Oscar Telecast Garners Slight Ratings Bump -- But Critical Boos
First returns from ABC affiliates showed a 3% increase in viewership of last night's Oscars telecast over last year's numbers: 34.4 million viewers, up from 33.5 million. However, there was a 3% decrease in the 18 to 49 demo, which might be expected with 60-something Billy Crystal hosting.
In fact, Crystal was often mentioned as a key factor for critics' nearly universal thumbsdown of the show, garnering taunts like Alessandra Stanley's low blow in the New York Times: "The whole night looked like an AARP pep rally." Even those who weren't quite so cruel noted that the show seemed firmly stuck in the past (with Crystal, for example, recycling old, familiar bits) and incredibly self-reverential, featuring "montage after montage after montage that... seemed to have no theme beyond, 'Movies: Yay!'" according to Alan Sepinwall.
TV Guide's Matt Roush wrote "The show was so devoid of actual entertainment that bored wags began to follow instant Twitter accounts based on JLosNipple and AngiesRightLeg (nods to celebrity body parts creating a stir from the stage)."
Surprisingly, the ads got some good buzz. At least one critic noted that Ellen Degeneres' spots for JC Penney were funnier than any of Billy Crystal's jokes.
Recent Around the Net In Media Articles
-
Layoffs at BBDO, GSP May 17, 2:24 p.m.
Following the loss of substantial accounts, like Gillette and Chevrolet, BBDO and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners ... -
N.Y. Post Axing 10 Most Senior, HIghest Paid May 17, 2:24 p.m.
The New York Post stands to lose a sizable chunk of its longstanding institutional memory as newsroom employees ... -
Time Warner Cable May Take Stake In Hulu May 17, 9:59 a.m.
Time Warner Cable is considering taking an equity stake in online-video site Hulu LLC, according to ... -
White Houses Pushes For Media Shield Law May 16, 2:47 p.m.
Following the Justice Department’s subpoena to access the phone records of reporters at the Associated Press, ... -
Tribune Tamps Down 'Noise' Over Possible Sale May 16, 2:47 p.m.
Seeking to tamp down “noise” over the possible sale of its newspapers, Tribune Co. CEO Peter ... -
JLo Named NuvoTv's Chief Creative Officer May 16, 10:24 a.m.
Actress/singer Jennifer Lopez will serve as Latino-targeted cable network NuvoTV’s new chief creative officer. Lopez, who ... -
TBS and TNT to Stream Programming Live May 15, 2:26 p.m.
Beginning this summer, TNT and TBS will start to live stream their programming online and the ... -
The Atlantic Defends Its Turf, Launches Defense One May 15, 10:27 a.m.
The 156-year-old magazine publishing company best known for award-winning literary and cultural journalism, continues to diversify ... -
Generational Shift In Hispanic Response To Ads May 15, 10:07 a.m.
Targeting Hispanics in advertising is a trillion-dollar business. But it's more nuanced than it used to ... -
Networks Continue To Watch Ad Dollars And Ratings Decline May 14, 2:02 p.m.
How important are this week’s upfronts to the Big 4 networks? Very. Ad dollars are shifting ...
Be the first to comment on "Oscar Telecast Garners Slight Ratings Bump -- But Critical Boos"
Leave a Comment