Chris Rock wasn't invited back because he had the temerity to poke fun at some of the 'artistes', notably Jude Law. But really, what do actors do? They stand in front of a camera and recite words. They tell a story through words and pictures. We have always had storytellers, from cave-painters to Homer to the present day. It's only in the last hundred years or so that we have elevated these people to some vaunted status. A movie is supposed to be entertaining, to tell a good story. That's it.
As for the awards themselves, they are nothing but a grandiose high school homecoming queen election contest!
These people (actors) get paid to recite someone else's opinion, then think that gives them credibility when they spout their own.
btw - What is that in picture #3 of post 24?
"It's only in the last hundred years or so that we have elevated these people to some vaunted status. "
BARF warning!
Liza Minelli said, "We don't have royalty in this country, so everyone in this country looks at Hollywood as our royalty".
In Shakespeare's time the actors were considered the lowest of the low in society. How appropriate.