> I didn't mind Chris Rock, actually and found Robin Williams to be too...uh, Robin Williams. Anyway, I read that the ratings were down over last year but better than expected.

The ratings were certainly down here in Australia. Last year it was the most watched program of the night, this year it was lucky to be in the top 20. I have yet to see a reasonable explanation for this, other than just lack of interest. Which is strange, because there was a lot of press coverage about how Cate Blanchett had a good chance of winning Best Supporting Actress. Why didn't that fuel the interest of the Australian veiwers?

However, I have to admit that I was one of the many Australians that didn't watch the ceremony. I'm not a big fan of award shows in general. I'd rather just skip the speeches and look up the winners.