Tuned In: What’s Hot, Hotter And Definitely Not Happening In TV

What’s Hot: Sunday Ratings

Host Hugh Jackman and a revamped Oscars dominated the TV ratings Sunday night, and the telecast increased viewership to the tune of 36 million, up from last year’s record low rating of just over 32 million. Whether you were a fan of the “improvements” and storyline that the producers came up with, it was kind of fun to not know who the presenter were, and to see Oscar winning actresses and actors from the past introduce the nominees in the major categories.

FOX actually had some decent counterprogramming success by airing a NASCAR race, while CBS aired repeats except for “The Amazing Race” and NBC went with “Dateline” and a Most Outrageous Moments special.

What’s Hotter:

The annual Barbara Walters Oscar special pulled in its usually strong ratings last night. She spoke with Mickey Rourke (”The Wrestler”), the Jonas Brothers, Anne Hathaway and Oscar host Hugh Jackman. People know exactly what they’re going to get with these specials as Babs doesn’t pull any punches. It’s also good to be prepared for some waterworks as she more often that not gets at least one celeb to break down. It just wouldn’t be Oscar night without Barbara and some tissues.

What’s Definitely Not Happening:

“Dateline NBC” is a show that NBC can usually plug in seamlessly around the schedule to plug in some programming holes, but it fell way short last night vs. the Oscars. “Dateline” finished a distant fourth in its timeslot from 8-10pm with back-to-back hours. It looks like sports (NASCAR on FOX) and reality (Amazing Race on CBS) were better programming strategies than hard news to go up against the glitz and glamour of Hollywood’s biggest night on ABC.

Monday Sizzlers:

More on These Topics: 81st Annual Academy Awards | Dateline NBC | The Amazing Race | The Bachelorette | The City | True Beauty