.
However, how about just cutting the crap that we had to endure the first 1/2hr before changing the channel. And from what I read hear, the entire first hour.
I liked the banquet for the most part, time shifted as it was. The video clip portion was too long and next year they need to have Wendy walk the red carpet and talk about the clothes instead of Jeff but I appreciate the attempt. The lighting needs work but for a last minute with Speed they could have done a lot worse. Mike and Krista did a fantastic job. I didn't really enjoy the comedians but the music was fine. I would be interested to know what those attending the banquet thought about have 1 comedian, 1host/comedian plus 3 musical acts. It was overkill as far as I was concerned but then I wasn't there. My first thought was Speed could have skipped some of the acts to get us back to being live but I'm sure that would have meant we missed something way too funny so I guess it's not the answer either. I hope Speed keeps the banquet because I now they will do it better next year.
We all should be thankful we didn't have to endure Dr. JP for four hours. With more time to prepare, next year's banquet will be better. I say ditch the comedians, period.
I started watching the Truck and Nationwide Series banquet and was about tired of banquets by the time the Cup Series one started. Truck and NW wasn't too bad, at least the lighting was fair. About an hour into the Cup show, I let the DVR do it's job and I watched Leno. Didn't finish the banquet until the next day.
I was really disappointed in the production of the banquet. Even the camera angles were all wrong, people walking in front of them all the time. It could have been fixed by higher cameras over the top of the crowd. And there was no excuse for the poor lighting, it was a televised event for goodness sake!
Way too long for no more than we saw and way too late for the ending. We could have done without the comedians and the music acts. And what was up with the background band hidden way in the back of the stage? I think they left their sound engineer behind.
I did enjoy seeing and hearing the drivers and do like watching the banquet. They just need to work on the production of it, the telecast itself. I'd really rather see clips of the roast than the music and comedians.
Next year, hopefully they will be more prepared to do a better job production wise.
Are you crazy? Escala killed it! I'm not the only one to think so; there's a poll on NASCAR.com & they are the second most popular musical act of the night.
Personally, I didn't like Brooks & Dunn. Too boring. At least Escala was something different that many attendees have never heard before. Plus, I thought B & D weren't even a group anymore?
Brandon,
I did not say they were a bad musical group. If you like lip-syncing string instruments, they were great.
The troubles with the banquet are TV-related. Too long and too much non-NASCAR content.
Escala did not need to be on TV and neither did David Gray. Caliendo added nothing while Mike Joy and Krista Voda were fantastic.
Brooks and Dunn were clearly not happy to be there, never cracked a smile. They were totally last minute additions.
Planning on the 2010 Sprint Cup Series banquet should start on January 1st. Certainly did not happen that way this year.
JD
IF they're going to show taped stuff show what we missed for more than 30 seconds. They have several year end shows to recap the year. We don't need an hour recapping everything and faked video (Ryan) and 30 seconds of a Roast and Victory Lap.
IF SPEED gets to do it again next year. Show the pre-dinner stuff and highlights during dinner and then bring us back real live when things start.
I probably would have called it a night if it weren't for Twitter. The spoilers helped me know what to pay attention to when I got to it finally :). But even if I didn't have it on the Twitter spoilers gave great details.
I like B&D but didn't care for the others or the comedians. But my deal is as long as we don't have people hanging from ceilings anymore (think that was either 2K1 or 2K2) I'm happy.
But I wouldn't be upset if they axed all entertainment. All it is, is filler. If there is that down time can show highlights from the week that fans missed out on.
Not sure how many minutes they actually take up but say it was a total of 30 minutes. Use that time to help show some of the Victory Lap, from the Roast or other things the drivers did during the week.
But judging by how we ended up behind about 15-20 minutes if they didn't have that filler we probably would have finished right about 1 am eastern instead of about 1:20.
I really enjoyed the Truck/Nationwide show--- Short,good hosting, short speeches-a job well done. The move to Las Vegas was a positive. The first hour with Hammond/Byrnes was a disappointment and a waste. The race footage/interviews were the exact ones we've been watching for two weeks.Wendy on the Red Carpet would have been much better. The banquet ran way too long. Could have done without Gray/Escala. My pet peeve again this year,condidering all the time- consuming 'fluff', is that they never let the crew chief for the Champion talk for 2-3 minutes ( I know he speaks at the Myers luncheon). Point well taken about cameras showing key people in the audience in total darkness (very amateurish). As for the speeches, kudos to Rick, Jeff, Jimmie, Mark, Tony and Montoya.
If the biggies of TV and Movie award shows can start things early then so can Nascar. The Golden Globes have a dinner before the awards, and that's never been a problem, and their show begins at 8pm Eastern. Perhaps they need to do what the ESPY's do, and that's tape the show and then show it a few days later. I don't mind that. At least it wouldn't be so disjointed.
Like another poster said, showing the roast would have been a great addition to the entire Champions week. The outtakes I've heard on Sirius showed it was a pretty funny show. And, maybe they can even show the cocktail party. From what Kurt Busch said, the roast was pretty much G rated while the party was definitely R. Oh, I forgot. Nascar won't allow any kind of blue language to tarnish their boring, white bread driver images.
