Last night the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (ABC) gave away Oscar Awards, arguably the most distinguished awards for those working in the motion picture industry. Still, as I watched, I had a since that we wouldn’t have missed much had the writer’s strike prevented it from airing on television. To call the event boring would be an understatement. The Oscars were nothing short of stodgy and overwhelmingly uninteresting, from John Daily’s stiff delivery to the overblown montages. Where the Oscars always this dull?

Regardless of how entertaining the award ceremony is (or isn’t) the tone of the show reinforces the notion of seriousness and prestige. For award winners, receiving such an honor is an important addition to the resume. Those who receive the awards are supposed to be the best in the industry. For actors, directors, producers and screenwriters, the Oscars are a particular boost to their brand. Televised or not, the Oscars can make one’s career as an actor or filmmaker take off. There is no doubt that you have made it once you receive an Oscar.

In the hours prior to the show, celebrities walk the red carpet in designer wares and sparkling jewels and this is were the real magic of the show happens. Having your gown or jewelry worn by a celebrity to a televised red carpet event like the Oscars is almost as important – if not more so – as having the proper placement of a billboard or advertisement in a magazine.

The fun and fancy of the parade of glammed up celebrities is then followed by an award show mind-numbing in its tedium. While the celebrity and fashion industry brands are being bolstered, the Academy Awards seem to fizzle out in a show of stoic pomposity. It’s a wonder why the ratings are so dreadful, with this year’s ratings being predicted as the record low of the decade.

Blogging Stocks author Jonathan Berr attributed the low ratings to the writer’s strike weaning people off of television and the possibility that the public “enough on their mind with the faltering economy to watch overpaid celebrities pay homage to other overpaid celebrities.”

Berr is definitely on to something. I for have no interest in award shows, but I absolutely will not watch one that has no element of entertainment, save for the presence of entertainers. It would behoove the show planners to reevaluate the Oscar image if there is any hope of improving the ratings for next year.

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