"In fact, I think everyone should watch the entire Oscar show to see if we have enough."

Streamlining the Oscar show is always helpful, but the evening's biggest problem remains its generation gap.

Since this is the academy's 75th anniversary, much of the show had already been reserved to vintage film clips and sequences from past Oscar shows.

Most often, he said, the ratings for an Oscar show seem driven by the mix of films in competition.

Yet who doesn't endure the Oscar show?

But they are aware that as a television production, the Oscar show, while still very successful, has suffered audience erosion in the last few years.

Condemned killers like Sam may not go to heaven, but they do turn up at the Oscar show.

But that show was the lowest-rated Oscar show in a decade.

The key to producing an Oscar show is to leave yourself plenty of time up front.

Don't be surprised when "Nosehair" is mentioned at next year's Oscar show.