I did just finish watching the whole show and it sure did seem that a couple of those who were on stage had a bit more liquor than necessary. Both France family members looked a bit schloshed. And, dump the teleprompter. Kasey Kahne sure didn't do a good job with his speech, and that was pretty sad.
I was disappointed that the "live" banquet was once more "not live". If I had known the first hour was going to be a recap, then I wouldn't have bothered to tune in until 10.
The speed folks as hosts and presenters did a great job. It's a shame that NASCAR insists that we have to be subjected to comedians who know nothing about the sport and although I enjoyed the pretty girls dressed up playing electric stringed instruments - actually I was watching ot see if they were going to fall off their shoes during the number - it adds nothing to the event and is a timewaster for the viewing audience. If its not going to be live anyway, just don't show me any of that junk. I like Brooks and Dunn, but I guess since they are breaking up they don't need to look like they are enjoying their performances any more, cuz really that was painful to watch. That last guy, whoever he was, was so not funny that I couldn't stand it and turned the channel. Yes, I was watching Monk, too. I know it was a Friday night, but honestly I had stuff planned for Saturday morning and needed to be functional in the morning. I was talking with you Planeteers, along with some other friends online and expecting to have fun enjoying my driver give his speech, but honestly, I just ran out of steam at 11 p.m. EST when I hadn't even heard a driver's speech yet. So I put the DVR on and went to bed.
So, kudos for the speed personalities who did a fine job with what they had to work with, but please, don't lie to me and expect me to enjoy it.
Just shows that NASCAR does not care what the fans think.
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I know Nascar races will for the most part be boring affairs. That has made me learn to use PIP and my dvr. I have learned how to get thru a 5 hour race in an hour or so, or by having it in a box at the bottom of the screen.
The Winners banquet must be 10 times worse then a race. How many people even watch it? I'm sure not many. How could anyone stay awake for it?
I don't know what we expected. I've never seen an awards show that was fit to watch. Every awards show has people that are out of their element when they speak in front of a lot of people. I don't know how you make it interesting. I was able to suffer through about half before I gave up.
Yes Kasey's speech is always painful he's just not comfortable speaking. We've always wondered if he's ever gone to toastmasters.
It seems to me that the NASCAR banquet is different than almost all other awards shows in that it is primarily for the honorees and the sponsors - whereas most other awards shows, like Oscars, are geared to viewers in order to raise money for the organization. I was not able to watch banquet and have not had a chance to watch much of what I taped - but I was disappointed that the lighting was worse than 2008 and that SPEED did not carry it live live. At least it, apparently, was just time shifted, not edited and delayed a couple of days like the EESPY's.
J.D.,
Once again, NASCAR shows it thinks we're idiots. "Live" was as convincing as a "caution for debris."
I guess the fix was in for Fox's Caliendo once the show was moved to Speed. Kelly Terranova (Google
"NASCAR comedian" and watch his clip) specializes in corporate gigs and he would have given a very tight, professional, and killer performance specially tailored to the subjects. (And it would be as clean as a surgery, if NASCAR wanted that.)
Eddie Brill, an extremely professional stand-up who also books all the comedy on Letterman, would also have tailored an act to the subjects and he would have destroyed. I saw him do a charity banquet for the Screenwriters Hall of Fame in Los Angeles and he was clean (but a bit edgy), topical, and he destroyed us. (I met him after the dinner, and he's a nice guy too, not "showbiz" at all.)
Why did the producers ignore the television audience when they lit the stage? During tech rehearsal, they could have seen that the spots weren't bright enough and made it look like the recording a parent does on high school talent night.
Although I tweeted about the length of the show, I was glad that the couple of speeches I saw (Hamlin, Mark Martin) were not truncated the way Academy Award acceptance speeches are. That said, everything else about the show could have been cut in half.
However, it was in keeping with NASCAR. The season is way too long, most of the races are too long, and now the awards banquet was too long.
Note to Planeteers. This was the second Sunday in which I missed all of you. I didn't miss the race or ESPN's incompetent production values. I MISSED YOU.
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
Watched the races why do I need to see people patting each other and themselves on their backs?
My prediction was borne out...in spades!
Caliendo looked like a Vegas busboy. The audience could NOT have been less engaged. Did ANYONE applaud for ANYTHING?
As JD said, the musical acts were mostly duds, the race video screens were annoying, the audio mix was only fair and the lighting must have been designed by Helen Keller!
Live show? Well, maybe....sorta....kinda.....but not really.......huh?
In the end, I suppose it was a fitting portayal of a subpar season by putting on an abysmal television program that served no one. It wasn't an awards show, and it wasn't entertainment-just another big sucking sound of the vacuum that was once a NASCAR tv audience.
Escala (the British four-piece) I learned is from the same area as Boylemania through the British version of RTL's Got Talent franchise. (Radio Television Luxembourg, a Luxembourg television network, is pan-European, majority-owned by Bertelsmann AG.)
During the Chase, Carl Edwards taped an episode of RTL's long-running US game show The Price Is Right where he presented two race fan-friendly Showcases (one with a Fusion Hybrid, one with a Coca-Cola 600 package; RTL acquired the Mark Goodson game show library in 2000).
