The Simpsons Wins Some Kind Of Emmy Award

By Christ, television is awful isn't it? If it isn't subjecting you to wall-to-wall reality shows designed explicitly to turn your brain to ash, it's giving you documentaries called things like When Plastic Cutlery Attacks.

But dig deep enough and you'll find some television programmes that are worth watching. That's what the creative arts Emmy awards did at the weekend, when it prepared the world for next week's primetime Emmy awards by scouring television for the very best hidden gems that it has to offer before giving up and letting The Simpsons win for the ninth time.

Think of awards ceremony and images of glitzy, smug movie stars slapping each other's backs or the Black Eyed Peas grinding out another seemingly contractually-obligated performance spring to mind, but spare a thought for poor old television. Less glamourous than film and less exciting than music awards ceremonies, television awards are usually chucked out in some grimy, smoke-filled bingo hall and exist only so that some of the people from Bad Girls can get pissed-up on free supermarket own-brand champagne and cackle like the whole thing is the world's biggest hen night. Well, in this country, at least. In America they have the Emmy awards.

And before next week's primetime Emmy awards - the awards that everyone wants to watch - there's the creative arts Emmy awards, which took place over the weekend. We're not completely sure what the difference is between the Primetime Emmy awards and the creative arts Emmy awards, but it doesn't matter, since nobody needs an excuse to get dressed up all nice and watch The Simpsons win awards.

Because that's more or less what happens at the creative arts Emmy awards - over the weekend The Simpsons won its ninth creative arts Emmy award, beating the infamous South Park episode Trapped In The Closet, the episode which mocked Scientology until Isaac Hayes left South Park and Tom Cruise allegedly stopped Comedy Central from repeating it. Accepting the best animated programme prize for shows lasting less than half an hour for the Simpsons episode The Seemingly Never-Ending Story, Simpsons executive producer Al Jean told the audience:

"This is what happens when you don't mock Scientology."

And chances are that this won't be the last award that The Simpsons ever wins - all sorts of famous people still want to be on The Simpsons and it looks like new Simpsons episodes will continue being made until the end of time. And then there's The Simpsons movie to worry about.

But The Simpsons wasn't the only winner at the creative arts Emmy awards - other awards were handed out to HBO/Channel 4 co-production Elizabeth I and some people from Will & Grace and Malcolm In The Middle that we've never heard of.

Read more:

Simpsons win ninth cartoon Emmy - BBC

[story by Stuart Heritage]