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South African Comedy Awards?

Helen Herimbi, writing for the South African entertainment site Tonight, previews next month’s first ever South African Comedy Awards. SACA CEO Sam Hendrickse spouted the usual boilerplate stuff that awards show organizers say.

But this stuck out:

“We need to create an A level, a B level and a development level of comedy, so that people can trust spending their money wisely.”

He didn’t say that out loud, did he? The implications are potentially huge and ominous. Our head… she spins! We have an informal, implied system here in North America– the Headliner/Middle/Emcee Levels. This A, B, D(evelopment) thing seems a bit regimented, a little too… codified. Perhaps it’s a language thing. Maybe we misunderstand Mr. Hendrickse, but he seems to have shifted from being on the side of the talent to being on the side of the customer. More like Ralph Nader than Budd Friedman. Imagine if Consumer Reports ran an issue that advised consumers on how to choose wisely when it comes to a comedy show!

Will there be an application process to upgrade one’s status from Level D to Level B? Perhaps we worry too much.