Harlan Ellison's Watching 58

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

Harlan saying it like it is, love this guy.

[@pendorran]

I would really, really, REALLY love to get Harlan Ellison's uncensored take on the whole Sad Puppies etc crap going on with the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2015.

[@mikedonovan8811]

I'm glad he's wearing clothing this time.

[@vBleedingHeartv]

Not me

[@Goofygabber-o1e]

Erm

[@psf334]

for the first time i'm in 100% agreeance with ellison.

[@scannerdarkly2850]

Harlan!!!!

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

Once again, Harlan says what the rest of us are thinking! It's one thing to "make it a surprise" to the audience/attendees and another to withhold the information from the nominees insuring the possibility that the recipient won't be able to attend to accept the award due to a lack of information! I believe that the Oscar/Emmy/Grammy nominees are all notified in advance and notify "The Academy" that they won't be able to attend due to working on projects. Why can't THEY do that? Tell it like it is Harlan!

[@williamavitt8264]

First of all, I realize I'm commenting on a comment that's a year old. That said, I think this past year's Oscars where Michael Keaton was so certain he was going to win that he had his speech in hand and then was shown embarrassingly slipping it back into his pocket when he didn't win shows that they do not inform the winner beforehand

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

William Avitt If this is true, I stand corrected and extend my criticism of the Hugos and Nebulas to The Academy in not properly notifying recipients that they're receiving awards before they're presented.

[@williamavitt8264]

David T. Smith it's possible that Michael Keaton was wrongly informed, but yeah, he definitely had to slip his speech back into his pocket and it was fairly embarrassing for him because everyone picked up on it. But I agree that these awards people need to inform the recipients beforehand

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

William Avitt Ironically, that's how Harlan's film "The Oscar" ended. Stephen Boyd's character stands up expecting to receive his Oscar when it was someone else with the same first name and he freezes in mid-applause after his mistake. I guess fiction can parallel fact after the fact as well as before it.

[@Jimvanhise]

Wait, they actually thought they had to add the word COMMENTARY on the screen? Like we're stupid? Sad that Harlan isn't around any more and sad that the last two years of his life were so painful and difficult.

[@SpitshineSneakers]

If Harlan thought the Hugos were a joke back then, I'd LOVE to hear what he'd have to say about this year's results were most of the categories got "no reward" simply because they had a Sad Puppies nominee, and then later held the "actual" rewards for the winners they wanted. He would go apeshit over the immaturity of it.

[@paulonius42]

+SpitshineSneakers He'd almost certainly lambast the Sad Puppies as the pathetic, misogynist, deeply dimwitted twits they are. He'd hate the way they gamed the system to try to push a few far-right authors into Hugo wins. And no, the awards afterward weren't the "actual" awards. They were separate and unofficial, done by some of the fans and writers in attendance. Harlan is a fan of Octavia Butler and other female writers and non-white writers, so he'd be opposed to the Sad, Stupid Puppies without a doubt.

[@SpitshineSneakers]

paxpaul From what I read, Sad puppies also had a number of female writers among their nominees. The point was to break the monopoly on a certain "in-crowd" of nominees that won every year. Rabid puppies on the other hand was pretty dim-witted.

[@paulonius42]

+SpitshineSneakers That's a fair distinction (sad vs rabid puppies).

[@tuxguys]

A little "inside baseball" for the non-fan regular consumer, but vintage Ellison nonetheless.

[@toxicgamesorg]

why do you need awards ,when you know your good, because you make a lot of money .

[@AudiobooksToday]

It's all ego, now. With the Oscars they're afraid it'll be leaked. People could bet, like insider trading.

[@stevend.bennett427]

None of the books I re-read because of my love for the writing have ever been award-winners. On the contrary, most award-winning books I've read (those I could get through, especially Pulitizers) have been mildly interesting. These days only leftist drivel seems to make the cut.

[@plaidchuck]

Oh theres plenty of puff pieces for you wing dingers out there.