2020 Emmy Awards: Technologically Reimagined in COVID-Era

Opinion by Christy Kim

72nd Emmy Awards

“Welcome to the virtual 72nd annual Emmy Awards. I’m your host Jimmy Kimmel!” These were the first words at this year’s ceremony. The Emmys celebrate the excellence of actors and actresses in the television industry. There are musical performances, speeches, and well-deserved wins.

However, 2020 brought upon a unique challenge with COVID-19. There are mandated practices like social distancing, wearing masks, and limits on large group gatherings. The Emmy Awards came up with a creative solution to combat these conditions. They set the precedent, as the Emmys was the first pandemic award ceremony.

Pandemic Solutions

The Emmys were virtually produced this year. Celebrities attended from the comfort of their own homes. We saw Zendaya, who took home the “best actress in a drama” award, in her living room. Jennifer Anniston and Courtney Cox and the entire cast of Friends attended as a group in their hotel room.

Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted this year, delivered his opening monologue to an empty crowd. The ceremony tried to compensate this by placing cardboard cutouts of celebrities.

The Emmys pre-recorded performers and presenters. H.E.R delivered a heartrending song in memory of Chadwick Boseman. He was a well-known actor in the Marvel series who passed away from cancer. Ty Burrell, Ken Jeong, Mindy Kaling, Tatiana Maslany and Bob Newhart all participated in presenting awards to the designated winners. The producers cut video segments to create a cohesive show.

The Emmys included essential workers, like doctors and nurses, as part of the ceremony. These workers would deliver the awards. The ceremony wanted to pay proper gratitude to those who are keeping COVID numbers down.

The most interesting part of this virtual Emmys ceremony was the ever-present question. If the participants and recipients of these awards are virtual, how will they receive their statues? The award ceremony lightened the mood by having staff in hazmat tuxedo suits deliver these statues to quarantined celebrities.

The Emmys took the time to fully embrace this virtual reality by paying proper tribute to current events. They wanted to create the correct tone by addressing hardships.

This award ceremony excelled in this by incorporating these sentiments into Kimmel’s monologue throughout the show. Kimmel touched on police brutality, racial unrest, and the wildfires in California.

Raising Awareness for Recent Events

Some participants went as far as attending the virtual ceremony in political attire. Regina King and Uzo Aduba sported Breonna Taylor attire. Jimmy Kimmel and Jennifer Anniston performed a pithy skit about the importance of fire safety. The Emmys set the precedent for how ceremonies should approach these important subjects.

Monologues will be delivered in an empty stadium. Celebrities will zoom in wearing pajamas and relaxing with a glass of champagne from their living room chairs. Presenters will be wearing masks and socially distanced as they stand on stage.

“We deserve to have some fun. In these times, we must come together.” –Kimmel

Kimmel said it best. Fun is exactly the word to describe this technologically reimagined awards event.

Homeschooler in the Real World

Emma Folts, a sophomore at Wheaton College, shares her experience about her transition into college and how homeschool has both helped and hindered her.
How has your homeschool experience benefitted you, especially in your transition into college?
I think the one thing that homeschooling did that was really helpful as I entered college was that it taught me time management. As a homeschooler I had the same freedom as a college student has to put things off during the day and go see a friend instead. Since I had that experience, I knew the cost of that.
Also, personal responsibility and accountability with assignments. I feel like a lot of the other students had more expectations for gentler grading and that the professor would give them retakes or extensions, but that wasn’t something that ever happened to me in school. That learning curve wasn’t added because I never had it the other way. I think another thing was that because I was homeschooled, I was familiar with the format of teaching and then studying on my own.
Did you see any issues with your transition socially?
I think that homeschooling had two ramifications for me socially. One was helpful, one was hurtful.
It was really helpful because as a homeschooler, I had spent a lot of time realizing and developing who I was as a person and learning to recognize people who were being themselves, and those were the people I sought out as friends. Friendship as a homeschooler takes a lot more investment. I knew I was choosier with my friends which made me a lot less anxious and a lot more content.
The only real negative impact of the social bit was that I was really used to getting to choose the time I got to spend with people. As a homeschooler I spent a lot of time with people, but that time was controlled by me. As a college student, I found that you can’t really control the time you spend with people and alone time is not really available. Learning to deal with that was a lot harder than anticipated.
Any last comments on homeschool and how it has affected your college experience?
I think homeschooling is really helpful, however it does take a slightly increased amount of advocacy with your peers when you’re entering into college. I think a lot of people come in with certain assumptions about homeschool, especially students. You’re going to get a lot of, ‘oh my gosh, you don’t seem like a homeschooled person!’ [You can’t] take that too personally and explain your experience so that friends can understand it’s an important piece of you, though it might not look like the homeschooling that they’ve seen.
My encouragement to anyone who is a homeschooler transitioning into college is to realize the benefit that you have having been homeschooled, and to realize that the bit of advocacy and explaining that you need to do with your peers is totally normal and that it’s not a big deal. Once they understand your experience, it’s not something I’ve experienced being looked down on for.