Posted on 02/14/2005 6:10:59 PM PST by Pikamax
Audience stays away from star-studded Grammys Associated Press
NEW YORK — From J.Lo to James Brown, Usher to U2, the Grammys had it all this year -- except a lot of interested viewers.
An estimated 18.8 million people watched Ray Charles' swan song clean up with eight awards Sunday night, a startling 28 per cent drop from the 2004 Grammys. After two years on an upswing, Grammy ratings sunk to their lowest level since 1995, according to Nielsen Media Research.
It may be an ominous sign for the granddaddy of awards shows, the Academy Awards, Feb. 27 on ABC.
People at CBS and elsewhere in the industry were somewhat perplexed by the numbers on Monday, given that the show was jam-packed with performances and star power.
"This was the show to beat in terms of how it was produced," said Shari Anne Brill, a television analyst for Carat USA. "It was just great. It wasn't about someone handing out awards. It was about performances. Viewers who didn't tune in missed a treat."
The Grammys, which has a long history of being derided as the Grannies within the music industry, even drew an endorsement from one of pop's potentates. "I think this is the best Grammys we've ever seen," U2 lead singer Bono said as the group accepted an award toward the show's end.
It was a continuation of a recent Grammy trend of minimizing awards presentations and maximizing live performances.
While there were misfires, such as the cacophonous opening number where several acts briefly played different songs all at once, there were plenty of thrills. Alicia Keys' smouldering If I Ain't Got You, Kanye West's resurrection, the duet between Usher and Brown and songs by Green Day and U2 all come to mind.
CBS spokesman Chris Ender noted last year's show benefited from Janet Jackson's Super Bowl fallout. Controversy sells.
Brill agreed: "Don't you think if Michael Jackson did a duet with someone with his trial going on, more viewers would have come?"
ABC is also much more competitive. Desperate Housewives had more viewers than the Grammys in the same time slot on Sunday, Nielsen said. But there was little evidence that many people switched over to the Grammys when Desperate Housewives was done.
Charles' big win could have been a hindrance, too. While a music legend, his best work may have been a mystery to many young viewers. Since he died last June, viewers were denied heartwarming scenes of him basking in the glory.
It continues a trend of less-than-stellar ratings for awards shows.
The Emmys last fall had its smallest audience ever. The Golden Globes last month had its fewest viewers since returning to broadcast television in 1996, down a whopping 10 million people from 2004. The 12.9 million people who watched the American Music Awards in November was a distant echo of the 48 million who tuned in two decades ago.
"I'm wondering if there are so many awards shows that they have lost some of their specialness," Brill said.
The Academy Awards, frequently the year's second-highest-rated entertainment event after the Super Bowl, usually considers itself immune from such outside factors. But big-box office films tend to juice the ratings and the Oscars haven't approached the 55 million who watched when Titanic won in 1998. This year has no dominant film.
Host Chris Rock may draw in the curious, particularly with his unique brand of promotion. The Internet's Drudge Report on Monday was circulating excerpts from a recent Entertainment Weekly interview where Rock said, "What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one!"
ABC has been more aggressive promoting an event that usually sells itself.
I didn't tune in, and now I'm just SO DAMN DEPRESSED :)!
"I'm wondering if there are so many awards shows that they have lost some of their specialness," Brill said.
Nope. Just slowly but surely losing their relevance.
Normal people are sick and tired of the rich and depraved people who think they are stars ...
There are far too many famouse people.
people are probably to tired from working to look at overpriced junk
The Grammys: A vomitous circle-jerk amongst the self-annointed "important" people in the Los Angeles entertainment industry who positively affect my life less than the guy who picks up my garbage on a weekly basis.
These award shows are filled with nothing more than people who keep living their senior year of high school over and over again.
Proms...
Cliques...
Superlatives...
Rumors...
It's all there.
We are all simply the geeks who stay at home on Friday nights wishing we could be as popular and cool.
(rimshot)
You are so correct! I never thought of it that way. These guys are giving the same speech they prepared for the hope of being elected Homecoming Queen or Prom King. What a bunch of losers.
I couldn't sit through it if I tried. When they choose to snub movies like the Passion of the Christ they prove that the awards are politically motivated, and therefore not based on the art of acting or directing.
Hopefully soon these so called stars will wake up and realize that the general public just don't care who they are or what they say.
So shut up Hollywood and quit pushing your stupid political views down our throats...or pay in the end when all of America quits seeing your stupid movies and quits buying your stupid albums!!!
Most of these people just put out music that I wish I'd never heard. Why should I want to watch them pat themselves on the back for it?
It may be an ominous sign for the granddaddy of awards shows, the Academy Awards, Feb. 27 on ABC.
They're all outside admiring the Bush "Thank you, hOlLyWoOd" Billboard.
All you have to do to see how silly it all is, is to watch one of those rumor-mongering shows like Entertainment Tonight. The premise of that show is Hollywood in a nutshell.
The music industry would do itself a big bahooma if it would take a hammer & blowtorch to every computer involved in the recording process and get back to relying on talent.
The American people aren't buying into Hollyweird/music industry self congratulation shows like they used to. The thrill is gone.
Well said!
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