The bottom line is that Ellen DeGeneres was damn funny.

In her Oscars hosting debut, the loveable lesbian talk-show host won over the overly-discriminating audience almost immediately with an early joke highlighting the importance of tolerance and diversity:

"And I want to put this out there: If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars,"

She was also endearingly humorous each time that she left the stage to engage with the high-profile guests. Her two funniest forays included a not-so subtle slipping of a script to director Martin Scorsese and a hilarious "myspace photo" taken with Clint Eastwood (the pic was snapped by none other than Steven Spielberg).

Sadly, some media pundits are criticizing DeGeneres, and the Oscars presentation in general, for not making enough controversial barbs. They are also faulting Ellen for not making light of recent tabloid fodder involving Britney Spears or the recently-deceased Anna Nicole Simpson.

Frankly, that sort of critique is ridiculous.

DeGeneres clearly illustrated that a talented entertainer doesn't need to sink to those depths in order to be funny and refreshing, and hopefully, this won't be the last time that Ellen hosts the Oscars.