ABC/BRETT RATNERMorning Line: ABC said Sunday's Oscars was up 6 percent over last year in Nielsen's top 56 TV markets. The network wasn't willing to yet guess on how many people watched overall.
What Do the Preliminary Numbers Mean? It means the big cities, at least, tuned in Hugh Jackman a bit more than Jon Stewart, who, in 2008, presided over Oscar's least watched telecast on record.
So, Did Only Sean Penn's "Commie, Homo-Loving Sons of Guns" Watch? Let's put it this way: Yes, of the top markets, blue-state-based New York City turned in the highest prelim rating, but red-state-based Kansas City, Mo., was nearly as enthusiastic, turning in the fifth-highest rating. Rounding out the top five: Chicago (second), Los Angeles (third) and Boston (fourth).