Oscars 2008 - Jon Stewart
Love Him or Hate Him
Some people were shocked when The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart was announced as this year’s Oscar host. Others not at all. Which comes as no surprise since his stint hosting the 2006 Oscars received the same bipolar reception.
Time magazine’s James Poniewozik put it best when he wrote on his blog, “Stewart, it turned out, was not a very good Oscar host. But he was a great anti-host.” In other words, if you like watching the awards, but only ironically, Stewart’s not-letting-them-get-away-with-anything style was an enjoyable salve. We loved it, but judge for yourself.
We take you back to the year of Brokeback Mountain, Cinderella Man and Crash, for a list of Stewart’s 10 best jokes. Oh, and for good measure, we threw in a couple of the self-deprecating comedian’s evaluations of his own performance.
—Marni Weisz
Jon Stewart’s top-10 Oscar Jokes
10 “If there’s anyone out there involved in illegal movie piracy, don’t do it. Take a good look at these people. These are the people you’re stealing from. Look at them! Face what you’ve done! There are women here who could barely afford enough gown to cover their breasts.”
9 “I have to say congratulations to The Chronicles of Narnia [winner for Best Makeup]. I’m a little surprised Cinderella Man didn’t win that category. I just think, you know, imagine the difficulty in making Russell Crowe look like he got into a fight.”
8 “Capote was a groundbreaking film that broke taboos, that showed America not all gay people are virile cowboys. Some are actually effete New York intellectuals.”
7 “A lot of people say this town is too liberal. Out of touch with mainstream America. An atheistic pleasure dome. A modern-day beachfront Sodom and Gomorrah. A moral black hole. Where innocence is obliterated in an endless orgy of sexual gratification and greed. I don’t really have a joke here. I just thought you should know a lot of people are saying that.”
6 On the unending procession of movie montages: “I can’t wait until later, when we see Oscar’s salute to montages! Holy crap, we are out of clips! We are literally out of film clips! If you have film clips, send them, please. We have another three hours, I don’t care if they’re on Beta, just send them.”
5 After a self-congratulatory montage about the tough issues tackled by Hollywood movies: “And none of those issues were ever a problem again.”
4 “The theme of the award show tonight is a return to glamour. And thank goodness, because for too long Hollywood has done without.”
3 “There are a lot of really big stars here tonight. It’s really exciting. We’ve got the man, Mr. George Clooney, triple nominee. Two of the nominations for Good Night, and Good Luck., which is not just Edward R. Murrow’s sign-off, it’s also how Mr. Clooney ends all his dates.”
2 Upon returning to The Daily Show, Stewart’s reaction to the conflicting reviews he received: “I sucked, and was great! I was a painfully smug and unfunny heir to Johnny Carson.”
1 In a statement released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, after he was announced as this year’s host: “I’m thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second time because, as they say, the third time’s a charm.”