Jon Stewart is funny, talented guy, and will soon join a select club, when he hosts the Academy Awards on Sunday. Did Hollywood make the right decision in choosing a political comedian to host its biggest show of the year? No.
While Stewart may have a hit show under his belt and attract a younger crowd to the Oscars, his success is due to the fact that those tuning into his show know what to expect. It is no secret he is a liberal, and that he has had more fun with the Bush Administration in the last five years than a kid at a candy store. I mean, without Bush, where would a good amount of his material come from?. And this humor will not work on a night where the whole world will tune in -- not just a young, liberal group, but those from all over the country, with varying political backgrounds. And, quite frankly, political humor will be present, and in such a situation it will be a disaster. On a night when people are watching to be entertained, the last thing they are going to want is politics being brought up in a controversial way, or even worse, feeling insulted by Stewart.
Bob Hope, Steve Martin and Billy Crystal did their job of entertaining without politicizing. While the Hollywood crowd there might enjoy it -- due to the fact that Tinsel Town is predominately liberal -- I can only imagine how awkward it will be for those watching the show with someone of a different political ideology. Can Stewart being funny without bashing Bush? I don't think so.
Tracy Steel @ Sat, 03/04/2006 - 6:19pm
You do have a point--the goal of the Oscars is not to offend people. People who watch The Daily Show are (usually) pretty liberal, or at least they watch the show knowing that liberal views will be expressed. But when people watch the Oscars, it's for an interest in movies (or celebrities), and not politics. So it would be a bit like throwing politics in people's faces who didn't ask for it in the first place.