Jon Stewart will helm the Oscars for the second time this coming Sunday.
Hollywood’s biggest and starriest night almost didn’t happen due to the writer’s strike, which ended just two weeks ago. Thankfully though, the show is going on and Hollywood will do its best to gussy-up for the Oscar’s 80th celebration, with Stewart more than happy to once again take the reigns.
The host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” spoke with Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson during his run up to the big night. The funnyman opened up about who might be on the receiving end of his jokes, what changes are being made to the ceremony this year and what his backup plan was, had the Oscars not made it this year.
Shaun Robinson: First of all, how excited are you that the show is finally going to go on? Was there a point where you thought, ‘Oh! Am I going to just relax on Sunday?’
Jon Stewart: Yeah, there was a point, I guess about four months ago, where once the writer’s strike happened, as it started to go along, I realized we might get to a point where we don’t have it.
What were your plans going to be for this Sunday if the strike hadn’t ended?
They included Absolut vodka and a Lazy Boy chair and a large pile of ground meat. I was just going to sit there and I wasn’t even going to cook it. I was just going to eat the meat, drink the vodka and just recline and sit back.
How have Oscar preps been going? Have you just been working feverishly?
Feverishly? Look at me! Look, you think I really look this bad? You think I am this old? I was 6’1” when we started this and now look at me! I don’t know what happened.
How is the show going to be different this time?
It is going to be in Spanglish. Nobody has done that yet – it’s a new twist on a new favorite… It is the 80th anniversary and I think it is the kind of thing — under normal circumstances — we would have been gearing up for this very huge [event]… I think everybody is going to be tentative. People are just going to remain a little bit unsure [about] whether or not they can relax.
There will be targets (all around you) in the audience? What folks better just prepare, as you’re going to be talking about them?
Listen, they are waiting to find out if they are winning their life-changing award, whatever… My guess is the people that are in there, that are up for this stuff, they ain’t even going to remember this. They are either going to wake up and be backstage holding gold or they will be in a Lazy Boy with a big bowl of meat, drinking vodka.
Should politicians watch out?
I believe there may be some discussion [on that. I’m] not sure really if there is any type of presidential campaign going right now, but if there is, perhaps we may mention it at times.
Is anyone off limits?
Yeah, I think my family. I am not going to make fun of them. Hopefully, [they] will be off limits based on the quality of the jokes so we will see where that goes.
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