The Inaugral Comedy Festival Journalism Awards

[Gutter Monkey]

If you see some review or article about the comedy festival that fits any of these categories, feel free to mention it here. Or even nominate your own categories ...


THE SPOILSPORT AWARD
This will go to the journalist/reviewer who most blatantly gives away the punchlines to a show. Someone in The Age just recently completely burnt Fleety's "Shark Attack material" joke, for example.

THE GOLDEN BROWN NOSE AWARD
Awarded to the journo who is most obviously sucking up to a comedian with their review of the show. That review of Skithouse that I mentioned somewhere else where the journo mentioned all the things that the show doesn't get wrong but doesn't mention anything that the show gets right would be a good nomination.

THE HIGH BALL AWARD
Awarded to the journo who most obviously didn't understand the show they're reviewing, and wasn't able to appreciate what was obvious to others. Called the 'High Ball' because it apparently went right over their head.

THE WEAKEST LINK AWARD
Awarded to the journo who comes up with the weakest premise for an article. The story last year about comedians who have beards (including some comedians who had just shaved off their beards) is a good example.

THE GOLDEN MIRROR AWARD
Awarded to the reviewer/journo who most blatantly talks about himself/herself when they're supposed to be reviewing a show.

My pet hate is the fact that they have comedy reviewers who do not know comedy.

Like the guy two years ago who started off his review with "It has been a big year for Dave Hughes. He got a radio gig on Nova, a TV gig on the glasshouse and if he hasn't got enough on his plate, now he is trying his hand at standup comedy."

Or the guy last year who said that James Smith was good and then concluded with a line from the show proving how good and sharp and smart he is. Unfortunalty the line quoted was one of the oldest heckle comebacks going around, making both James and the reviewer look like tools.