Jon Stewart, Oscar Host

An account of Jon Stewart's Sharp Oscar Wit from Yahoo News!

In a pointed barb at another of his favorite usual targets, the news media, Stewart saluted both Good Night, and Good Luck and Capote as important films about journalism's "relentless pursuit of the truth," adding, "Needless to say, both are period pieces."

Hollywood and its excesses took plenty of gentle ribbing. Mentioning that box office receipts in 2005 were down from the year before, while studios continued to fight copyright infringement, he launched into a brief tirade against the economic consequences of movie piracy. "There are women here who could barely afford enough gown to cover their breasts," he shouted at the camera in mock indignation. Saluting director for Schindler's List and Munich, Stewart quipped: "I think I speak for all Jews when I say I can't wait to see what happens to us next." In a reference to the gay themes prevalent in Brokeback Mountain and Capote, two of this year's most nominated films, Stewart said Capote broke taboos because it "showed America that not all gay people are virile cowboys. Some are actually effete New York intellectuals. It's true."

Stewart returned to some political jabs as the evening wore on, asking the cameras to point to a huge statue of the Oscar image above the stage. And, in obvious reference to the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein in the days after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq he said, "Do you think if we all got together and pulled this down, democracy would flourish in Hollywood?"