I noticed that it's coming up a week from tonight. When considering Oscar results, I always remember my friend Matt's story. His mom, about a thousand years ago, was nominated for an Oscar and so she participated in the balloting every year until her death. It seems that the nomination process is the biggie -- that's the one everybody sweats over. Actors vote for actors, set designers for set designers, etc. Still and all, it was a popularity and score-settling contest for many. A few people actually took it seriously.

As for how seriously to take the final awards, well, Matt's mom used to hand over her ballot to Matt and his friends to vote. She hadn't seen all (or sometimes any) of the films, and she thought they would be better informed about them anyway.