I think with today's tv watching technology the neilsen ratings system is out dated.

If its not on my DVR, I don't get to watch it. I think this is increasingly common.

i think it's because everyone knew who would win-- people had guessed that Daniel Day Lewis, Marion Cotillard, and No Country For Old Men would be the big winners ages ago. No surprises makes for a dull show.

i think there are a lot of reasons. the movies were so so - everyone was talking about the same 2 movies - with the same winning actors etc - so there's really no suprise. i think that we're just not into the shows as much anymore since we can get everything online

Because the Oscars are overrated.

I think the movies weren't super big draws and the writers strike took a lot of momentum out of the build-up to the show.

only one move was fun and worth watching the rest were "debbie downers"

I agree that the movies weren't all that exciting this year. I personally didn't watch it because I knew none of my favorite people would win (Viggo Mortenson, Ellen Page, etc). Also, the show is just waaaay too long. I can never sit through more than an hour. They fill it up with so much crap.

In my opiinion they are incredibly boring and long. That's certainly why I don't watch.

NEVER blame Jon Stewart. He was classic and classy

amen halfbakedjake, john stewart was an oscar highlight

I think the movie industry, even more thn the music industry, has been going downhill for a while. Really good movies are few and far between. So of course the Oscar-nominated movies, while the best of the bunch, aren't nearly as good as past ones.

i thought TWWB, Atonement NCFOM were some of the greatest movies ever made. I think just b/c they arent "blockbusters" or aka easy to follow, they didnt appeal to the masses.

I think that it was not advertised well - people did not know if it was on or off and I do not think Neilsens are as accurate as they were before. Jon Stewart - highlight of the show but not enough edgy surprises like in years past. Where is Cher and Bjork?

The hype wasn't there like previous years. I didn't even realize it was going to be on then until two (or so) days before.

I chose other. I think most people just don't care, especially when they can get the rundown the next morning.

I didn't watch because just about all the movies nominated were overrated! So I really couldn't care less who won the Oscar.

the industry itself is in a slight downhill these days.

Bring back Billy Crystal or Ellen!

Probably a combination of things, including the strike and the almost certain winners as well as the time commitment that it takes to watch for the entire evening. During the show, it was clear that the scripting wasn't up to par; I really like Jon Stewart, but was disappointed in his hosting. Everything seemed just a bit "off" this year.

definitely the strike. it sucked the life out of all television.

The movies played a big part. I’m a movie fanatic and didn’t have the opportunity to see most of the movies. They need to stop releasing all serious movies in December. However, being the movie nut that I am I watched the whole thing!

Kaenai--I agree; the Oscars ARE overrated. 2nd, I have a life and don't have time to spend it watching extra TV, esp since I travel a lot on the weekends. If it isn't the 2 shoes I am keeping up with right now, I don't watch it. Besides...3 hours of show or 5 minutes of reading online the next day...hard choice...

I just didn't want to watch people talking about who they were wearing...bleh...what with everything happening in my life and recent events the oscars seemed so shallow to me.....

I don't know why but this year the award shows don't have the highest ratings, maybe it's the writer's strike

Although the show itself wasn't a standout for me (the red carpet pre-show didn't do it for me this year for some reason... ), I didn't think there was much hype leading up to the event, possibly the writer's strike contributed to it? Hmmm.

I would love if they would do some exposes (sp?) on stars, directors, editors, etc... covering their body of work (kind of like how the Olympics cover some of the athletes to give us insight on their lives/struggles/achievements). I think that would help the audience care more about the event.

ok, i'm officially rambling now.

I loved the Oscars when the winners could just get excited and be thrilled and humbled. Now, they have to thank a laundry list of people -- I think that really kills the Oscars.

Jon Stewart rocks and I'd love to Steven Colbert host next year!!!

I liked last years Oscar noms way better. And Ellen was a good host too.

The writers strike, probably.

dang it, i was 1 of those 32 million or whatever number it was (dont feel like scrolling back up)

and to be honest, i have never watched that show, i was watching cause i wanted to see if they were going to say something about Angelina Jolie. It was really really really boring, after i turned of the TV, i was like.. WHY T F DID I JUST WATCH THIS!

I think it has to do with the producing. The movies were pretty serious this time, but there was no effort in the clips to show anything we hadn't already seen a million times in commercials. They managed to show clips that made 80 years of Oscar history seem to be a terrific yawn. Stewart was reduced to tossing to more lame montages or introducing people. Even if producers had been afraid that the writers wouldn't be back in time, they had tons of clips from 80 years and this year's nominees to at least try to engage the audience. The producers who say they didn't have time to include Brad Renfro in the In Memorium segment are the same people who decided that stupid bad dream montage was worth showing. Jon Stewart in bed with George Clooney and beating up on Conan O'Brien couldn't have helped that!

I believe that it has to do with blogs, internet, and the instant technology with which we live. People used to gather around their tvs to watch the Oscar because they could see the famous stars all together, watch their glamour and enjoy seeing snippets of their lives. Now, their lives are around us everyday and we can find out almost instantly on the internet who won, plus see all the gorgeous dresses and fashion mishaps on blogs. So why watch?

It was boring, plain and simple. The only reason, I watched as much of it as I did, is because I was chatting live with you guys.

i loved the movies and it's probably the first time i ever saw something before they got nominations.

i flipped back and forth a bazjillion times, does that affect it? i wanted to see the awards, not the montages and all the other filler!

I think its because everyone knew who would win and no one had seen most of the movies that were nominated.