Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press Jon Stewart proved to be an amusing host. Click photo for larger image.

Classy opening, classy set, classy host, but the "78th Annual Academy Awards" were a big-time bore.

Host Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's hilarious "The Daily Show" was more amusing than funny. Many of his jokes fell flat with the stars in the Kodak Theatre ("It's the one night of the year you get to see all your favorite stars without having to donate any money to the Democratic party"), and his tendency to bow down before celebrities quickly grew tiresome ("We've got the man, Mr. George Clooney ...").

But the show opening, from a computer-animated introduction that featured movie icons mixing on a busy street (Elizabeth Taylor mingled with Spider-man, Julia Roberts and Forrest Gump) was so impressively detailed, it warranted a second viewing.

An inventive, Stewart-starring short film followed. It depicted past Oscars hosts Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, David Letterman and Whoopi Goldberg declining the chance to host the Academy Awards again. Smart and self-deprecating, as Stewart is wont to be, this introduction set a self-referential, in-joke tone that continued through the night.

Stewart brought his "Daily Show" bag of tricks with him to the Oscars, puncturing stridency with humor. He affected a "how-dare-they" tone regarding "Brokeback Mountain."

"There's nothing remotely gay about the classic Hollywood Westerns," Stewart said, introducing a series of clips that could all be interpreted as homoerotic.

The end-of-show "Crash" upset that denied "Brokeback" the best picture Oscar was the night's biggest shock, aside from best song winner "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," which gave Stewart fodder for jokes.

Pre-taped segments bearing Stewart's distinctive "Daily Show" style diverted from an otherwise dull night, especially a series of fake best actress campaign commercials that aped political spots. Given the hot-potato subjects explored in this year's most-nominated films, the tone was fitting (and proved Stewart to be the right host in the right year) and inspired the kind of humor that plays better with hipster intellectuals than mainstream audiences. Expect this Oscars telecast to be a ratings loser.

Though political, Hollywood's biggest names were on their best behavior. Even as Oscar winner George Clooney got political in his acceptance speech, his statements were pointed but not obnoxious.

Ben Stiller's goofy green unitard aside, presenter patter was less groan-inducing than usual. But with indie films battling other indie films for the top awards, the excitement level was tantamount to multiplying zeroes.

Even Stewart mocked the telecast's over-reliance on clips: "Wow, I can't wait till later when we see Oscar's salute to montages," he said.

Here are some of our awards -- best and worst -- for last night's ceremony:

Biggest improvement: ABC's pre-show still needs more irreverence and a less worshipful tone, but at least its hosts weren't as embarrassing as in years past. A warm moment when Felicity Huffman received greetings from her "Desperate Housewives" co-stars seemed genuine.

"You ruined my makeup, thank you very much," a touched Huffman said, wiping away tears.

Worst new product slogan: Diet Coke is now suggesting consumers who drink the soft drink will "light it up." Is this a not-so-subtle attempt to win over potheads?

Best shot at a politico: "Sad news to report: Bjork couldn't be here tonight," Stewart said, reminding viewers of the Icelandic singer who once wore a swan dress to the Oscars. "She was trying on her Oscar dress, and Dick Cheney shot her."

Oddest innovation: Rather than playing winners off stage, music played under acceptance speeches all night. It took some getting used to, but seemed less intrusive.

Funniest feint: Returning from a commercial break, Stewart pretended to be touting Tom Cruise's religion: "And that's why I think Scientology is right, not just for this city but for the country."

Worst spelling error: The sign over the stage promised an award would be presented by Will Farrell, not Will Ferrell.

Funniest acceptance speech: Corinne Marrinan, a producer of the Best Documentary Short winner, said, "I'd like to thank the Academy for sitting me next to George Clooney at the nominees luncheon."

Are there no standards? J Lo as an Oscar presenter? Why?