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AUDIOWORLD-
The 2004 Golden Headsets Awards By Bennet Pomerantz
Years of experience is like telling me you have cleaned house. When
I know how well you have cleaned, and what your idea of clean is, it
might matter. I believe that sometimes less *experience* is better.—
Anon.
Welcome to the second biggest audio award show in town. Now I am not
belittling myself, not hardly! . However, when I started the
Headsets 15 years ago (I know a milestone), The Audies (from The
Audio Publisher's Association) and the Golden Headphones (from
Audiofile) were not around nor were they in the public's eye. So am
I the Golden Globes to the Oscars? Does that mean my choices are
better than someone else's, Hardly? Nevertheless, these are my
choices for this year.
Some person remarked to me last year after the Headsets came out,
that I should place The Charles W Hemingway Audio Hall of Fame in
the front of the article. Well after much thought and internal
debate . . . dear Danielle, you have gotten your wish. So, This
year's Hemingway winner is what most would call a Renaissance man
regarding his craft. He is an award winning Children's Author, an
audio producer with many audio theater presentations under his belt
(for his own company and Listening Library to name two), an actor, A
previous GHA winner for Children's production (Jeremy Thatcher
Dragon Catcher), an owner of Full Cast Audio and an all around
delightful guy (and truer words like that are scarcely spoken). The
Yiddish word Mensch comes to mind when you discuss his name in many
audio circles. His company Full Cast Audio showcase's innovation in
an audio theater venue, this is another reason this man is singled
out this year for such an honor. This year's audio hall of fame
winner is Bruce Coville.
Talking about The Best Children's Audio, It has changed over the
last 15 years. It has grown up as children's literature has, and so
has the audio format which has taken to it . . . The nominees are:
Anne of Green Gables (Focus on The Family)
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Harper Audio)
Doing It (Imagination Studio)
Dr. Seuss's the Cat in the Hat & Other Stories (Imagination)
Have Spacesuit Will Travel (Full \Cast Audio)
Home on the Range Read Along (Disney)
I got a D in Salami (Imagination Studios)
Zombie Butts from Uranus (Imagination)
The winner is: Dr. Seuss's classic The Cat in The Hat. These
immortal tales (the Lorax, The Grinch & The Cat) told by name
narrators like Billy Crystal, Kelsey Grammar and others make this an
audio collection that cannot be missed. A great audio treat, Sam I
Am, and you can eat green eggs and ham & listens to this audio in a
moat, on a plane, in a trainwell you get the idea!
In the Best Audio Series, the nominees are
Alex Delaware (Random House Audio/Books on Tape)
Casca (Americana Audio)
Hank Zipser (Imagination Studio)
Richard Blade (Americana Audio)
Roald Dahl (Harper Audio)
Spenser (Random House)
Star Wars (Random House)
Star Trek (Simon & Schuster)
Tamora Pierce (Full Cast Audio)
This category was harder than it looked. The Tamora Pierce audio
collection was very good. Star Wars, Star Trek and Casca showcased
their staying power, with a few good and a few bad pieces of work.
The Winner is Henry Winkler narration of the Hank Zipser series.
This Young adult series is a good family favorite. And Note to Mr.
Winkler, you caught me with the childlike innocence of this series--
Keep it Up in your next audio project! A personal boo-hiss to
Imagination Studios, for not doing books five & six in the series in
an audio format! A further Boo-hiss for Listening Library for
discontinuing Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery. The problem I saw
with these two audio series that were out dated classic stories
that didn't relate to a younger audience, which Listening Library
is known for.
In the category of Best Author reading his/her Work, The nominees
are:
Jayson Blair-Burning Down My Master's House (New
Millennium Audio)
David Brenner-There is a Terrorist in my Soup (High bridge audio)
Bill Clinton-My Life (Random House/Books on Tape)
Jack Gantos-Hole In My Life (Listen Library)
Neil Gaiman-Neil Gaiman Audio collection (Harper Audio)
John Grisham-Bleachers (Random House/Books on Tape)
Evelyn Husband-Higher Calling (Oasis Audio)
Larry King-I Love Baseball (New Millennium Audio)
Cokie Roberts-Founding Mothers (Harper)
Henry Winkler-I got a D in Salami (Imagination Studio)
Wendy Williams-The Wendy Williams Experience (Penguin)
The winners are Jack Gantos and Neil Gaiman. Gantos's biography is
the other side of Midnight Express. It minces no words as he relays
his painful story about his youth, his drug running and his jail
time. One would wish he would write a book on his journey from jail
to being a writer of children' s books and audios. Listening Library
should be proud to have this book on its backbit. Gaiman is a major
storyteller and to hear him tell these yarns are great diversions
into pleasure. His exit interview on the last cut of CD with his
daughter is a treasure of insightfulness into the young adult
author mind set. I wish someone would take his Sandman books for has
done for DC comics and bring then to audio.
The category of Best Self Help/New Age/Inspirational audio, the
pickings were slim at best, but these are the best in audio
Blind sided (Harper audio)
The David Sedaris box set (Time Warner)
Elmer Kelton Tells the Truth: His Best Talks on the Old
West, Cowboys and Writing (Writer's audio
shop/Timberwolf)
Government Giveaways for Entrepreneur
volume four (Information USA)
Higher Calling (Oasis Audio)
Hole in My Life (Listening Library)
I Love Baseball (New Millennium Audio)
Johnny Cash reading the New Testament (Thomas Nelson)
Screen writing for Hollywood (Writer's audio shop/Timberwolf)
When this soulful reading of the New Testament came onto my desk, I
thought Johnny Cash couldn't do this justice. Having heard other
singers trying to narrate audios, I was fearful . . . well I was
wrong. He is the winner in this category. Special nods to Matthew
Lesko and Larry King. Mr. Lesko, you need to do more audio work
relating government programs. Your audio guide is a treasure chest
of great government programs and you, as a friend of mine said, is a
wealth of knowledge. And Mr. King, thanks for your salute to
Baseball . . . now with your audio help, DC has Baseball! Thanks
Larry!
