This will be the first time in memory that I’ve only seen two of the movies nominated for a Best Picture Oscar — “A Complete Unknown” (which I loved in my review) and “Nickel Boys” (which I didn’t love in my review). But I’ll still watch the full ceremony on Sunday night, and wonder whether the fact that it’s streaming on Hulu along with the ABC broadcast will do anything to pull the ratings up. They got a boost last year from the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, but I doubt they’ll get anywhere close to twenty million viewers across both platforms this weekend.
One thing is sure, though — first-time Oscars host Conan O’Brien will be blamed if the numbers are down, even though the person in that role has nothing whatsoever to do with who watches. The more important factor is the movies nominated for Best Picture, and with only two of the ten pulling in more than $100 million at the box office (“Wicked” and “Dune: Part Two” both made over $700 million) and three of them making less than $10 million (“The Brutalist,” “Emilia Pérez,” and “Nickel Boys”), the ratings results may be dreary.
Speaking of streaming, I’m surprised and happy Sony is looking for a streaming partner to pick up “Jeopardy!” starting this fall. Whoever gets it won’t have same-day privileges, but can make the show available the next day. The benefit will be for all the cord-cutters, but the local affiliates can’t be happy, as the streaming version won’t include the commercials they sell in their home markets. But for viewers, it will be nice to catch the show on our own schedule — hopefully with an archive that allows us to binge-watch a few days’ worth.
At the moment, the only way to catch up with a “Jeopardy!” episode we missed when it was broadcast is to find it on YouTube, where several users post that day’s show — and draw millions of viewers. But they must get take-down demands from Sony pretty quickly, because those uploads rarely last more than a day.
Lastly, I have no intention of watching a single minute of “The Baldwins,” a reality show on TLC about Alec Baldwin, his wife Hilaria, and their seven kids. In fact, I’m shocked and saddened that Alec even agreed to be part of such tabloid trash. He was an accomplished actor, game show host, and podcaster with a thriving career for decades, now reduced to letting TV producers create his public image for their own purposes. I’m guessing Hilaria badgered him into it, but a guy with his talent and resume — even with the “Rust” controversy — shouldn’t have to stoop to doing something so stupid.