I wrote a little while ago that I liked that Jon Stewart wasn't acting like the evening was all about him. I haven't changed my mind about that but I also have what may seem like an opposing thought. The problem with the guy as Oscar Host is that he isn't a big star, at least in this context, and doesn't act like one. His low-key style is refreshing in some ways but it diminishes the event in others. Hosts like Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Steve Martin brought an air of importance to their intros. Stewart's just a guy out there being funny and keeping it moving during his limited moments on stage. I think it's a good job but it's a quiet good job, the kind that probably won't be appreciated by a lot of people.
The "In Memoriam" montage seemed too short to me…and not just because they didn't make the effort to include Don Knotts and Darren McGavin. Weren't there a lot of people who should have been in there and weren't?
By the way: I started watching the Oscars an hour after most of you. I've been using the Fast Forward button on the TiVo and also the 30 Second Skip feature, and now I've caught up with real time. I don't think I've missed a thing.