The problem is in Best Multi Cast Productions. There are so many
good pieces of work this year. The Nominees are
The Adventures of Red Cloud (Radio Repertory of America)
The Arkangel Shakespeare collection (Audio Editions)
Big Bad Wolf (Time Warner)
The Children's Zoo (Mind's Ear)
Edenborn (High bridge Audio)
Have Space Suit will Travel (Full Cast Audio)
Helmsman (Timberwolf Audio)
Home on the Range Read Along (Disney)
Life of Christ (Audio Scholar)
Shakespeare's Greatest hits Volume one (Full Cast Audio)
Tales for a Stormy Night (Blackstone Audio)
The problem with this category is the Arkangel set. If this
collection wasn't involved in this year's Headsets. It would be a
four-way tie for this category with The Children's Zoo, Red Cloud,
Helmsman and Spacesuit! All great productions which scored high, I
do suggest you seek these productions out. However, the winner of
Best Multi cast production is The Archangel Shakespeare Collection
An Archived recording is a radio show or a performance previous
heard in radio or on line status, this year's nominees are:
Best of Boris Karloff (Radio Spirits)
The Credeaux Canvas (LA Theater Works)
Dinah Was (LA Theater works)
The Saint (Radio Spirits)
Sight Unseen (LA Theater Works)
Yogi Berra Presents Greatest Baseball Radio Shows
Volume one (Radio Spirits)
Ever notice that this year, everything soulful! As is the case with
this year's winner, Dinah Was. This audio play about singer Dinah
Washington is something to be amazed at. The production was
educative and insightful. This is a piece of audio theater at its
finest.
In the category of Best Reader Abridged, the nominees are:
Bill Clinton- My Life (Random House/Books on Tape)
Laura Hamilton-So 5 Minutes ago(Listen & Live Audio)
Terrance Mann The Last Juror (Random House)
Martha Plimpton - Retribution (Audio Renaissance)
Jason Prestley- Paranoia (Audio Renaissance)
Steven B Shirripa-Goomba's Book of Love (Random House)
Okay, This was an easy choice, The narrator who took his performance
to the limit was Jason Prestley- for Paranoia. His easy going, slick
narration of the main character who tells this story makes this
book a joy to listen to.
Best Audio Abridged
My Life (Random House/Books on Tape)
So 5 Minutes ago(Listen & Live Audio)
The Last Juror (Random House)
Retribution (Audio Renaissance)
Paranoia (Audio Renaissance)
Goomba's Book of Love (Random House)
The winner is the slice of Hollywood done very well by Listen & Live
Audio, So 5 Minutes Ago works on all levels. This audio will remind
many of the movie the Player, done by Robert Altman a few years ago.
Of note, I have to take my hat off to ex-president Clinton for his
abridged version of his book, he may- like his wife- try his hand
at doing more narration.
In The Best Reader Unabridged, the nominees are:
Michael Beck The Last Juror (Random House/Books on Tape)
Scott Brick- The Codex (Audio Renaissance/Books On Tape)
John Grisham- Bleachers (Random House/Books on Tape)
Eric Idle- Charlie & The Great Glass Elevator (Harper)
Joe Mantega- Bad Business (Random House/Books On Tape)
Daniel Passer- Coal Run (Penguin)
John Rubinstein Therapy (Random House/Books on Tape)
Jeffrey West= Elric of Melnibone (Audio Realms)
Henry Winkler- Niagra Falls or Does it (Imagination Studios)
The winners are: Scott Brick for the adventure story the Codex and
John Rubinstein for the latest Jonathan Kellerman entry Therapy. Mr.
Brick, who seems to be everywhere this year on audio, is an amazing
talent. Very few productions have you been a miss on. Mr.
Rubinstein, who is currently doing the Chicago part of the
Kellerman's opus is a seasoned hand regarding audio. Therapy's audio
narration was brighter than you have been on audio. On a few notes,
Eric Idle & Henry Winkler, great pieces of audio worksorry you
could not win in this category this year.
The Best Unabridged audios of the Year are:
The Last Juror (Random House/Books on Tape)
The Codex (Audio Renaissance/Books On Tape)
Bleachers (Random House/Books on Tape)
Charlie & The Great Glass Elevator (Harper)
Bad Business (Random House/Books On Tape)
Therapy (Random House/Books on Tape)
Elric of Melnibone (Audio Realms)
Have Space Suit Will Travel (Full Cast Audio)
Neil Gaiman Audio Collection (Harper)
Lets talk about the two that didn't win first . . . Elric and Bad
Business. Elric was an astounding book to get to audio. First time
audio company did a great try, it had to be to get here! Bad
Business had very good shot to win the headset this year, however it
was a few points' shy to win. The winner this year is Have Space
suit will Travel (Full Cast Audio). This classic deserved a spot as
the best. The full cast works well with the audio effects add.
Bringing Heinlein's classic novel to light was a labor like
something akin to Hercules, however this production did this, with
major success
So til Next time, I will be under the headsets
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