Okay, now I'm regretting my decision to commit massive financial relief to a beleagured auto industry as a protest against the Hollywood ego machine.
I just read that Dave Barry was one of the writers who came up with jokes for Steve Martin.
I think Steve Martin is the funniest person on the planet. I memorized all of his albums as a kid. I even bought the book "Cruel Shoes." Everytime one of his stories appears in The New Yorker, I swallow it whole. I even paid to see "The Lonely Guy" in the theaters.
This link leads to a great column by Barry that gives a glimpse into the process of crafting Oscar jokes.
Here's an example of one of the jokes they didn't use:
''Halloween 8 came out. I thought it was the best Halloween ever. It made Halloween 7 look like Halloween 5.''
See what I mean. Damn. Should have watched the opening monologue.