And the Award goes to…

By Gemma Jacob

Round about this time everyone waits in anticipation for the opening of envelopes and the announcement of nominations, for the post-Christmas season is also Awards Season. The movies in the cinema become described as ‘Oscar-worthy.’ It has already begun with the release of ‘The King’s Speech’ and ‘Black Swan.’ Both expected to do well in this year’s awards. There are also the Golden Globes and Emmys recognising excellence on the small screen. Not to be outdone, there are also several web-based awards, in which Anyone But Me is of course making a strong showing.

Susan Miller, Nicole Pacent, Rachael Hip-Flores, and Tina Cesa Ward at the Streamys 2010

The main difference with the web-based awards, however, is that the audience of these shows are often decisive in their outcome. Okay so that’s true of the People’s Choice Awards too, but you have to be a member of the Academy to vote for the “big” award. To vote for ABM all you need do is click on a few ‘Vote’ buttons and you are a part of potentially getting ABM a few more accolades and some well deserved recognition for the amazing job they do.

In 2010 ABM was nominated and won several awards, including three Soap Opera Spirit Nominations, eleven nominations and four wins in the first Indie Soap Awards, two wins in the 31^st Telly Awards, including their highest honour – the People’s Silver Telly Award, and who can forget the Streamys? With four nominations and a win for Rachael Hip-Flores in my favourite moment of the Awards Season.

I remember the exact moment when Rachael won. I was watching it at something crazy like 3am half-asleep and having to force my eyes to stay open. As soon as her name was announced I was jumping up and down like a crazy person trying not to wake everyone else. I didn’t know what to do first, whether to text or tweet or BBM the news to everyone. I think I did all three, and then had to apologise in the morning for waking everyone in my phonebook with the news that this person they probably didn’t know had won an award they’d never heard of for a show they’d never seen. What can I say? I was more than a little happy at the news. I hope to have a similar moment again in the not too distant future.

The nominations for ABM this Awards Season have already started to flow in. Voting for ABM in the Best of Clicker 2010’s Best Web Drama category closes tonight (12am PST) so there are still a few hours to vote. However, just announced are the nominations for the 1^st Annual Indie Intertube Awards, with ABM receiving a total of seven nominations. Nicole Pacent received a much deserved nomination in the Supporting Actress – Drama category, and of course my personal favourite, Rachael Hip-Flores, for Actress in a Drama. Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward were also rightly recognised in the Writing in a Drama and Directing in a Drama categories, and the show as a whole in the Drama category.

Two slightly different categories for which ABM has been nominated are the ‘WTF Moment’ for ‘The Final Kiss’ – you all know which one, and also ‘Best Show to Recommend to your Mother.’ Now, I am not sure about the other scenes nominated in the WTF Moment category, but I know that over five months later those final scenes of Season 2 still have me burying my head in my hands wishing that it was all just a bad dream.

The awards in these categories will be decided upon by the team at Indie Intertube, however there is an Audience Choice Award in which the fans will have the deciding vote on who wins. You can vote on the Indie Intertube website. The Audience Choice Award is no stranger to ABM, having already won this accolade in the 2010 American Soap Awards.

I know that the fans, if given the choice, would give the ABM team every award from every awarding body, even those they’re probably not qualified for. It is in the awards that we are given the vote that we can do the most good. So please keep checking the Twitter accounts of ABMFans and AnyoneButMe for details of any awards they’ve been nominated for and any votes they need cast.

I wait for the red carpets to be rolled out. There is so much talent in the ABM team, and though the support of their fans means much more to them than any award they receive, I know that it is always nice to have the recognition of your peers. My fingers will be crossed, not for ABM because I have enough faith in them to know that they are amazing despite how much silverware is added to their mantelpieces, but instead that those deciding on the winners have the good sense that all of the ABM fans do.