Entertainment Daypop Archives

According to a round-up of local Nielsen markets, the 90th Annual Academy Awards was down 16 percent to an 18.9 household rating, down from last year’s near-low of 22.4. That’s also down from the prior lowest ratings on record, which was a 21.9 household rating from 2008. While the Oscars remain one of TV’s most viewed events at around 29 million viewers, just last year it was 32 million. Any number of factors are often blamed for a low-rated award shows. One reason being offered for the latest drop in Oscar ratings is the fact that this year’s crop of Best Picture nominees featured few box-office blockbusters. The highest box-office gross among the Best Picture nominees belonged to the World War II drama Dunkirk ($525 million worldwide), which came up short in the major categories but ultimately went home with three Oscars for film editing and sound editing and mixing. An even bigger driving factor for Oscars’ recent ratings decline is the rapidly-changing viewing habits of TV audiences, more of whom are choosing to stream their favorite content online (including on social media) rather than watching live on TV. 

Frances McDormand has been reunited with her best actress Academy Award after it was snatched during a post-Oscar party Sunday.  McDormand, 60, was upset after her award was snatched from her table while celebrating at the Governors Ball on Sunday night, TMZ reported. Security was dispatched to find the Academy Award, which had McDormand’s named engraved on it, after it went missing. Winning recipients of the award get their names engraved on it at the Governors Ball. The man who allegedly stole the award was arrested and police identified the suspect as Terry Bryant, 47. He was arrested on suspicion of felony grand theft and is being held on $20,000 bail.

The 90th Annual Academy Awards took place Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” both had big nights.  The first award of the night went to Sam Rockwell for best supporting actor for his role in “Three Billboards.”  Later in the evening, “Three Billboard’s” Frances McDormand won for best actress, and used her speech to promote gender equality. Allison Janney won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in “I, Tonya” and joked in her speech, “I did it all by myself.” Gary Oldman won best actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour.”  The big award of the evening, for best picture, went to “The Shape of Water.” It was the second award for Guillermo del Toro, who also won for best director.   See highlights and the full list of winners in the linked article below.

David Ogden Stiers, an actor best known for playing a surgeon on the “M.A.S.H.” television series, has died. He was 75. The actor’s agent Mitchell Stubbs confirmed Saturday night in an email that Stiers died after battling bladder cancer. No additional details were provided, but Stubbs’ agency tweeted that Stiers died at his home in Newport, Oregon, on Saturday.  Stiers played Maj. Charles Winchester III on “M.A.S.H.” beginning in its sixth season. He also did voice acting in several Disney animated films, voicing the character Cogsworth in “Beauty and the Beast” and played characters in “Lilo & Stitch” and “Pocahontas.” Stiers received two Emmy nominations for his work on M.A.S.H.  In 2009, the actor revealed publicly that he was gay. He told ABC News at the time that he had hidden his sexuality for a long time because he thought coming out might have had repercussions in relation to his “family-friendly” voice-over work.  

Chip and Joanna Gaines have a new series coming to HGTV. Called Fixer Upper: Behind the Design, the half-hour-long project will give fans a peek behind the stars’ design process as they execute overhauls. The first of the 15 episodes will air on Tuesday, April 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The premiere is scheduled for just after the main Fixer Upper series. “I can’t wait to show our fans how every piece of the design comes together before the final reveal,” Joanna said in a statement. “I want to nail every detail so that, when we walk away, Chip and I know we’ve given a family the one-of-a-kind home of their dreams.” Exclusive photos and video will be available to viewers online a the following link:  HGTV.com/FixerUpperBehindtheDesign