The early numbers indicate that the Oscars may have hit an all-time low in the ratings.
Let's talk about the politics in a moment. The story that I linked above has an interested stat that coincides with what I talked about on WHO this morning:
Seven of the nine nominees averaged just $47 million at the box office, which means only about 5 million people saw them.
I always say that I don't watch awards shows but am interested in who wins. In the past, I've looked for opportunities to watch award winners. But this year, I just wasn't interested in ANY of the nominated films. I can't actually see myself watching ANY of these movies. Greg Gutfield summed it up:
Hence, the idea that I mentioned on the air this morning: remove the Academy voting and let the public vote. One listener texted that this would NOT end the political lecturing - but then we'd get the pleasure of watching Hollywood give awards to movies that absolutely conflict with the constant virtue-signalling on the stage.
As for the non-stop political lecturing - there's no stopping that. The fact is, while conservatives gloat about low ratings, ad revenue continues to be strong. Here's the article I mentioned that pointed this out.
Still, I can't help but think that EVENTUALLY ratings will drop and some solution will be enacted. I think my "populist Oscars" idea is just the answer.