MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO LEONARD H. GOLDENSON UNIVERSITY SATELLITE SEMINAR SERIES, THE: THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by The Museum of Television & Radio. Held at the Museum of Television & Radio in New York, and moderated by Museum President Robert M. Batscha, this seminar examines the satirical news program "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Batscha opens by introducing his panelists: "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, executive producer Madeleine Smithberg, writer Ben Karlin, producer/writer Stewart Bailey, and field correspondents/substitute anchors Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell. (Panelist biographies immediately follow this summary.)
After basic information has been provided about the panelists' backgrounds in comedy, a clip reel of "Daily Show" highlights is screened. After the reel, Batscha reintroduces the panel and asks how the show is put together. Smithberg and Colbert confess that putting the program together is, in their words, like "playing a slot machine"; any of the "human interest" stories, for example, could air anytime at all. Batscha discusses the role of Comedy Central in the coverage of the recent presidential election, and Stewart reveals that because of the wide availability of the show, the producers can snag guests like Bob Dole and John McCain to appear on it. The person-on-the-street segments are actually more difficult to fill, he confesses, as ordinary people are often familiar with the tone of the program and fear its mockery. Batscha asks Stewart whether he believes that "The Daily Show" can sway public opinion. "Our responsibility is to be funny," Stewart explains, adding, "It's MTV's job to influence the kids." Colbert and Carell discuss the time that it took for the program to find its proper tone. "We've done some stories I'm not proud of," Smithberg says. "But it was all funny," Colbert adds. All of the writers and correspondents discuss their pact to stay away from stories dealing with actual injuries to people; school shootings and plane crashes are off limits, everyone agrees. Bailey explains that one of the major news conventions that "The Daily Show" parodies is the tendency of some sanctimonious reporters to chase an interview or story with no regard for taste or propriety. "Right," Stewart agrees. "You get the idea that Stone Phillips would stand inside a gaping wound to deliver a story." A discussion of everyone's least favorite journalists, which includes several impersonations of John Stossel, follows. When the phone lines are opened up for questions from college and university students across the country, some of the following topics are discussed: the treatment of the "Daily Show" team by regular journalists, the correspondents' efforts to keep their stories from crossing the line from mockery into cruelty, and the personal beliefs of the cast and crew. Stewart concludes by recalling the time Republican political figure Bill Bennett asked Stewart for an autograph shortly after bashing such programs as "The Daily Show."
This seminar was presented as part of the Museum and Paramount's "Entertainment Tonight's" partnership saluting excellence on television.
Biographies Steve Carell is a correspondent for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Before joining "The Daily Show," Carell was a writer/performer for "The Dana Carvey Show," and he provides the voices for several characters on the animated "Saturday Night Live" series "The Ambiguously Gay Duo." Carell is a veteran of the Second City resident company in Chicago and various other theater groups, including the Goodman and Wisdom Bridge.
Mo Rocca is a correspondent for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Rocca wrote and produced the children's PBS series "Wishbone" and worked on the Nickelodeon series "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss." His career abruptly changed gears when he became an editor at the adult entertainment magazine "Perfect 10." Rocca's previous credits as a performer include a Southeast Asian tour of "Grease."
Madeleine Smithberg is the co-creator and executive producer of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Smithberg began her career as a field producer for RAI Corporation, the American office of Italian National Television. She spent six years at "Late Night with David Letterman," where she specialized in booking unusual guests. She then produced "The Jon Stewart Show," which launched on MTV before becoming a one-hour nightly show for Paramount Domestic Television. Smithberg joined Comedy Central in 1996 as a member of the team developing "The Daily Show" and was reunited with Stewart when he took over as anchor in 1999.
Jon Stewart is the co-executive producer and anchor of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Stewart first came to national prominence with his critically acclaimed MTV talk show "The Jon Stewart Show." His other television credits include the CableAce-nominated HBO comedy special "Jon Stewart: Unleavened"; guest hosting duties on "The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder"; and appearances on "NewsRadio" and "Mr. Show with Bob and David." Prior to taking over "The Daily Show," Stewart played himself in a recurring role on "The Larry Sanders Show." He has appeared in such feature films as "Playing by Heart," "The Faculty," and "Big Daddy." Stewart has contributed pieces to "The New Yorker," "Esquire," and "George," and his book of humorous essays, "Naked Pictures of Famous People," was a New York Times best-seller.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: April 19, 2001 Thursday 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:43:13
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:64172
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robert M. Batscha … Moderator
- Stewart Bailey … Panelist
- Steve Carell … Panelist
- Stephen Colbert … Panelist
- Ben Karlin … Panelist
- Madeleine Smithberg … Panelist
- Jon Stewart … Panelist
- Bill Bennett
- Bob Dole
- John McCain
- Stone Phillips
- John Stossell