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It’s even more horrible than first thought. It’s not just the lousiest Nielsen’s in a decade but the lousiest since at least 1974 and maybe ever! (Honestly, my headline last Friday Best To Expect The Worst Oscars Ever… was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, not psychic.) According to this afternoon’s news reports, the Nielsen’s recorded only a pathetic 32 million people who watched the 80th Academy Awards. And the 56 metered markets averaged a 10.7 rating among adults 18-49. According to Broadcasting & Cable, that was the least viewed Oscarcast since Nielsen started tracking the kudos-fest in 1974. (FYI, the Academy Awards drew just 38.9 million viewers on Jon Stewart’s watch in 2006 — smaller than the 39.9 million drawn by 2007′s Ellen DeGeneres. Compare both to the 55 million who tuned in for Billy Crystal back in 1998. Understand, I’m not saying last night’s debacle was Stewart’s fault. Sadly, my phone is ringing off the hook today about who’s really to blame…)
- TOLDJA! Really Lousy 80th Oscar Ratings
- LIVE-BLOGGING THE 80TH OSCARS…
- Best To Expect The Worst Oscars Ever…
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Doug B: Warner Bros. is releasing Get Smart, not Disney, so how is ABC not being “neutral” by having Carrell and Hathaway present together?
Nielsen has been rating the Oscars since they began airing on TV in the ’50s. I don’t know where you got the 1974 date from.
The 2008 Academy Awards are indeed the lowest “rated” ever (meaning percentage of US Homes tuned in at any given moment). In terms of millions of viewers or homes tuned in, it is probably not the lowest ever, but only due to population increases over the years/decades (a rating point today equals more homes than in the past).
Helloooo. Hollywood, wake up.
Perhaps it’s because you have dinosaurs like Gil Cates involved. Hip it up, people!!!
“The problem is that without the audience, Hollywood won’t last long.
Comment by Furious D — February 25, 2008 @ 5:40 pm”
Furious, you seem to be the only person who understands that. Clearly, the nets, studios and AMPAS don’t. Makes me wonder why I turn the tube on or pay the box office price for a film.
Becca B
one small part of the audience
“Stewart is an abusive, anti-union, writer-hating scab. Them’s the facts. Read a paper once in a while. Signed,
A former Daily Show writer.”
Sure you are.
Just as the Super Bowl attracts some percentage of its audience by the advertising, the Academy could boost the ratings by allowing the studios to advertise their upcoming movies during the Oscar telecast.
The Academy likes to say, “Oh, we can’t turn the Oscars into a commercial carnival” or whatever, but if that’s the case then why allow a plug for “Get Smart” (by having Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway present an award, as the “Get Smart” theme is played)?
Imagine how much fun the Oscars would be for the audience if they knew the new “Indiana Jones” trailer or “Wall-E” teaser would be coming up during the break? Beats heck out of endless Revlon pitches.
Anyone have a guess if ABC will be cutting make-goods to the sponsors?
Funny, since the telecast felt like it was produced in 1974. Seriously! When is the Academy going to wake up and juice up the show? All the musical numbers were snooze-fests, Jon Steward, though I love his show, just cheapened the affair (“Welcome back to the show!” he said after one commercial break, as if we were watching a daytime talk show) and it’s all just become so aged and predictable.
The writing was horrible!! Couldn’t they come up with at least one funny joke or sketch? It would have been better as a clips-only show. Please, writers, go back on strike.
I cannot believe NO ONE has mentioned the hideous, horrible, laughable, pathetic SONGS that accompanied these films. Is it because the films were even more hideous, horrible, laughable and pathetic???
The Oscars ratings are always going down because there are too many awards shows. By the time this one rolls around, people feel like everything has been decided based on the other 4,000 shows that have already been on TV.
The most recent year in movies is celebrated in televised awards shows for MONTHS. It’s simply too much.
This is great news. I’m glad to see people waking up and realizing the Oscars are nothing more than a high school prom party.
The only awards that matter are the People’s Choice Awards.
I can’t wait until that show’s ratings start topping the Oscars.
I think the plug for Get Smart wasn’t smart, but it featured music for a host’s former co-star who then embarrased himself by doing an introduction to a wrong category.
As for Jon Stewart, he isn’t as bad as you think. He supports the writers so much that he wanted the same deal that Dave’s writers got, and if he weren’t forced to comeback January 7th, he would still be on the picket line until the strike was resolved.
The ceremony was pretty darn okay, but it had major weaknesses. I think Jon Stewart did a much better job than his previous stint, in terms of jokes. However it seems the writers couldn’t spare enough time to come up with more humorous jokes as a result of the strike. It looked like it was a last minute scramble. There we just too many montages, like when Stewart hosted two years ago. I know it is supposed to be Oscar’s 80th birthday, but there is no need to overly tout your 80 years of excellence on TV. I guess it was used as a time filler for the parts they could not come up with. You can do that online or in a history book of the Oscars. Obviously the films were very unpopular (at least in the popular categories). This is a false representation of what the people liked. The founders would probably be shaking in their graves by now.
Here are ten ways to save the show:
1. Make more inspiring, uplifting epics. I’m sorry, but it is not just the Academy’s fault. It’s all of Hollywood’s fault. Make more epics like Titanic, Star Wars, or The Rings trilogy. I don’t think nominating too much slapstick comedies, black humor, or hard core action will get anywhere. But what about musicals like Dreamgirls or something? Those work. I think 300 should at least slip in a Best Picture or Best Director. Give Oscar more choices, with feel-good, uplifting comedies, deamas and musicals.
