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RADIA: More popular than democracy

A t the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, one of my biggest pet peeves are those darn award shows. And at this time of the year, as much as I try, I simply can't escape them.

At the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, one of my biggest pet peeves are those darn award shows.

And at this time of the year, as much as I try, I simply can't escape them. The Peoples' Choice Awards were in January, as were the Golden Globes; the Grammys are on Sunday and the Oscars towards the end of the month. And let's not forget Canada's Junos, which happen every April.

If I do manage to avoid catching a glimpse of the shows on TV, newspapers, talk shows and the websites are all abuzz about who was the best dressed, the worst dressed, who's dating whom, who gave the best speech, the longest speech - it's simply maddening.

It's also kind of sad.

In 2011, according to the Hollywood Reporter, about seven million Canadians watched the Oscars on television. To put that into perspective, 5.8 million people watched the Grey Cup last year while 6.4 million people tuned in to watch the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremonies.

And here's the statistic that really annoys me: Only four million people watched the English-language leaders' debate ahead of the 2011 federal election.

So, from these numbers, I'm forced to deduce that most Canadians would rather watch celebrities fawn over one another than watch a political debate that can help them make a decision that will shape the future of their country, their lives and their children's lives. And remember, a federal leadership debate only happens once every few years while the Oscars - and Grammys, Globes and Junos - happen every year.

Am I the only who sees there's something amiss? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching movies and I listen to music a lot. But I don't understand the infatuation with award shows.

Moreover, it makes absolutely no sense to me that a group of individuals can arbitrarily pick the "best" of something as subjective as a song or a movie. Besides, consumers have actually already picked the best movie or song of the year - through sales.

If there's anyone out there not watching the Grammys on Sunday night, give me a call - maybe we can not watch them together.