J.Lo Nipple And All, Oscar-Night Ratings Improved Slightly Over 2011 Numbers

Sunday night's Academy Awards coverage ratings bear unsurprising news, good news and bad news.

The unsurprising news? That the 84th Annual Academy Awards show was Sunday night's most-watched program according to Entertainment Weekly, drawing 39.3 million viewers to Billy Crystal hosting Hollywood's big night.

Winning last night isn't necessarily remarkable. The show was up against "The Amazing Race" on CBS (7.6 million viewers and a 2.1 rating, a 25-percent slip) and NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" (5 million viewers and a 1.8, a 31-percent fall).

The good news? Viewership ticked up 4 percent over last year, even if the actual rating - a still-impressive 11.7 - was off a tenth from last year's ceremony. That's still better than three out of the last four Oscar telecasts, the lone exception being the 2010 Oscars when "The Hurt Locker" won Best Picture.

Then there's the bad news: CBS' Grammy Awards telecast delivered better numbers, watched by 39.9 million viewers and popped a 14.1 rating. If the Nielsen numbers hold up tomorrow, it marks the first time the music awards have beaten the Oscars since Nielsen instituted its current ratings system in 1992.

Still, Oscars producer Brian Grazer can be proud: he delivered a stellar-drawing show despite lacking many star-power-driven nominees, Crystal not being that funny and some schtick going on way, way too long. Who knows? Maybe some people saw Jennifer Lopez's early kinda-sorta-not-really nip-slip and decided to stay glued. Those people, of course, were rewarded with a mile or two of Angelina Jolie's right leg in a slit-to-the-hip black gown later in the show.

Maybe they just wondered who else's "remains" Sacha Baron Cohen might dump on somebody during the show?