The Cassutt Files
The Mikeys

Some of us hate the idea of awards. Part of our disdain is the sheer number of them—not just in the sci-fi world, where you've got Hugos and the Philip K. Dick and the Arthur C. Clarke and the Saturns, and formerly the coveted Balrog, but in movies and TV with the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes. The mystery field has the Edgars. The World Fantasy Con gives ... well, the World Fantasy Award. Horror writers have their Stokers. The academic field is over-run with awards, too. No curriculum vitae is complete—or effective—without a listing of grants, fellowships, etc.

My own view mirrors that of the late Kingsley Amis (author of the pioneering critical work on sci-fi, New Maps of Hell, as well as the wonderful alternate-world novel, The Alteration, not to mention the funniest and nastiest novels of the 20th century—check out the new Life of KA by Zachary Leader, recently published by Pantheon). When receiving the 1987 Booker Prize for his novel, The Old Devils, he joked that "until just now I had thought the Booker Prize a rather trivial, showbizzy caper, but now I considered it a very serious, reliable indication of literary merit."

Yes, awards gain value when you win one.

This Saturday night, May 12th, in New York, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, better known as SFWA, will hand out its annual awards for achievement in the art of SF writing. The categories are novel, novella, novelette, short story and script. There are also Grand Master Awards, this year to James E. Gunn, and an Andre Norton Award for young adult novel.

I have attended around 20 Nebula banquets, and usually enjoy them, if for no other reason than catching up with friends. On one occasion I gave out the trophy for best novel, and last year accepted the script award on behalf of Joss Whedon, for Serenity. Once I even served as toastmaster, placing myself—however briefly or unjustifiably—in the company of such personalities as Connie Willis, Neil Gaiman and Ronald D. Moore.

Since I won't be there to celebrate the Nebula winners, and since it is sort of the season, I offer my own quirky, entirely subjective set of awards for sci-fi film and television.

I give you the Mikeys—an incomplete, totally subjective addition to the world of sci-fi awards.

(Hey, at least I'm not forcing you to sit through a keynote speaker. Don't get me started.)

And the winner is ...

Best sci-fi or fantasy series: Battlestar Galactica. Sharp writing, excellent performances by skilled actors, moody and extremely effective production design and cinematography, BSG is still the gold standard for sci-fi on television. If only it had a little more sci-fi...

Most promising newcomer: Heroes. A no-brainer, I guess. But given my own rather limited taste for the whole idea (see The Cassutt Files in SFW #480, "Poor Superman"), Tim Kring's creation is a welcome surprise. Smartly written, clever, occasionally moving. It has Ali Larter in the cast, not something I'm going to complain about.

Best show I don't watch: a tie between Supernatural and Smallville. Whenever I see them, I like them, but neither has ever made it onto my automatic record-and-watch list. This may reflect some inability on my part to connect with The CW, which may be age. Certainly CW actively aims its programs at audiences younger than me.

Best sci-fi idea least suited for a series: Daybreak. See last month's Cassutt Files.

Best use of humor in sci-fi: almost any episode of Doctor Who. (Why there isn't a sci-fi sitcom is an enduring mystery to me.)

And, even though my turf is television rather than feature films, I'm going to call Children of Men the best in that category. A dark, depressing look at the near future. If you didn't see it, why are you reading this column?

Best arc: the second half of this season of BSG. I won't spoil it for those of you who are waiting for the DVD.

The losers can also be winners

I have joked for years that the Nebulas—and other voted awards—would be more fun if you could use your vote to cancel someone else's. In that spirit, there will be awards for achievement, and for failure. I offer to recognize less than stellar achievement:

Worst arc—the whole Other business on Lost last fall.

Most confusing use of a leading man: Jake Green, the character played by Skeet Ulrich on Jericho. A writer's logical impulse is to make this prodigal-son-returned-home an anti-hero, but the setting (a small Kansas town trying to survive the effects of a nuclear war) screams for someone to take charge. If Jericho is ever going to capture the hearts of the CBS audience that thrills to C.S.I., Ghost Whisperer and Cold Case, Jake will have to set aside his doubts and reluctance and start taking some initiative.

The Star Trek award for overuse of jargon—to House. This could be my favorite series, thanks to Hugh Laurie's magnificent portrayal of Gregory House. And yes, I know there's no overt sci-fi. But the medical stuff sure sounds like a Next Generation info-dump on time loops or transporters.

The James E. Gunn Award for series that should have run a lot longer. This is named in honor of the 2007 Grand Master, author of such novels as The Listeners and The Witching Hour, as well as the classic space story "Cave of Night," dramatized on CBS way back in 1959. Gunn's 1961 novel The Immortals became a popular movie if the week in 1969, and was followed in spring 1970 by a series that died prematurely. This year's retrospective winner—Dark Angel, one of the few recent attempts by any network to envision our world in the future. (Runner up is always Max Headroom, but I might be prejudiced on that one.)

By rights, of course, there should be a trophy for the Mikeys. Even though noted for my regular features, I don't imagine a terrible hunger for a figurine of my head. And, given that half of my awards are for negative achievement, said head would have to be making an unhappy face.

Since this is an on-line column, let's just say you've won an e-ward.

I should offer suggestions for acting, cinematography, editing and music, though ... as with the Academy Awards, these technical achievements will be recognized in a separate column—written by Ali Larter, perhaps.

As soon as I can arrange that, I'll let you know.