I think too that the Vegas setting could have been part of the problem of being late. If NASCAR could have the setting in New York at a larger banquet hall, they could have the show at 8 and end at 11 on Fox.
And we need to get back to basics with the banquet. Maybe some entertainment during breaks but that's it. There should be 13 segments of the show and that should be it. It would go back to New York City where the championship team would be able to do everything -- morning news shows, wave the green flag (or checkered flag) at the NYSE, go to the Knicks or Rangers games at the Garden, visit with all NASCAR Champions (did anyone notice this year that NASCAR didn't invite all champions to Vegas -- in New York, all NASCAR champions had a photo shoot -- imagine if it was that way, three NY/NJ area drivers won NASCAR titles), and some fun events on Long Island or New Jersey in the heart of Short Track Racing. But too I think "back to basics" should include bringing all NASCAR champions to New York for a special part of the national television event will help local racing.
Cut music breaks to just two -- after three regional champions' speech and after the 2nd place driver's speech. Increase awareness of NASCAR Home Tracks.
1. Salute to NASCAR Champions, (Speeches by Whelen All-American, Camping World West, Whelen Southern Modified, and Mexico Champions.)
2. The Rookie of the Year speech.
3. Major awards (Pole, Manufacturer's)
4. Interlude.
5. 10th-6th.
6. Salute to NASCAR Champions (Speeches by Whelen Modified, Camping World East, Canada, and Camping World Truck Series Champions; Order of two salutes may change; Northeastern-based or native drivers will be given priority to be later.)
7. 5th-2nd.
8. Speech by Nationwide Champion (if not an NSCS Top 10 driver).
9. Interlude.
10. Car Owner.
11. Crew Chief.
12. Champion Driver's extra awards.
13. Former NSCS Champion on stage to present the ring.
14. Sprint CEO to present check.
15. Champion's Speech.
Just imagine what fans of all series would say if they had a banquet with every series champion feted.
I had no intention of watching Jimmie Johnson Lovefest IV and I'm glad I didn't if everything was an hour behind.
I didn't think the show could be as lame and boring as the races this season. Sadly, I was wrong.
@MRM4--it wasn't an hour behind the whole night. They had some minor awards/comedy and dinner while we were watching the first hour of clips. Then we finally got some music and those awards/comedy shown on delay about 9 eastern.
Approximately 9:30 eastern is when the awards banquet started and we were a driver behind based on the tweets. It got further behind just before Jimmie which ended up being about 15-20 minutes.
They should have done the minor awards/comedy then while they were eating shown clips (preferably of the weeks events) and then start the ceremony with us live.
I'm sure there is some lame reason for the tape delay. Unfortunately, Speed lost any interest I may have had when I saw what they did...
Anyone ever watch the CMA's? That is how a an awards show should be. Fun, entertaining, and still able to thank the "sponsors" in this case, the record execs. The only reason I can come up with having Frank Caliendo host, is that he is a FOX employee. Yet another David Hill touch, I'm sure. I agree with the other two musical acts. Totally worthless. At least Brooks and Dunn have a NASCAR connection, as they were friends with Dale Sr., and fans of the sport. The opening with Byrnes and Hammond just smacked of Raceday/TWIN. As if we need more recapping of the year FOR AN HOUR.The sad thing was they were jawjacking while there were video montages of people that have passed on in the sport behind them. Sacriledge. Moronic. How dare they? If I was there, I would have told them to shut their collective mouths! I turne dofv the t.v. 15 minutes in. I knew it was going to be a bust. Again, take a cue from the CMA's. That show is all about winning awards for doing your job to the best of your abilities, and still tanking the sponsors. And it's a blast! Oh, well. I shouldn't expect too much from wooden, stiff, stuffed shirts who know nothing about the real world, only about how many millions of dollars they make.
I think we know why this is presented in a delayed manner. SPEED was not calling the shots and this event is still designed only as a live banquet.
Once TV gets in the mix, there should be quite a change in the format to make it user friendly for TV viewers.
The mistake discussed in this column is SPEED falling into the same problem ESPN experienced last season. That is jumping up and down to say this event is live on TV when it is not.
SPEED has been proactive in addressing this issue since this column appeared and we will hopefully see wholesale changes in the format of both the banquet and TV program for next season.
JD
My bad Gymmie. Still, they need to make everything more TV friendly if they want it shown on TV.
DVR'd the show. Just watched what I wanted - the guys entering the ballroom, the comedy routines and sketches and the top 10 driver's speeches.
Just wasn't in the mood for music and highlights (though I did see the opening clip overviewing the season - excellent!!).
Very much enjoyed the show!
Caliendo and Pinette were the absolutely worst. Did not find them funny at all.
Anonymous - you can't be serious. True that Caliendo was using a lot of old material, but Pinette was cracking me up. And the laughter in the ballroom sounded pretty spontaneous when Pinette was up there.
Did anyone take notice that this year they did not announce the amount of money each driver in the top ten won? I guess with the current economy, they opted not to do this?
@mrm4--no worries :)
@anon 5:40--that's what Gluck said
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