Awards season is one of the most exciting times of the year, especially for those who make it their business to follow celebrities and the entertainment culture.

Each year, the Ghana Movie Awards trots out its most significant productions and its biggest stars to celebrate the movies that made the biggest critical and commercial impact over the preceding twelve months.

Let’s make this short and simple as we have been made to know that this year’s Ghana Movie Awards will come up on the 2nd of December 2012, that’s few days from now, at the Accra International Conference Centre. The organizers are so well organized that they are making it known to the public now (no pun intended).

The organizers have their thoroughly done best to come out with thirty-one (31) categories with which from the brochure given to press men and women at the press launch we attended, our Entertainment Desk pinched out clumsiness, maybe they are saving the best for the last. At least they have previously fumbled and this year’s will not be any case study to deal with.

With our gathered information, the Kumawood team has decided to snub the awards and therefore we once again feel it will be an all-Accra festival. This year’s awards have no jury and if there is then why were we not hinted at the soiree?

The popular parlance which says, se agro be so a, efiri anopa, seems not to be in the dictionary of the organizers who would as well have taken their money to either delve into a pool party show since they want to do something.

We must be plain here that we really didn’t see the essence of the press conference with just less than one week to the event. Someone may argue that they were doing their homework underground, well good luck to them because last year’s event was done openly and yet so many blunders occurred, how much less doing ‘underground’ works?

Organizers have described the nominations as ‘fair and devoid’ of the controversies, yet let’s get into some ahead of the whole pending sarcasm: Yet to be released movie, Joni Waka from the stables of Sky Orange owned by Van Vicker gave the actor the chance to compete in the Best Actor In A Lead Role category alongside John Dumelo in Queen Latifa, Prince David Osei in Off the Hook, Kofi Adjorlolo in Wipe My Tears and Ekow Blankson in Secret Burden.

Single & Married topped the list with 10 nominations. Followed closely is Grooms Bride with 8 nominations. Kobi Rana’s Hotel Babylon obtained the third highest nominations with 6. ‘Queen Latifa’, ‘Secret Burden’ and ‘Wanna Be’ got 4 nominations each.

Joni Waka also obtained two other nominations in the Best Cinematography and Best Picture categories. Son of the former Ghana President, Edward Agyekum Kufuor who has become an actor now grabbed a nomination in the Best Actor In A Support Role with his role in ‘Tears of a smile’.

We wonder how events are shabbily organized by those we have faith in and thus, they lead us astray all in the name of trying to prove a point. But the issue before us isn’t a ‘trying to prove a point’ matter, but GHANA MOVIE AWARDS. The name ‘Ghana’ is in context here and thus, we smell a rat knowing very well that this year’s event maybe a ‘Mr. Bean’ show.

We may be wrong with our opinion, but we shall all wait and see the outcome of 2nd of December. It is in our own interest that media guys must critically say it as it is, less they pretend that all is well and in that case lead the organizers astray.

What is worth doing is worth doing well. Albeit, my candid advice to the organizers is that for an awards show of this magnitude, it only requires effective advance planning and some creativity.

Below are full list of nominations:

BEST ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE – ENGLISH LANGUAGE Van Vicker – Joni Waka John Dumelo – Queen Latifa Prince David Osei – Off The Hook Kofi Adjorlolo – Wipe My Tears Ekow Blankson – Secret Burden

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE – ENGLISH LANGUAGE Yvonne Nelson – Single & Married Martha Ankomah – Tears Of A Smile Jackie Appiah – Grooms Bride Nana Akua Addo – Wanna Be Yvonne Okoro – 3 Some Nadia Buari – Rain

BEST ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE – LOCAL LANGUAGE Akwesi Boadi – Osofa Mafia Farida Mohammed – Gobana Kofi Adu – Agya Koo Trotro Driver Isaac Amoako – Saman Mogya Kwaku Manu – Area Boys

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE – LOCAL LANGUAGE Nana Ama Mcbrown - Nyankonton Vivian Jill – My Story Linda Abbey – Saman Mogya Tracy Boakye – Oh Vera Mercy Asiedu – Baby Face

