There are some interesting little bits of info to come out of a new survey Fandango conducted about the Oscars.

The fact that 71% of respondents said that they would be more inclined to watch the telecast if The Dark Knight is nominated for Best Picture is huge. It provides some validation to the theory that last year's telecast hit an all-time low in part because the films that were nominated for Best Picture weren't that successful with mainstream audiences.

After the Knight response, I certainly did a double take when I saw that 27% of viewers are annoyed by the musical numbers. Part of me understands that annoyance, and part of me says that for every schmaltzy Disney tune that is performed we often get a performance by Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon or Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (last year's Best Original Song winners for Once). This year we'll get a live treat from Mr. Bruce Springsteen, and that's one of the aspects of the show that I'm looking forward to the most.

The official release:

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 -- More than 7,000 moviegoers were surveyed by Fandango on the advice they’d give to the new producers of the Academy Awards® telecast on February 22. The results are just part of the extensive news and information that can be found in Fandango’s Awards Watch section, launching today at www.fandango.com/awardswatch.

Film fans can enter a sweepstakes to win a diamond ring, discover experts’ picks for who will win this year’s Oscars®, view photos from recent awards shows like the Golden Globes®, read Red Carpet coverage from style guru and author Leslie Gornstein and commentary by Fandango columnist Sarah McLaughlin, vote in weekly polls, and much more.

Fandango’s awards survey was posted online from December 27-January 15, when more than 7,000 moviegoers responded with their Oscar® show opinions and recommendations.

Among Fandango fans’ top Oscar® show pet peeves (fans could vote for more than one aspect they would curtail on the telecast):
• 49% Political remarks during acceptance speeches
• 34% All technical awards
• 33% Excessive length of the show
• 27% Live musical numbers
• 26% Celebrity presenter banter
The full list can be found at Fandango.com.

Among the elements they’d like to keep or expand:
• 65% One single host for the entire show
• 57% “In Memoriam” tribute
• 52% Celebrity fashion during pre-show Red Carpet festivities
• 48% Opening monologue
• 27% Best Animated Feature

Among other survey results:
• 71% say they’d be more inclined to watch this year’s Oscar® telecast if The Dark Knight gets a nomination for Best Picture.
• 81% feel that the Academy’s past picks were out of touch with the choices of the mainstream moviegoing public.
• 59% of respondents say they’re more likely to watch with Hugh Jackman as the show’s host.
• 29% say they didn’t watch last year’s show because they hadn’t seen the nominated movies.