Spring Break
Oscars were best in 2007
The awards show was entertaining and creative
The Daily Campus Ed Board
Issue date: 2/27/07 Section: Opinion
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This year's Academy Awards ceremony was the best in recent memory in Ed Board's opinion. Apparently, it was pretty good in America's opinion, too.
Sunday night's Oscar telecast delivered impressive ratings for ABC, way ahead of last year's numbers.
The telecast averaged 39.9 million viewers, according to preliminary data released Monday by Nielsen Media Research. That's 3 percent more than the 38.9 million who tuned in last year.
ABC said Monday that the broadcast was up 8 percent to a 12.9 rating in the coveted demographic of adults 18-34 (that includes you, SMU students), the highest rating in that demographic in five years.
Ed Board thinks that there are a lot of reasons for the 79th Oscars' success.
The decision to have Ellen DeGeneres host was obviously a good one. Her humor was down-to-earth, a welcome change to overblown performances in years past. (Anything's better than Letterman's "Oprah-Uma" shtick, right?) Her humor was less insulting than past hosts and much more grounded-giving her a sympathetic air to viewers at home. Which of us wouldn't ask to have our picture taken with Clint Eastwood if we were anywhere near him?
The celebrity attendees were also on their best behavior. No one made outlandish statements or wore anything drastically inappropriate. The speeches were kept short and meaningful.
In fact, there seemed to be a mutual respect between the Academy and its nominees. Winners weren't forced to accept their award in the aisles to save time, a major sign of disrespect last year to those winning in lesser-known categories, like Best Costume or Best Visual Effects. Instead, minor categories were honored with live displays like the award for Best Costume.
Every winner seemed genuinely grateful for the opportunity to even be there, much less be honored with an award. Al Gore, though a bit overbearing, was obviously happy to be at the Academy Awards and doubly honored when his pet project, "An Inconvenient Truth," won for Best Documentary.
Sunday night's Oscar telecast delivered impressive ratings for ABC, way ahead of last year's numbers.
The telecast averaged 39.9 million viewers, according to preliminary data released Monday by Nielsen Media Research. That's 3 percent more than the 38.9 million who tuned in last year.
ABC said Monday that the broadcast was up 8 percent to a 12.9 rating in the coveted demographic of adults 18-34 (that includes you, SMU students), the highest rating in that demographic in five years.
Ed Board thinks that there are a lot of reasons for the 79th Oscars' success.
The decision to have Ellen DeGeneres host was obviously a good one. Her humor was down-to-earth, a welcome change to overblown performances in years past. (Anything's better than Letterman's "Oprah-Uma" shtick, right?) Her humor was less insulting than past hosts and much more grounded-giving her a sympathetic air to viewers at home. Which of us wouldn't ask to have our picture taken with Clint Eastwood if we were anywhere near him?
The celebrity attendees were also on their best behavior. No one made outlandish statements or wore anything drastically inappropriate. The speeches were kept short and meaningful.
In fact, there seemed to be a mutual respect between the Academy and its nominees. Winners weren't forced to accept their award in the aisles to save time, a major sign of disrespect last year to those winning in lesser-known categories, like Best Costume or Best Visual Effects. Instead, minor categories were honored with live displays like the award for Best Costume.
Every winner seemed genuinely grateful for the opportunity to even be there, much less be honored with an award. Al Gore, though a bit overbearing, was obviously happy to be at the Academy Awards and doubly honored when his pet project, "An Inconvenient Truth," won for Best Documentary.
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