And the Oscar hosting job goes to… Daily Show maestro Jon Stewart, the man currently giving much-needed cardiac massage to ‘Murkan political satire. Irony is not dead in the land of the free (sic), it’s just hidden on Comedy Central.

Stewart can only fare better than Chris Rock, last year’s Academy Awards host. On the scale of uncomfortable viewing experiences, Rock’s monologue registered just below Michael Barrymore crying in the Big Brother toilet.

Says Stewart: "As an avid watcher of the Oscars, I can’t help but be a little disappointed with the choice. It appears to be another sad attempt to smoke out [multi-Oscar host] Billy Crystal."

* The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, More4, tonight at 8.30pm
* The 78th Academy Awards, live on ABC, Sunday 5 March 2006