Golden Trailer Award Show Recap

The Saban Theater is deceptively small from the outside.  As you pass by it on Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills, you would never guess that a fairly large annual event was taking place inside.  If you watched the steady stream of people pouring into the theater, you would’ve been even more perplexed as to what sort of event this was.

There were men in fancy suits and women in elegant attire mingling with people in casual business wear and guys with plaid shirts, tight jeans and neatly trimmed goatees. It was an eclectic mix, but that’s what happens when you gather together people from all around the entertainment industry and invite the public to participate in a rather unique award show.

Last night was the 14th Annual Golden Trailer Award Show, but it was my first time attending.  As I entered the building, I wondered just how popular an award show about movie trailers could possibly be.

Within thirty minutes I had my answer as the theater filled to capacity.  Later on I would come to learn that production companies like Buddha Jones had invited their entire staff to the award ceremony to thank them for their hard work.  And to cause quite a ruckus when they won an award.

Attendees enjoyed drinks with clever little names like “The Wolverita” (a drink which proved to be my undoing as it was heavy on the tequila) and indulged in delectable finger foods that might have been a little too fancy for my tastes.  I kept myself preoccupied with the plentiful drink options and took safety with the fresh fruits that I could recognize.

The actual award show flowed rather well, despite a late start.  Rob Schneider and Aisha Taylor teamed up to perform hosting duties for the night, though the two were never on stage at the same time.

Rob seemed to be there to break up the ceremony and provide a bit of comedy to help keep things “fresh.”  It was a little awkward though as Rob stood up on stage and seemed to rattle through a list of jokes he had prepared for the night.  Various quips about celebs and the state of the movie industry met with genuine applause and moments of awkward chuckles.

Aisha Taylor seemed to be adlibbing most of the night and going off the cuff, leading her to riff on the things crawling across the prompter and playing to the crowd.  My favorite moment of the night had to be when she totally ripped on a guy for having a girly nickname, assuring him that no one in the audience was currently judging his penis size.  I can’t tell you how much I love Aisha Taylor.

In order to ensure that the award show didn’t run all day like the Oscars, the actual show itself consisted of only a handful of the most important categories.  The rest of the winners were quickly displayed on a giant screen as people took their seats in the theater.  It’s certainly something you appreciate as an audience member.

Of the awards geared towards Horror, there was no clear winner as the awards were dispersed across a mix of films.  Mama took home the award for Best Horror Movie Trailer.  Best Foreign Horror Trailer went to The Awakening.  Best TV Spot was won by Sinister and The Last Exorcism Part 2 won Best Poster for it’s back breaking design.

In other areas John Dies at the End won the “Don Lafontaine Award for Best Voice Over.”  The guy who came up to accept the award was certainly the best dressed that night as well, sporting a rad looking Hawaiian shirt.

As the night ended we were treated to coffee and desserts which I mistakenly chased with a tuna pate.  We then stumbled out a side exit, completely missing the gift bags they were giving out,  but it’s okay because we found another gift awaiting us at our car.  A nice little ticket from a Beverly Hills traffic cop.  A perfect end to an all around decent evening.