Do Award Shows Even Matter Anymore? Plus: Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran’s Tour Over Palestine by Progressive Voices Network

Do Award Shows Even Matter Anymore? Plus: Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran’s Tour Over Palestine

The Emmys just happened. Did anyone outside Hollywood actually care?

Award shows have always caught flak for being elitist, out-of-touch spectacles — but they still move the needle: box office bumps, viewership spikes, higher asking prices for the winners. The real question is whether any of that still matters to the average viewer in a world of disposable content, where shows blow up and vanish in a news cycle and movies trend for five minutes before disappearing completely. We’re breaking down whether awards shows still hold cultural weight, or if they’re just industry theater at this point.

Also this week: Macklemore has been dropped from the remainder of Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour after his pro-Palestinian comments and use of “Free Palestine” imagery onstage. According to reporting, multiple stadium venues told the tour’s promoter they wouldn’t host the show if Macklemore stayed on the bill — and Sheeran ultimately caved to the pressure. We’re talking about what this says about free speech in America right now, especially when it comes to Israel and Palestine, and why we think this kind of pressure campaign does nothing to help Israel’s image or the standing of American Jewish leaders who back it.

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Karel is a history-making broadcaster, entertainer, and commentator based in Las Vegas, joined by his little service dog, Ember.

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