Blaise Tapp: Banging the drum for glittering gongs

I am also rather chuffed if I successfully navigate a day without having a mini breakdown about one thing or another, although I think Prince George will be on the throne next time that happens.

The truth is that we all quantify success in many different ways: some collect trophy wives while others consider a flashy motor parked in the drive of the biggest property in the street as a sign that they have got on in the world.

Which is why award ceremonies have long proved so popular because they are so often considered to be the ultimate hallmark and, in most cases, cannot be bought. We are now deep into award season having just had the Golden Globes with our very own Baftas and Brit Awards looming on the horizon although all of these are mere Hors d’oeuvres for the main event - the Academy Awards.

The Oscars are unrivalled in terms of glamour and importance and, along with the Super Bowl, have become the biggest event in America, the biggest market. The golden statuette is the daddy of all trophies with all other awards reduced to the status of insignificant trinkets next to it. In fact almost every other award is compared to it - I have even heard ‘these awards have been dubbed the Oscars of the pie industry’.

For the next few weeks there will be breathless hype and plenty of speculation as to who will triumph in the February Californian sunshine.

But it appears not everyone agrees with the value of such ceremonies if the poll on Sky News the other day was anything to go by. Granted Kay Burley is hardly the voice of reason but when she asked ‘are there too many awards out there and have these ceremonies lost their relevance?’ it did get me thinking as to whether that particular market has become saturated.

I thought about it for all of three seconds and decided that, once again, she was talking balderdash as awards offer light relief to the public and hope to the industries they celebrate. It is no coincidence that the Oscars and many others are held at the start of the year when little else is on the calendar and the film industry is in great need of a post Christmas boost.

I have been to my fair share of awards dos (although the best I have done personally is to pick up a glass paperweight in recognition for my work in implementing somebody else’s idea) and they do their job.

Of course you do see the odd unlucky loser sporting a face like a smacked backside at the end of the night

Life can be mundane so a little bit of stardust is always welcome.