Honestly, nobody is forcing you to watch. I usually don't. And since the show is on network television, I hope you're not paying to watch it!
As to the "art elite" awarding themselves, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is composed of...you guessed it... motion picture professionals (about 6,000 of them). The "People's Choice Awards" already exist, if you'd rather watch a show with that format. But that wouldn't be the Oscars.
As to the "art elite" awarding themselves, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is composed of...you guessed it... motion picture professionals (about 6,000 of them). The "People's Choice Awards" already exist, if you'd rather watch a show with that format. But that wouldn't be the Oscars.