Well, I only saw the highlights, but I saw nothing to make me think that the LotR films were any less regarded at the Oscar ceremony than any of the other films nominated in the various categories.
The ceremony undoubtedly had its fair share of cheese, as is to be expected. And Billy Crystal is no Stephen Fry, although I suspect that he is the best that one can expect on Oscar night. I found much of his opening sequence rather amusing myself (the Michael Moore episode in particular, even though I have a lot of sympathy for Moore's position).
I think that we Tolkien afficionados can be a bit overly-paranoid sometimes. But there is no smoke without fire. And it is certainly the case that there is a vocal section of the media and journalistic (and indeed academic) community that "looks down" on Tolkien's works (and the films derived from them) and is not backward in making its position quite clear. Witness the derision with which LotR's success in the BBC's "Big Read" was greeted. At least the films did not meet with such an unfriendly reaction on Oscar night as the book met with on that occasion.
And I think that it is fair to say that the Oscar win has prompted a fair amount of adverse reaction in the press, certainly the UK press, over the last week. But, as I have said elsewhere, I put that down to people who dislike the films and/or the book seeking to counteract the overwhelming acclaim that both are currently receiving. For these people, the Oscar win is, I think, the "straw that broke the camel's back".
But really, so what? As I have also said elsewhere, the popularity of the book must surely be at an all-time high, it has been voted the most popular book in the UK, and the films have proved to be amongst the most successful (both critically and financially) of all time. So, let's be content with that, eh?
