Of course, that was only the second award and just a primer for the irreverence to come. F-bombs dropped like the missiles over Dresden, coming fast and furious, but all in good humor and great spirits. After Jay left the stage, Jessica Alba came on to accept her award for Sexiest Superhero (Fantastic Four) and raved about Batman's huge codpiece and Superman's shapely ass in the red tights (later on, the newly-engaged Brandon Routh blushed and grinned when asked about Jessica's astute observation).

 

The first musical performance was from My Chemical Romance, introduced via satellite by Pinhead himself. They rocked Welcome to the Black Parade out a lot harder than the radio version, as a living dead girl and a white zombie flanked them onstage. The show, estimated to reach an estimated 750 million people from the U.S. and over 90 countries outside the U.S., was the perfect venue to whet the appetite of fans awaiting their album, set to drop of October 24.

 

The program was also an excellent showcase for upcoming movies, particularly Saw III and Grind House, which were prominently featured and heavily promoted. The Scream Awards were hosted by three of Grind House's sexiest vixens, Marley Shelton, Rose McGowan, and Rosario Dawson. The movie's directors, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, were also in attendance to accept their spiky statuette for the Scream Mastermind Award.

 

The director of Saw II and III, Darren Lynn Boussard, was on hand with stars Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith to pump up the third installment, in theaters on October 27. A very enticing clip from the movie debuted on the show (as did a world premiere first look at Grind House, out in theaters in spring 2007).

 

There were some funny, pre-produced bits throughout the show. The first one was the IRS crackdown on award show gift bags, involving a Fed and a tax-evading zombie. There was also an inspired "Memorial" clip, honoring those who died over the past year.

 

And how about variety? It was honorary British royalty (Sir Ian McKellan, for X-Men) pitted against homicidal hillbillies (The Devil's Rejects) for the Most Vile Villain Award. A black crow flew in from on high carrying a severed finger in its beak, announcing the winner: The Firefly Clan. Accepting the award was Sheri Moon Zombie (who thanked her director, and husband, Rob Zombie), Sid Haig (who thanked Rob, and Lionsgate), and Leslie Easterbook (who got into Mother Firefly mode to thank her nemesis and costar, William Forsythe).

 

The speeches seemed to be a bit edited...probably a good thing, when you think about sitting through the endless thank-you's and sanctimonious political agendas dragging on at hoity-toityier ceremonies...and they probably were; I was at the show on behalf of Horror.com, and we were in the press tent from 8 p.m. till after 11 p.m. The televised event only lasted two hours, with commercial breaks.

 

This is just the tip of the Spike Award. You should see the whole ceremony for yourself. If you missed the program, check your local listings for repeats on Spike TV. (If you already saw it, tune in again and support your favorite genre!)