The tentative agreement between the writers and the producers reached over the weekend appears to have rescued the February 24th Oscars telecast. At a news conference of Sunday, WGA chief negotiator David Young suggested that keeping the Oscars hostage, in effect, helped the union leverage a settlement.

“It was going to be a huge thing for the industry to lose the Oscars,” he said. Nevertheless, with less time to prepare, Academy Awards producers are likely to simplify production numbers and entirely eliminate customarily elaborate filmed pieces.

As the principal entertainer of the night, Jon Stewart is expected to face even greater pressure than usual to keep things light and lively.

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