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORT ROLE – ENGLISH LANGUAGE Adjetey Annan – Rain Majid Michel – Grooms Bride Rahim Banda – Wipe My Tears Edward Agyekum Kufuor – Tears Of A Smile Frank Artus – The Game Chris Attoh – Single & Married

BEST ACTRESS IN THE SUPPORT ROLE – ENGLISH LANGUAGE Kalsum Sinare – 3 Some Anita Erskine – Single & Married Linda Awuku – Wanna Be Lydia Forson – In The Cupboard Christabel Ekeh – Wrong Target Nikki Samonas – Queen Latifa

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORT ROLE – LOCAL LANGUAGE Apostle John Prah – Osofo Mafia Kojo Nkansah – Kweku Saman Samuel Ofori – Oh Vera Bernard Opoku – Police Officer Ebenezer Donkoh – B14

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORT ROLE – LOCAL LANGUAGE Naana Hayford – Odo Ntentan Fatima Osman – Gobana Rose Mensah – Fathia Fata Nkrumah Emelia Brobbey – My Story Matilda Asare – Ghana Police Ellen White – Saman Mogya

BEST ACTOR – AFRICAN COLLABORATION Kalu Keagwu – Shadow In The Dark Ramsey Nouah – Hotel Babylon Alex Usifo - Off The Hook Uti Nwachukwu – In The Cupboard Yemi Blaq – The Search Alex Ekubo – Lovelorn

BEST ACTRESS – AFRICAN COLLABORATION Ini Edo – In The Cupboard Patience Ozorkor – Untamed Rukky Sandra – The Search Nse Ikpe Etim – The Search Tonto Dikeh – Lovelorn Mercy Johnson – Wild Targer

BEST PICTURE – AFRICAN COLLABORATION Desmond Elliot & Caroline Danjuma – In The Cupboard Yvonne Nelson – Single & Married Abdul Sallam – Grooms Bride Andy Boyo – Untamed Kobi Rana – Hotel Babylon

BEST PICTURE Joni Waka – Van Vicker & Dr. Clarice Kulah-Ford Grooms Bride – Abdul Sallam Single & Married – Yvonne Nelson Trap In The Game – Frank Rajah Arase Ghana Police – Eugene Morrat Hotel Babylon – Kori Rana Secret Burden – Sellasie Ibrahim Wanna Be – Edmund Quarshie & Michael Odeka

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Single & Married – Kwame Awuah Hotel Babylon – Kobi Rana Joni Waka – Van Vicker Area Boys – Kwame Agyeman Grooms Bride – Adams Umar

BEST EDITING Grooms Bride – Enoch Opoku Hotel Babylon – Kobi Rana Single & Married – Ebenezer Sowatey B14 – Ninja Wanna Be – Afra Marley

BEST CUSTOME AND WARDROBE Queen Latifa – Mabel Germain Ghana Police – Monica Agboli & Nicolas Nsiah Return Of The Bukom Lion – De She Collections Fathia Fata Nkrumah – George Atobrah Grooms Bride – Samira Yakubu Secret Burden – Smarttys Management

BEST ART DIRECTION

Return Of The Bukom Lion Production Design: SHE Quartey Set Decoration: Richard Quartey

Fathia Fata Nkrumah Production Design: Jude Odoh Set Decoration: Bismark Gyamera

Rain Production Design: DJ Varga Set Decoration: DJ Varga

Ghana Police Production Design: Jones Agyeman Set Decoration: James Akwasi Wiafe

Single & Married Production Design: Pascal Amanfo Set Decoration: Bismark Nii Odoi

Secret Burden Production Design: John Izedonmi Set Decoration: Fusani Mamudu

BEST MUSIC ORIGINAL SONG Azonto Ghost – Bessa Destiny’s Child – Wilhelmina Abu Andani (Mimi) Single & Married – Abraham Affaine Wrong Target – Samuel Sarpong Fathia Fata Nkrumah – Adu Patrick

BEST DIRECTING – ENGLISH LANGUAGE Single & Married – Pascal Amanfo Grooms Bride – Frank Rajah Arase Queen Latifa – Kensteve Anuka In The Cupboard – Desmond Elliot Hotel Babylon – Kobi Rana