Oscar fever....is the hype worth it?

On the face of it, the huge media circus taking place today, where filmmakers and stars who have been vying which each other for top spot finally clash seems vulgar and loaded with self importance.
The fact that production companies and their commodities have been lobbying members of the Oscar committee is even more telling.
I recall the comment that Philomena and Judy Dench would suffer in the final Oscar shakedown due to Dench's recent operation and incapacity... Which has forced the star to cut down on her travels. This is surely a sad reflection on the 'film industry'?
In the main the films which have risen to the top this year are some of the best. We know that the critics and other media will be looking for the film which runs off with the most 'gongs'....will it be Gravity.....or 12 Years a Slave?
While the movie industry does its best to place a greater emphasis on the 'nominated' category in order to ensure that a film's credentials are in the public domain. The ultimate strength of the Oscar juggernaut trumps these efforts and eventually renders the 'worthy also rans' road kill in its wake.

My thought would be to encourage filmgoers that you know to ensure that they view the wider list of films that have been nominated across all categories. This would allow cine goers to reward those films which are deserving.
I have to admit not to have seen many of the foreign language and short, first feature offerings. I will try harder and would welcome recommendations in order to enable me to broaden my viewing.

Good luck to all for The Oscar's today.

Update:
Well done to the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences for getting the awards spot on in 2014...it was great to see the awards distributed largely fairly amongst the nominees. This year while not a classic managed to reward the deserving:

2014 Oscar winners -

BEST PICTURE:

12 Years a Slave - WINNER

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club - WINNER

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine - WINNER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club - WINNER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave - WINNER

BEST DIRECTOR:

Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity - WINNER

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The Great Gatsby - WINNER

BEST MAKE-UP & HAIRSTYLING:

Dallas Buyers Club - WINNER

BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED):

Mr Hublot - WINNER

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

Frozen - WINNER

BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION):

Helium - WINNER

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:

The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life - WINNER

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

20 Feet from Stardom - WINNER

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

The Great Beauty (Italy) - WINNER

BEST SOUND MIXING:

Gravity - WINNER

BEST SOUND EDITING:

Gravity - WINNER

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

Gravity - WINNER

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Gravity - WINNER

BEST FILM EDITING:

Gravity - WINNER

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

The Great Gatsby - WINNER

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

Gravity - WINNER

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

Let It Go - Frozen - WINNER

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave - WINNER

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Spike Jonze - Her - WINNER