ACADEMY AWARD RATINGS DIP, BUT CRITICS CHEER FOR CRYSTAL.

Byline: Associated Press 

Only a fraction of those who watched ``The English Patient'' collect nine Academy Awards on TV have paid to see the independent movie about wartime love and betrayal.

According to ABC on Tuesday, an estimated 73 million viewers saw all or part of the imaginative Monday night broadcast. In overnight ratings for 36 major TV markets, the show drew a 33.2 rating and a 52 share of the viewing audience.

But the show, despite a rollicking opening by host Billy Crystal and a big dollop of traditional Hollywood glamour, saw viewership dip slightly compared to other recent Oscar broadcasts.

Last year, ratings were 6 percent higher as the ceremony was watched by an estimated 75 million people and drew a 35.5 rating and 55 share. Even 1995's panned David Letterman show snared overnight ratings of 37.3 and a 57 share.

A ratings points represents a percentage of the nation's estimated 97 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of televisions in use and tuned to a show during a specified time period.

The host often takes the rap when a show falters. But from a sparkling montage that edited Crystal into each of the Best Picture nominees to a musical medley spoofing the movies to rapid fire jokes, Crystal was in top form. Praised by most critics, he probably wasn't the cause of viewer disinterest.

And there were plenty of big names such as Michael Douglas, Nicolas Cage and Goldie Hawn on hand as presenters, so the fault undoubtedly lay not with the stars, but with the films.

With popular 1996 studio movies such as ``Independence Day'' and ``Twister'' virtually shut out of the ceremony, viewers had to develop interest in more sober fare - which many had yet to see.

The ceremony ran long, 3-1/2 hours, and past midnight on the East Coast, which can affect ratings. But even slack moments couldn't deter critical enthusiasm for the show and especially for Crystal.

Here's a sampling:

``This wasn't just the year of `The English Patient.' It was also the year the Academy Awards show got its sense of humor back. Host Billy Crystal's last Oscar appearance in 1993 was labored, but he was in top form this go-around.'' - the Times Union of Albany, N.Y.

``Now we know. On Oscar night, nothing rings as true as pure Crystal. From the time returning host Billy Crystal took the stage at the 69th annual Academy Awards ceremony ... the inventive telecast felt just right.'' - the Orange County Register.

``And so it came to pass that the independently minded Academy Awards, dominated by art-house movies with foreign actors, and projected to be among the dullest of ceremonies, turned out to be one of the most glamorous, gracious and enjoyable in Oscar's 69-year history. And Billy Crystal was marvelous.'' - the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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