1. Who chooses which movies/TV shows/albums are nominated for awards like the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, and so on? A lot of award shows have a long, complicated nomination process and/or only let members of an exclusive group vote on nominees and winners. And many studios actively campaign to get their titles included, spending lots of money on ads in trade publications. Does that make it more likely that smaller independent media will be excluded? What long-term effects could that process have?

3. Who gets to present the awards? Why do you think certain celebrities are chosen? Why are actors and musicians with a new movie/TV show/album coming out more likely to be picked?

5. In what other ways are award shows commercialized? Some shows have categories that are sponsored by specific products or companies (for the 2006 Teen Choice Awards, the ballot itself is brought to you by Verizon) -- how do you feel about these "branded" awards? Do you take a specific award (or the whole show) less seriously based on who's sponsoring it?

7. Why are women under so much more scrutiny than men when it comes to award show fashion? Does seeing a non-stop parade of perfectly coiffed, beautifully dressed stars affect viewers' own body image? Why is it so much fun to mock celebs who show up in fashion "don'ts"? What does it mean that the misses get as much attention as the hits?

9. Why do we care about award shows in the first place? Why do we spend hours watching the red carpet arrivals, the show itself, and the after parties? What does this say about our culture's obsession with glamour, celebrity, and wealth? Why do you tune in?