Oscar host announcement media flashback

Gil Cates, the producer of the Oscar telecast, scheduled for March 5, said that he was thrilled to have gotten Mr. Stewart to take the gig.

“He’s young, he appeals to an audience that the Oscars are always striving to attract – the young guys,” Mr. Cates said. “You need a stand-up comic, someone not afraid to face the room, not afraid to deal with the unexpected, someone with the testosterone to do it – man or woman.”