Feb 20, 2006 02:43 PM
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Hollywood, 9:04 PM
Thu Mar 18
56 posts in the last 24 hours
All eyes have turned to Jon Stewart, as we scan the Daily Show comedian for signs of weakness and nerves in the days leading up to the biggest gig of his life, hosting the Oscars. Will he manage the required mix of measured irreverence and exuberance, a la Billy Crystal or Steve Martin? Or would he falter with something closer to Chris Rock's "In your FACE, fat ego movie stars!" routine that both fell flat and suggested the biggest ego in the room was probably his own? Ultimately, we won't know how Stewart fares until the show airs March 5, but by way of preparation, here's an Oscar Host Round-up:
AP: Oscars Host Stewart Prepares for Big Stage
Metaphor for the Big Gig:
Jon Stewart just won the Heisman—the comedians' version.
Requisite Self-Deprecation: "I've decided to exist in a sea of mediocrity. That's allowed me to do all my tasks, but to in fact do them poorly."
Oscar Comedy is Hard!: "You're gonna see a ton of 'Munich' stuff. Lots of hilarity to be mined there. [...] Not a whole lot rhymes with 'Syriana' or 'Capote.'"
Stewart Fun Fact: "Time magazine named Stewart one of its most influential people of 2005."
NY Times: A First-Time Oscar Host in Search of That Fine Line
Metaphor for the Big Gig: "...like a gadfly who rails against City Hall for years, only to wake up and find himself elected mayor..."
Requisite Self-Deprecation: Daily Show head writer Ben Karlin: "We're hoping to disappoint fans of 'The Daily Show' and similarly disappoint new fans who had no idea who Jon was."
Oscar Comedy is Hard!: "Mr. Stewart and his rookie Oscar-writing staff have been laboring to extract humor from somber, little-seen films like Munich, Crash and Capote. Not to mention sifting for something fresh and funny to say about Brokeback Mountain that hasn't already been done on Saturday Night Live."
Stewart Fun Fact: Oscar producer Gil Cates on Jon: "He's hip, he's with-it, he's 'today.'"
USA Today: Jon Stewart looks Oscar in the eye
Metaphor for the Big Gig: "...a new ringmaster of the Oscars..."
Requisite Self-Deprecation: "If you're going to go with films that not a lot of people have seen, you might as well go with a host that not a lot of people have seen."
Oscar Comedy is Hard!: "Crash and Munich are a comedian's dream. I've always said, if I can't make fun of the Holocaust, at least I can make fun of the Olympics massacre."
Stewart Fun Fact: "He says his last trip to the theater was for 1998's animated Antz, featuring Woody Allen as a neurotic insect."
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