It seems that settling the WGA before the Oscars was more important to everyone here in town than the general movie-adoring public. ABC saw ratings drop a staggering 20% from 2007 and 24% in their golden 18-49 advertising bracket. And it’s not like there was a lot of competition for viewers, with alternatives like NASCAR, Big Brother, and repeats of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
The blame shouldn’t rest solely with the strike though. Let’s face it, the 3.5 hour stroke fest continues to be a sleep-inducing bore. While the pacing was a bit more fluid than years past, did we really need montage salutes to Binoculars, Bad Dreams, and Bees, no matter how firmly tongue was implanted in cheek? And can we finally ditch the musical numbers? I love Kristin Chenoweth as much as any musical theatre die-hard, but seriously that extravaganza was a waste of time. With any luck, the producers will learn from this wake up call. People are tired of award shows.
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Everything that needs to be said is in the last sentence. Every time you turn around, there’s another awards show–Grammys, CMA, People’s Choice, SAG, MTV, Golden Globes…by the time the Oscars roll around, there’s just no energy left.
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