Sean Bean near some towers. Yesterday. Pic: themightybean.comAwards. They're everywhere. I've even won some myself. But how much do they really matter? Oh sure, a best Oscar win might see a film sell a few more copies of the DVD, but i'm not talking about commercial value. I'm talking about respect. Who will salute the unsung heroes of the British Isles and present them with an award that not only means something to them personally, but to those around them who have the same loyalty to their region but alas, not the level of celebrity required to be the ambassador of their accent.
It's thanks to people like Sean Bean, Alex Turner, Mike Skinner, and hundreds more that the British accent stays strong in all it's different guises. From the soft scottish brogue to the brummie twang, each time a public figure utters a sentence in a non RP voice, individuality scores 1 point in the win column against conformity.
And so, the first annual Regional Accent Awards AKA The RAAs is born.
To begin I would like to draw up a shortlist of nominees for the categories below. These awards are open to input from anyone, and that includes being able to put forward extra award categories. If you can think of an award that isn't on the list below, make a comment and it will go in.
The categories are as follow:
Best male accent.
Best female accent.
Best newcomer.
Biggest flip-flop.
Fakest/Most put-on accent.
Best overall regional accent.
And the big one:
The Sean Bean award for outstanding achievement in the field of regional accent promotion.
The perfect example of the flip-flop would be Tess Daly, wife of Vernon Kay, who went from an extremely broad Bolton accent to one that now resembles an RP accent put through a mangler. In short, she had abandoned her Northern roots to fit in better with the requirements of prime-time television.
That's her decision, but the RAAs aim to seek out those who stick to their guns and speak with their given voice no matter what. Like Sean Bean.
I will draw up my own shortlist but now the floor is open to you guys to nominate your favourite for each of the categories above.
As nominations come in I will seek out clips to provide examples of each nominees' accent, so that when it comes time to vote we can all make an informed decision.
That's it for now. Get thinking.
It's thanks to people like Sean Bean, Alex Turner, Mike Skinner, and hundreds more that the British accent stays strong in all it's different guises. From the soft scottish brogue to the brummie twang, each time a public figure utters a sentence in a non RP voice, individuality scores 1 point in the win column against conformity.
And so, the first annual Regional Accent Awards AKA The RAAs is born.
To begin I would like to draw up a shortlist of nominees for the categories below. These awards are open to input from anyone, and that includes being able to put forward extra award categories. If you can think of an award that isn't on the list below, make a comment and it will go in.
The categories are as follow:
Best male accent.
Best female accent.
Best newcomer.
Biggest flip-flop.
Fakest/Most put-on accent.
Best overall regional accent.
And the big one:
The Sean Bean award for outstanding achievement in the field of regional accent promotion.
The perfect example of the flip-flop would be Tess Daly, wife of Vernon Kay, who went from an extremely broad Bolton accent to one that now resembles an RP accent put through a mangler. In short, she had abandoned her Northern roots to fit in better with the requirements of prime-time television.
That's her decision, but the RAAs aim to seek out those who stick to their guns and speak with their given voice no matter what. Like Sean Bean.
I will draw up my own shortlist but now the floor is open to you guys to nominate your favourite for each of the categories above.
As nominations come in I will seek out clips to provide examples of each nominees' accent, so that when it comes time to vote we can all make an informed decision.
That's it for now. Get thinking.
