Will the 40-year-old comedian Chris Rock be able to lift Oscars rating scheduled for Sunday? The awards show season has already been one of the lowest-rated in recent memory.
The Grammys was down a startling 28 per cent from last year. The Golden Globes was down 37 per cent, making it the least-watched Globes ever on NBC. Similarly, last September's Emmys fell 34 per cent. And despite Alanis Morissette's nude bodysuit, last year's Junos took a nosedive from 2003.
To add to it, the comments from the presenter Rock himself, who declared the Oscars ‘a fashion show’ and said he doesn't watch it. “The awards don't really affect anybody's lives in the crowd,” he said.
“I like it if the award will affect the person's life,’ Rock said. “If he wins, he's gonna get better scripts, he's gonna work with better directors,” he said. “Don't thank God. God's busy working on the tsunami, so leave him alone,” he advised the winners.
“It's just basic hosting,” Rock said, when asked whether audience can accept something spectacular from the 40-year-old comedian. “It's like sports. You get a big lead, and then you run out the clock. No one's really going to remember some comedy set piece that you do two hours into the show,” he said.
A year ago, the largest audience in four years tuned in to see the academy crown $377-million sensation “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” as best picture.
Rock has hosted other awards shows, namely the MTV Video Music Awards in 1997, 1998 and 2003 without untoward incident.
