From Richard Rushfield‘s latest The Ankler column, titled “How Low Will Oscars Go?” — posted this afternoon:
“This should be the year the chickens come home to the Oscars, not just to roost but to peck the foundation to collapse. “
“All the self-absorbed trends the Academy has indulged over the past decade will be out in full bloom, starting with a lineup of contenders that very few outside of media-land have ever heard of, much less seen.
“Just to set the over/under: last year’s show was watched by 10.4 million people, down 56 percent from the previous year. There’s not much reason to suppose that trajectory has been abated. So if this year’s show loses 56 percent over the year before, that will put it at 4.5 million viewers.
“That seems slightly low to me and I’d have to take the over there. The Ankler prediction stands at 5.6 million.
“But in any event, anything in that neighborhood stands a good chance that not only won’t the Oscars be one of the highest-rated shows of the year, it might not even be the highest-rated show of the week.”
