The 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards at the Sandton Convention Centre, which - although still the best local televised awards ceremony on TV and that was broadcast live this year for the first time - was definitely of a lower class quality and a more muted presentation standard than that of the previous two awards ceremonies in 2008 and 2009.
I was there in person (as one of the only few remaining, consistent TV writers who also attended in previous years), and although the 2010 Channel O Music Awards shone less bright this year than in the previous two fantastic turns, it was still better than better by-the-book awards function than what most other TV channels can muster.
The first live broadcast of the Channel O Music Video Awards (with an aviation theme running through the pre-party venue and the awards ceremony this year) was marred by a technical glitch that caused the live ceremony to start - and then restart after 4 minutes - with no explanation. The creative theme and practical application in terms of structural set and stage design, lighting, colour, and pacing were once again really just perfect - similar to the way the production created inventive video wall use and graphics during the previous two years when the Channel O Music Video Awards really got it right.
The big problem this year at the 2010 Channel O Video Music Awards - this endeavour is still the single biggest annual budgetary expense for Channel O (DStv 320) - was in the organizers and producers suddenly turning this year's awards into a less glam, low-cost airline flight. Guests were less involved and made to - instead of sitting around tables with a four course meal while the awards are proceeding aka the Golden Globes - sit through the event in school hall styled rows of seats, with no breaks and a clearly less classy, more crassy ''grab-some-chicken, get-a-drink-at-the-bar, after-party-DJ, stand-and-eat-thing''. Not really an event that turned out to be worth getting all dressed up for if the awards ceremony only seats ''economy''.
And then there were the completely out-of-control guests who BLATANTLY STOLE . . . .
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Yolisa Phahle, channel director of M-Net's special interest channels and IK, Big Brother Africa presenter
Cobus Bodenstein
The Channel O Music Video Awards would do great by stopping the tinkering and returning to a pre-recorded format where the presenters are more relaxed (because they can do a do-over), where the guest are more relaxed as they sit around tables and celebrate the evening in style, and the winner can be more relaxed because they can make their way to the stage without having to run (scared that they'll run out of time). K'Naan making a live video appearance from Los Angeles by satellite feed to accept a special recognition award was great . . . only for some of the magic to evaporate when a smoke machine pumped billowing clouds onto the stage, accompanied by an seemingly amateur flag-waving, band-blaring Glee-wannabee troupe.
And when the out-of-control guests afterwards - clearly out of their element and not used to these kinds of events - run en masse like a horde of zombies and blatantly steal Converse basketballs by the handfuls that's actually meant as goodie bag give-aways, and dropping them over the balcony of the Sandton Convention Centre to their friends below leaving several attendees with nothing, you know that you're guest list has gotten away from you, is no longer A list, and that you seriously needs to go back to VIP invites only.
A novel, cool embracing of social media was the short-on-food, pre-party that recreated an airport departure waiting area (although maybe a private airport lounge re-creation would have been better?). With a smattering of celebs standing around looking at big flight departure screens overhead, twitter feeds about the awards ceremony scrolled and provided fanciful ''in-flight'' entertainment.
