I have to say, I for one am not surprised at the ratings for the 2008 Academy Awards. And while there is some truth in the fact that most people have not seen the movies in contention or have very little familiarity with the actors who walked away with the little gold men, I don’t think that’s the primary reason for the fall-off. In fact, it’s been going on for the last few years.

At one point, the Oscars used to be one of the few chances where we, the unwashed masses, had the opportunity to see our favorite stars shed their on-screen personas and give us a glimpse at who they really were. Now, in the day of the interwebs, TMZ and assorted sex-tapes, the illusion is mostly lost on us. With all the red carpet coverage, we are more impressed with how well they clean themselves up, cause we’ve definitely seen the pictures of them going to the grocery store and coming off the airplane and know how much movie magic helps them helps them look like the flawless stars that we once thought they were.