Love it!: Jon Stewart to Host the Oscars

7 votes

Share It

Jon Stewart Pictures: Love it!: Jon Stewart to Host the Oscars

See More... Even though Jon Stewart’s turn last February as host of the Academy Awards was met with low ratings and a decidedly underwhelmed collection of critics, I happen to think he did an outstanding job doing what has been called “the toughest gig in Hollywood.” I am the first to admit, though, that I could be of that mind because if you ask me, Jon Stewart can do no wrong. Honestly, he wasn’t outstanding.

But, there have been worse. Stewart didn’t open up the broadcast with “Good evening, Hollywood phonies” as Chevy Chase did in 1988, setting his audience up for three, painstaking hours of nervous laughter. Chevy was not invited back. Stewart didn’t insult the talent as Chris Rock did in 2005. Rock joked that most people had never heard of Jude Law and that it wasn’t likely that people had seen the nominated films. He was not invited back, either. Last but certainly not least, Stewart didn’t run a bad joke into the ground a la David Letterman in 1995. Remember the “Oprah, Uma. Uma, Oprah” quandary? Letterman told the joke time and time again without a trace of positive reinforcment to bolster him. He has lived on in infamy as the worst Oscar host to date.

This year is Stewart’s for what is, in my opinion, one main, wonderful reason: It’s an election year! And he is Jon Stewart! The man who made politics as cool as P. Diddy! Maybe putting in Barack’s biggest champion in to play right before the buzzer is Hollywood’s strategic attempt to throw its weight around.