Ok, at the risk of sounding like a wet blanket allow me first to say that entertainment has a place in our society.  At its best it helps deliver messages of hope, joy, laughter, love, fear and all things emotional, intellectual and sometimes mindless.  The development of mankind is shaped by what we see and process in, and out of the theater.  So "bravo" for that!

However, on the dark side...I gotta tell it like it is.  I must say that the awards process (i.e. the Oscars) is nothing more than a popularity contest.  Yeah, kind of like the ones you experienced in high school.  You remember?  Who is the best dressed, most liked, biggest jock, cutest etc, etc, etc. 

Then we have the Academy Awards, a grown-up version of popularity contests,  which is to select "the best" in different categories yet, all of the categories have different movies.  So how can we really, and objectively I must add, say someone is THE best in a movie when their competition was in a different movie altogether??   Put it this way, in the Olympics several people compete in the SAME sport.  So whomever wins truly is THE BEST at that sport becuase they ALL did the SAME thing.  But in the Oscars, several people compete in one category but in DIFFERENT movies yet we say only one is "the best" in that category.  Let them all act in the same part and then lets choose!  Lets see if Brad Pitt, Al Pacino, Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood play Dirty Harry and then select.  Hmmmm, my bet's on Clint. 

And lastly, don't mean to play the race card but, can we please get some diversity in the house!  I'm getting a bit tire of these monochromatic nominees.  I'd love to see an Asian, Native American, Latino or Pakistanian win a best actor/actress award.  Um, hate to break it to some folks out there but....the world is composed of many different races and cultures.  How about they get some representation.  Oh well, guess we have to wait another 72 years for that like Halle.