Is it more prestigious to be nominated for and win and Academy (Oscar) Award or to be recognized with an award from the Screen Actor's Guild or the Golden Globes? I still think the Oscar is the only one the media really cares about in the end which is kind of disappointing because the Academy seems to overlook so many movies these days with effective acting and plot whether they are independent or popular among fans who pay to see the films. I think the Oscars is more about popularity then substance so it's about what the people on the Academy care about more than what the film critics think or even the movie goers themselves so lots of people get left out. The Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards are popularity contests: whoever has the most connections and gets the most attention wins, as opposed to whoever puts in the most emotional convincing performance with their skills which each person might vary on. Like how The Piano got the award in 1993 over Jurassic Park and Menace II Society or how Aliens was skipped over in 1986. I think the films that are very emotionally compelling should get consideration but I know compelling can mean different things to different people, let alone the guys on the Academy doing the voting. Still some people feel those voters are narrow minded and not open to new things so they vote for the same kinds of films every year by similar actors. The popularity contest concept is also a shout out to when Mariah Carey won the Best R&B Song & Best R&B Album Grammy back in 2002 over Amerie (whom also has a dynamite voice by the way). Mariah was already known too from the early 90s so I think she got more attention and praise because most people had heard more of her music in the mainstream already then they did Amerie so I think usually it comes down to connections and exposure which can be like gambling in a way: you got one random shot but you don't know what'll happen until matters are resolved: you might win or you might lose.