Wii Tennis makes surprise appearance at the Oscars

by Scott Jon Siegel { Feb 25th 2008 at 7:30AM }

There was no saucy saunter down the red carpet, but Nintendo's casual darling Wii Sports did manage to surprise gamers with a guest-spot at the 2008 Academy Awards. In one of the night's many gags, host Jon Stewart gets caught off guard when the show returns from commercial break, to find him using one of the event's gigantic projection screens to play a quick round of Wii Tennis.

The entire segment lasts only thirty seconds, but it's chuckle-worthy, to be sure. Check out the video after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Tags: jon-stewart, jonstewart, nintendo, oscars, wii-sports, wiisports

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Nigeria @ Feb 25th 2008 7:48AM

I think I can beat Jon Stewart at Wii Tennis.

FOXHOUND @ Feb 25th 2008 7:54AM

It was the only redeeming part to that awards show. :\ The Oscars has to be the most pompous event Hollywood produces, and frankly - I'm amazed Jon Stewart even bothers with them(hell, does he even get significant enough pay, if at all, for hosting?).

Mills and Boom @ Feb 25th 2008 8:01AM

You watch it?

FOXHOUND @ Feb 25th 2008 8:15AM

Not without alcoholic-assistance, thanks to the past 3 years of tuning in. ;]

Karen @ Feb 25th 2008 8:24AM

I haven't watch a full awards show in 10 years but sat down to check it out last night because nothing else was on and wanted to see if Ratatouille would win. I was shocked at how well the show was. John Stewert made fun of Hollywood more then a few times everyone laughed at themselves. It humanized the show and made it anti pompous.

The Wii bit was very funny.

Falcon6 @ Feb 25th 2008 8:33AM

Saying that the Oscars is pompous is like saying orange juice tastes like an orange in juice form.
It's all a self-appreciated pat on the back for them. We watch it because we are amazed and amused by the movie stars. Any movie fan might take a quiet evening with a small, untelevised awards show over the Academy Awards.
But hey, at least it was entertaining. I, personally, watched because Jon Stewart was one of the best hosts of the last few years.

FOXHOUND @ Feb 25th 2008 8:44AM

Falcon6 ---
Spot on... I don't mind a show celebrating their talents, but damn if it shouldn't be as entertaining as their movies though. I mean, if booze and Mr. Stewart are the only reasons to tune in; I'll just continue watching THE DAILY SHOW(and COLBERT REPORT)instead. Maybe even get in a session of TEAM FORTRESS2... Yeah, that's the ticket...

ck @ Feb 25th 2008 9:14AM

Get over yourself. Of course, it's all self-congratulatory. But the Awards are always full of surprises and it's just fun to watch if you're more than a casual fan of movies. Lately, most of the movies nominated are really deserving. And Stewart's monologue was actually damn funny. I hope they keep bringing him back like they did with Billy Crystal.

Andy O. @ Feb 25th 2008 1:40PM

I love the oscars, they remind me which movies I missed because I couldn't pry my butt away from ___ game for a few hours. Love watching the classic clips and it was good to see Cohen bros win director and best film awards (and of course Javer for Best Supporting in same flic). No Country for Old Men was amazing.

That Bourne film took home 3 awards this year, mostly for audio stuff, but kind of a surprise.

Never miss the awards, never will.

ThornedVenom (Ludwig Defense Force) @ Feb 25th 2008 8:03AM

I knew the Wii would look good on a bigscreen! =D

Green_Ogre @ Feb 25th 2008 8:13AM

What really interests me is the fact that the oscars are rated TV14 for Language? Isn't the awards supposed to be family friendly?

Andy O. @ Feb 25th 2008 1:42PM

Someone got up for his/her speech and almost uttered shit a couple times. it's just to protect ABC's arses, I mean it is live, no idea if they tape delay it, but as I understand it people get genuinely excited about winning, sometimes what they utter isn't always well thought out.

bearxor @ Feb 25th 2008 8:24AM

Chuckle-worthy? Are you guys kidding?

I hope so, because that would be funnier than this segment from last night's show.

Curmeo @ Feb 25th 2008 8:27AM

lame, just like the Oscars.

samfish @ Feb 25th 2008 9:52AM

And you.

religiousjedi @ Feb 25th 2008 12:14PM

He's just depressed that his boyfriend Phil left him...

That said...good job Nintendo. More publicity=more demand (usually). Especially to those gossipers who want to be so much like their Hollywood "heroes."

Curmeo @ Feb 25th 2008 8:28AM

lame, just like the Oscars.

fyreblazer @ Feb 25th 2008 8:30AM

Forget the Wii...who was the chick he was playing against?!

Manvir (El Homer) @ Feb 25th 2008 10:18PM

she was the girl who preformed the song from august rush that was nominated for an oscar

T @ Feb 25th 2008 8:32AM

Was he playing against anybody famous in particular? Or was it just a stage hand?

gjd646 @ Feb 25th 2008 9:09AM

I can't remember her name, but she was an 11-year old girl who had earlier sung on a performance of one of the Oscar-nominated songs (from the movie August Rush.)

mr mobius @ Feb 25th 2008 8:37AM

Thats retarded. He is actually jumping around and moving sideways as if that makes the slightest bit of difference. If it would have been any more set up then I'd have almost expected him to be playing some famous tnenis player. Surely the jumping around and sideways all the time might even make the wiimote think its being swung when it isn't. Brilliant way to show he has never played Wii Sports or at least was over-exagerating.

It looks fun though and the Oscars are definitely aimed toward a crowd that gaming usually doesn't get. Nintendo got some good coverage of a new demography there.

Dr. @ Feb 25th 2008 8:43AM

Yeah, what the hell was he thinking, trying to be entertaining...

mr mobius @ Feb 25th 2008 8:49AM

I realise that was what he was trying to do. He just oversold it.

Arteen @ Feb 25th 2008 9:07AM

I know people who play Wii Sports like that.

Dahk @ Feb 25th 2008 9:15AM

I'm PRETTY sure he was just over-exaggerating.

Dood, with a massive screen like that, I'd even go crazy running around just for the hell of it (EVEN THOUGH i can play sitting on my couch - but what's the fun of that if you're doing this in front of the entire world).

ill trooper @ Feb 25th 2008 9:40AM

Mr Mobius -

Kindly re-read what you wrote and tell us all again who's 'overdoing' it -

Gerwurztraminer @ Feb 25th 2008 9:59AM

That's just one of Jon Stewart's humor styles. Sort of a mock-cluelessness. It's supposed to be funny *because* it is over the top and exaggerated.

Lone Starr @ Feb 25th 2008 9:41AM

And it was the most exciting part of the show.

Prof_Chaos @ Feb 25th 2008 9:48AM

That and Gary Busey losing it during the red carpet crap. That is a scene I can watch over and over.

KayRazy Ken Kutaragi @ Feb 25th 2008 9:55AM

This is getting rediculous. Over a year since the Wii's launch and the masses STILL only play the game that CAME with the system. How much longer boys and girls until the masses get BORED of it?

Like I have been saying for over a year...this FAD will run its course and be at an end roughly 2 years after its debut.

I would bet that 70% of the Wii owners out there...you know, the casuals, have played NOTHING besides that pack-in game.

Pathetic

Vote me down, flame me all you want Wiiboys...but deep down inside past your Kirby underooos, YOU KNOW I AM RIGHT. Nintendo SCAMED you guys into another generation of Mario and pals and NOTHING else.

Tootles

quickshade @ Feb 25th 2008 10:02AM

I have to agree. My cousins only play that game and my friends who own a Wii rent a game once every 3 months and play it for a week.

Nigeria @ Feb 25th 2008 10:08AM

"Kirby underooos"

You had to bring Kirby into this!

*destroys Kirby "underoos"

Gerwurztraminer @ Feb 25th 2008 10:11AM

You're forgetting the Wii shortage issue. This means that new consumers are constantly getting the Wii for the first time, which means that new consumers are constantly playing Wii Sports for the first time. If the "shortage" ends after two years then yes, that may be the end of the Wii Sports "fad".

As far as being "scamed"... I'm pretty sure that's not even a word.

Prof_Chaos @ Feb 25th 2008 10:12AM

While you're right to a degree, I don't much care for what the casuals play. I can't wait for the next Nintendo IP game. They're some of the most fun games I've ever played.

For most of us, being people who care about gaming, it's not really a one system deal. I play the games I want to play on the Wii, but when I feel like playing something grittier, or with better graphics, or whatnot, I turn on my 360 and play that. There isn't a secret police out there stopping you from owning more than one system, especially when the purchase price of the Wii is so low. I'm actually excited about what happens with this generation of consoles, because for the first time there are totally different experiences with different systems.

SoulBlade @ Feb 25th 2008 10:15AM

not sure if it was a scam. If Wii sports is still giving people a great time, then its worth the money - think about it - people payed 250 bucks 2 years ago to play the game that they're still enjoying.

Also consider that some of those people playing Wii sports are playing it for the first time since Wiis were so hard to get.

Why hate on a system when it makes no difference to you whatsoever? Clearly if they showed the PS3 you'd be going nuts, so please try to be a bit smarter in the future.

Kouheikun @ Feb 25th 2008 10:19AM

Other casual games like Wii Play, Big Brain Academy, Wario Ware, Mario Party 8, and Wii Fit (in Japan thus far, but it's sure to catch on worldwide) have been selling great. People may have long gotten bored of Wii Sports, but there's been a steady stream of casual games to keep the audience entertained. It's not just Wii Sports, but I guess you haven't noticed, since you don't own a Wii.

Anyways, they probably chose tennis because it is so iconic. Even those who no longer play Wii Sports will still remember tennis as one of their first (if not THE first) experience they had playing the Wii.

umm....hello??? @ Feb 25th 2008 10:25AM

REALLY?? so are people still bored with "Guitar Hero"?? because even 4 iterations later it's still the same game....or how about MaddenFootball or Tetris? do people get tired of playing Tetris on every imaginable platform (gameboy/ps2/cell phones/etc)??

in other words, stfu.

Kye Wii60DF @ Feb 25th 2008 10:32AM

"Nintendo SCAMED you guys into another generation of Mario and pals and NOTHING else."

Scam - to fool someone into buying something that isn't really what it claims to be. That's my interpretation of the word as it is used in this instance.

To scam us they would have had to claim that we weren't gona get Mario & friends sequels. But, they did say what to expect. I bought a Wii knowing damned well that I'd be playing the next Zelda, the next Mario, Mario Kart Wii and so on...

So I really don't see how I've been scammed. That's like saying Sony scammed people into watching Blue Ray disc movies or Microsoft scammed us into playing Halo 3.

You almost sound genuinely, personally insulted that people still enjoy the Wii and its' (it's, its) pack-in game. Please, the sooner you realise you can't control what people do and like the sooner you'll enjoy life more.

KayRazy Ken Kutaragi @ Feb 25th 2008 10:41AM

Some of you have brought up some valid points. I am amazed that I have not been flamed more. My main point is, when the masses think of the Wii, they think of 1 game...wiisports. Hell, they even think of it as multiple games. For example, I have heard many times from the news reports of the Nintendo wii tennis game or the bowling game or the boxing game...never realizing that ALL of those games are ONE game.

People get bored, and once Wii hardware stablizes..they will get bored of the wii. Its just the way it works for all the lemmings out there, they find something they like, flock to it, play it, get bored of it, then find something else and repeat.

As for my countrymen the Japanese...I do not know what the frak they are doing. The Japanese gaming scene now is NOTHING like it was 10 years ago. Puzzling for sure.

KayRazy Ken Kutaragi @ Feb 25th 2008 10:48AM

"You almost sound genuinely, personally insulted that people still enjoy the Wii and its' (it's, its) pack-in game. Please, the sooner you realise you can't control what people do and like the sooner you'll enjoy life more."

I am insulted in the fact that Nintendo put out a peripheral with old hardware in a new coat of paint and called it a NEW machine. That is the scamm I am talking about.

If they would have done this new control scheme with new hardware of even HALF the power of the 360 or the PS3 then I would consider them part of THIS generation. Instead they spend almost nothing on developement and the lemmings buy it up in droves.
At least Microsoft and Sony gave us NEW hardware with NEW capabilities and a much deeper online experience.

I do not think Nintendo took much of a risk here either. They spent very little to develop the Game.. er Wii...so how is that risk?

Anni @ Feb 25th 2008 10:57AM

I AM SO ANGRY ABOUT A JOKE AT THE OSCARS I SWEAR TO GOD!!

Prof_Chaos @ Feb 25th 2008 11:04AM

"I do not think Nintendo took much of a risk here either. They spent very little to develop the Game.. er Wii...so how is that risk?"

Of course, they didn't take a risk. Businesses don't take risks if they can avoid it. Sony didn't take a risk either. They took a loss in order to foster Cell and Blu-Ray. They knew that even if they sold at a quarter the rate of the PS2 they'd sell enough PS3's to guarantee a win for Blu-Ray. That was the goal. Now that it's been accomplished there will be more time and resources spent on making the PS3 more profitable (by cutting prod. costs, attracting casual audiences, etc.). Sony is not trying to win with numbers, neither are Nintendo or Microsoft. The only people who really care about sales numbers are us fanboys. They'll talk about them, but shareholders care about margin and profit, not sales numbers (which are only sometimes related). Like it or not, there are many more casual gamers than hardcore, therefore we matter less.

Gerwurztraminer @ Feb 25th 2008 11:06AM

"If they would have done this new control scheme with new hardware of even HALF the power of the 360 or the PS3 then I would consider them part of THIS generation."

What Nintendo is doing is filling a void. The 360 and PS3 are pushing the limits, so to speak, so their tech is more expensive. By Nintendo giving their "old" hardware a fresh coat of paint (and some duct-tape) they are able to be an in-between console which is an upgrade from the 'cube, just not as drastic as the PS360s.

As a frugal gamer, I was grateful for that decision.

Kye Wii60DF @ Feb 25th 2008 11:15AM

Old hardware with a new tin of coat.
The duct-tape argument.

Yes, the Wii does not trounce the GC in terms of raw power, and it does not compete with the PS3 & 360.
But, it does count as a next-generation consle.

The reason for this is the input-method. I cannot speak about the PS brand of consoles because I don't own them. But as for the Xbox and 360, to me, one is a beefed-up version of the other and that's all. Maybe I haven't pushed my 360 to the limit but to me, Im playing upgrades of the "same old" games, but with better graphics. Live is the same, I push the same buttons to do the same thing and everything is, the same.

At least with the Wii I get better graphics AND a new way to control the same old game. Like I keep saying - if I want to see top-class graphics I'll watch a movie. I want good, immersive game play more than anything else.

I agree that whoever masterminded Nintendo's online capabilities should be publicly sodomised but hey, you gotta take the good with the bad.

When people get tired of it, they will move on. Until then lets play and let play.

LaughingMan @ Feb 25th 2008 11:21AM

Well you're wrong about me. I've picked up about a dozen games since I got my Wii, including some decidedly not family friendly.

Resident Evil 4. No More Heroes. Prince of Persia.

I have nothing against the PS3, but the fact is, the PS3 is an old concept console (for people who like to go on blogs and comment about video games), while the Wii presents something new and fresh that obviously makes people like you very uncomfortable and pissed off.

Korova @ Feb 25th 2008 1:12PM

People have been saying that paper is a fad since the stone age.

Digital Distribution FTW!

STFU

Mr Khan @ Feb 25th 2008 4:23PM

I just like it when the date the fad ends keeps getting pushed back...

bender @ Feb 25th 2008 4:32PM

What's the big deal? If people who bought the Wii enjoy it, then it's all good, right?

Aberu @ Feb 25th 2008 7:01PM

Everyone I know who has one has played it MAYBE for a collective 20 total hours. They all got one maybe a year ago or more. Yeah it fails at good games to console ratio IMO. But then again I'm at the belief that ALL systems are failing at that ratio right now. Gaming has been so hard hit by the casual market lately they are casualing (aka bad'ing) every fucking game that has potential. Jesus look at FF12, they made a fucking offline-MMO.

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