Oscar Ratings Up a Tick

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE DAY II: Who knew the highlight of last night's Oscar ceremony would be this pre-show encounter between Sacha Baron Cohen’s lovable Dictator and the Burbetry tux worn by E!’s indefatigable Ryan Seacrest? Alas, it was…if you don’t count Billy Crystal’s Sammy Davis Jr. blackface. According to the overnights, more than half the audience had to have explained to them who Sammy Davis Jr. was. BTW, the ratings for last night’s show on ABC were up 4% over last year, with a 25.5 and 38 share, with a total of 39.3 million tuning in. Last year’s roundly panned show, which featured The King’s Speech grabbing top honors, with hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway, attracted an average audience of 37.9 million, which was 4 million less than the 2010 edition. (2/27p)