John Stewart has a lot of pressure going into his opening monologue tonight. Although Celebitchy liked his 2006 performance, a lot of people thought it fell a little flat. It certainly wasn’t controversial or very similar to his style on “The Daily Show.” The general worry this time around was that Stewart would make too many jokes about the writers’ strike. Certainly he had a lot to do in a very short period of time.

With just 11 days to prepare for the most watched awards broadcast in the world, Stewart shuttled 10 of his Daily Show writers across the country — not just the five who came when he hosted two years ago — to help him with the telecast. Oh, and that staff doesn’t include the four additional writers the Academy hired to pen the banter between presenters. ”Most hosts start preparing their material at least a month in advance, which in Jon’s case he couldn’t do,” says Oscar producer Gil Cates.

[From Entertainment Weekly]

So how did Jon perform under the pressure? He started a little slow, but warmed up quickly. A few of his best jokes:

On the WGA Strike: “The fight is over, so tonight, welcome to the makeup sex.”

On Vanity Fair canceling their traditional Oscar party: “You know how you can show respect to the writers? Maybe one day, invite some of them to the Vanity Fair Oscar party…. [cheers] Don’t worry, they won’t mingle!”

On “No Country for Old Men,” “Sweeney Todd,” etc: “What is with all Oscar-nominated psychopathic killer movies. Does this town need a hug?… all I can say is, thank God for teen pregnancy. I think the country agrees.”

“Javier Bardem. Your work in ‘No Country for Old Men’ amazing. Combining brilliantly Hannibal Lecter’s murderousness, with Dorothy Hamel’s wedge cut.”

“Even ‘Norbit’ got an award, which I think is good. Too often, the academy ignores movies that aren’t good.”

“Diablo Cody, what an amazing story. She used to be an exotic dancer, and now she is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. I hope you’re enjoying the pay cut.”

[From the Academy Awards]

Overall I think it was a really good opening monologue, especially given all the pressure on Jon Stewart. From the stress of the strike and the criticisms of his last performance, there was a lot riding on this. A lot of people have pointed out that if nothing else, the WGA strike has led to an unpredictable show, which could shake up the old format a bit and lead to a much more exciting show.

Header image of Jon Stewart at the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on 9/16/2007

Update by Celebitchy: Here’s the video
Here’s Stewart’s opening monologue: