but i was disheartened to see that when the ratings came out, only 18 million viewers in the us tuned in to watch the ceremony, a bit higher than last year, but audiences used to be routinely in the a0 million range. that's one of the biggest changes for the oscars — it's become a diminishing american spectacle. oh, i think the academy is very concerned about the lower ratings. i mean, the tv rights to the academy awards fund the academy, they're worth millions and millions of dollars, and the lower the ratings, the lower those fees are going to be. so they've got to be quite concerned. on the red carpet not so long ago, it was extremely rare to come across openly gay participants like sir ian mckellen. there were very few people of colour. i hardly ever interviewed female film—makers because there were simply none there. but the academy has been diversifying its membership. it is a work in progress. and those it nominates are beginning to look more