What sort of worked
THE JOKE: Chris Rock’s jab at President Bush. In the first mildly successful use of analogy in an awards show monologue, Rock equates the U.S. to retail in “Things you could never get away with at your job at the Gap,” which include running a trillion dollar register deficit and going to war with Banana Republic over non-existent toxic tank tops.
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WHY: In Oscar bizarro world, where Beyonce is the obvious choice for a French choral performance and Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz gets past security, we’ll give Rock credit for making fun of the prez, a sport famously reserved for pre-show posturing. But don’t let the laughing rich people fool you: It wasn’t that funny. (Although we hear Ariel Sharon has dubbed Condi Rice the new Sarah Jessica Parker.)
THE JOKE: Rock makes fun of this year’s ridiculous format.
WHY: In an attempt to jazz up the Oscar broadcast, producer Gil Cates made our lifelong dream of a Carlos Santana/Antonio Banderas duet come true, honored Sidney Lumet and doled out statuettes in the aisles, prompting Rock to predict that “next year they’re going to give the Oscars away in the parking lot.” As long as Yo-Yo Ma is there, so am I.
What didn’t work at all
THE JOKE: Hollywood is accused of being out of touch with ordinary folk, so Rock taped a segment at the Magic Johnson cineplex, asking moviegoers to name their favorite films of the year, which included “Saw” and “White Chicks.”
WHY: We expected a racy, foul-mouthed, innovative comic. We got Jay Leno.
THE JOKE: Hey, I’m black! jokes.
WHY: Rock calls this year’s show “Def Oscar Jam,” jokes that black movies don’t get real names (see “Barbershop,” “Soul Plane”) and brings on stage two black guys posing as Oscar accountants, which is hilarious because everyone knows that there are no black accountants.