2. The host. I think the people should vote for which celeb they wanna see. The host will be revealed during nominations time after an evaluation by the AMPAS. Oh, they don’t need to be a hard core film actor to host one. I’m mean Stewart barely does movies. So why not Peyton Manning (he’s funny), Steve Carell, or even Jay Leno. They can keep Stewart as well.
3. Writers: Hire good ones. Even the best hosts need good writers. As evidenced in Stewart’s case, he struggled at various points cause his writers couldn’t come up with good jokes! And give them adequate time, please.
4. Educate or eliminate. What I mean is inform us on the Tech awards. Nobody knows what Sound Mixing or Editing is. So that’s why they skip it. Please educate us by showing it how it’s done along side the nominee or show it onlines. If you don;t want it pull it out of the ceremony (eliminate).
5. Promote: The Academy should promote it self a little bit more. How about posters (and sell them at Borders), sunglasses, sweaters, notebooks, pencils, soundtrack samples. The Grammys can promote themselves, and not just solely on music. They even have an online store selling clothes, pins, and memorabilia. Basically give people a piece of Oscar so they will get interested.
6. Advertising: They should do commercials promoting the ceremony featuring famous people even actors, athletes, politicians discussing their favorite movies. That way, the conversation will keep going until the Oscar night passes.
7. Web savvy. The Oscars need to update their website. It looks cookie cutter. It not only should have just a list of nominees, but also games, discussions of movies, and an online store. How about an online webcast of the ceremony. For one week, they should post the entire ceremony online, so those that missed the TV telecast can watch the ceremony or even skip to a particular part. Better yet, sell the ceremony on DVD. There are parts people wan’t to see over again. Unfortunately the AMPAS is wants too protect its brand (what-ever). Give us a piece that we can keep.
8. YouTube: Post the entire ceremony on YouTube after the date. And don’t remove clips of highlights of the ceremony. People love seeing highlights. It defeats the purpose if people can’t optimize their options.
9. Diversify. I think Miley Cyrus was a great step. But how about including actors or famous people for every age group. For example Miley for the Tweens, Eli Manning for guys, and maybe Jessica Alba for the ladies. Make it a show everybody can watch, not just the women!
10. Leadership change: Fire Sid Ganis and never hire Gil Cates to do another ceremony. Their too conservative. Hire leaders who are well rounded in society (understand what people like without alienating its roots).
11. Have fun. The Jamia Simone-Jon Stewart playing the Wii was funny. Do more funny interactions with other people. Don’t let the host stand lone on the stage.
His performance at the Oscars is open to interpretation, so let’s just deal with the facts.
Jon Stewart didn’t get the same deal Dave’s writers got because he does not own his show. Viacom does. The fact that he expected it was naive and smacked of entitlement.
Then, when he didn’t get the deal, he went on the air night after night, doing written material in complete defiance of the WGA strike rules. Exactly how did that show support for his writers?
And he never ever ever showed up on the picket line. Not once. So please explain how he would “still be on the picket line” if he hadn’t come back.
Truth is, and I m a former Hollywood agent- most people around the world and in the US DO NOT care about self congratulatory award shows devoted to overpaid, under talented, ego driven, uneducated “celebrities”.
Who cares about below the line: FX, sound,art direction & editing awards. Only Production Design, Cinematography, and Costume should be presented.
ALL OTHERS need to be done at the Technical Awards Event the previous week.
Who cares about listening to 5 nominated songs presented in their entirety? Instead a montage of the songs lasting no more than 5 minutes is more than enough!
Who cares about tv celebs as presenters ………this isn’t the Golden Globes – it’s the OSCARS celebrating films.
Is there suddenly a shortage of FILM STARS??
Who cares about talk show hosts as OSCAR Hosts??
That ONLY worked for Johnny Carson. Bring Back Billy Crystal!! Throw Money At Him, offer to fund another tour of his Broadway hit, ANYTHING, but GET HIM BACK.
Who came up here with the LUDICROUS and INSULTING suggestion of allowing “box office favorites/major money makers” to be included in the final five?? TRANSFORMERS??? Seriously…get a clue!
Oscars is about the ART of film making NOT box office winners! Popular movies at the BOX office being nominated WILL NOT increase the audience. It will only turn off MORE people. Do you think “STEP UP 2″ or the worst Spiderman film ever made is going to increase the audience world wide?
Michael Moore is to documentary film making what Donald Duck is to acting.
Start the damn event at 8:00 EST – NOT 8:30!!
We don’t need 30 MORE minutes of “red carpet” banter with REGIS no less.
Celebs start to arrive at 3:00PST: Event can start at 5:00 PST. 2 hours of Red Carpet coverage is LONG ENOUGH.
Enough of Jack and his Shades. It’s cliché, its boring, it’s old , it’s not funny any more!
It speaks volumes that the Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Actress went to non Americans. Smart minds will understand the significance ………..
And the bottom line………the past six years we have seen Hollywood VICIOUSLY continue to insult Republicans (not just those who those who live in flyover America but those who live on the East and West coasts), insult and defame our Military, & relentless ridicule conservative values, all from people who claim to be enlightened, progressive,all embracing, all loving, all accepting of diversity and difference. It’s not acceptable or PC to insult Muslims, but it is acceptable to ridicule, abuse and insult Christians or even NON Christians who live by conservative values. This target group is extremely large in numbers and have voiced their protest by boycotting Hollywood.
Is it any wonder box office revenue along with the Oscar viewing audience continue to decline?
In the end…the very act of behaving like those the Hollywood left condemns, ridicules, insults and antagonizes has bit Hollywood in its proverbially butt!
Here in Canada, the Oscars were opposite Battlestar Galactica’s best episode, Unfinished Business. No contest.