The Daily Show

Rob Riggle Exits 'The Daily Show' Tomorrow

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:01:13 GMT

After serving as correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show for two years, Rob Riggle is ready move on with other projects. The 38-year-old actor will be leaving the satirical talk show on tomorrow's episode, in his words "to go fight crime." In reality, however, he'll be heading to primetime as he has already signed a talent holding contract, including a development deal with CBS and CBS Paramount Network TV to create and star in a half-hour comedy series.

The Presidential Election: Barack Obama, The Day After

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:41:50 GMT

The euphoria has not subsided. If you consider yourself a political junkie, yesterday was your Super Bowl, with the added bonus that you get a lot more than a trophy if your team wins. Talking to my friends, perusing the internet, reading the paper, that was the overwhelming feeling: We Won. Even those people my age who were McCain supporters can't deny it. The young people finally have their president. The under thirty vote went to Barack Obama at a 66-32 percent clip. That is an absolute thrashing. I can't tell you how many people I know who grew up in Republican households who, for the first time in their lives, tossed aside the ideologies of their parents and voted Obama. Facebook has turned into a forum of celebration, status updates universally proclaiming victory on a grand level. Yesterday was one of those days that comes along only a few times in your lifetime where hyperbole is not possible. Try as some might, what happened last night can't be over-stated.

Welcome, President Obama

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:10:23 GMT

Taking a walk around my neighborhood today, there were a lot of smiling faces. Though I was listening to headphones, I received an array of friendly nods. I returned these nods, and even smiled a little to myself, despite a deep-seeded Nordic propensity to carry myself with a constant scowl. Over the past few months, every time I've walked out of my house, I've been in Obama country. There's no mistaking it. Granted, I do reside in one of the two or three most liberal neighborhoods (Wallingford) in one of the three four most liberal cities in the country (Seattle). Still, it wasn't like this in 2004, and it wasn't like this in 2000. After I write this, I'm heading up to join my friends at a bar to celebrate. Barack Obama won the presidential election tonight. I can't even try to hide that smile anymore.

Barack Obama Returns to 'The Daily Show' Wednesday Night

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:28:42 GMT

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will be taking over the airwaves on Wednesday night. The senator purchased a half-hour of airtime at 8pm on most of the major networks, which he'll use to address the nation one last time before next week's election. Those who don't care to see Obama's speech can tune into the ratings-challenged Pushing Daisies on ABC or America's Next Top Model on the CW. Later that evening, Obama will appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for the first time since the eve of the Pennsylvania Primary. It'll be the candidate's fourth appearance on the Comedy Central series, though this time he'll be appearing via satellite from Florida.

BuddyTV 2008 Emmys Preview: Best Variety/Comedy Series and Best Reality-Competition Series

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:21:55 GMT

Is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart the most important news show in America? That may sound like a cynical question, but think about it. There's so much competing noise these days in the cable news world that The Daily Show probably is, at least on cable, as formidable in the news world as Bill O'Reilly or Keith Olberman. The Daily Show has won the Emmy for Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series for five straight years. There's no reason it won't happen again, but the competition isn't anything to sneeze at either. The Emmys are only two days away, folks. Below we'll take a look at the Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series category, as well as the Best Reality-Competition Series category.

Pondering Steve Carell's Stardom as 'Get Smart' Approaches Release

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:19:24 GMT

Steve Carell's path to movie stardom was unexpected. A veteran of underground comedy, Carell's first break was on the short-lived, but critically-acclaimed, Dana Carvey Show. Though that series was quickly canceled, one of his cast mates and fellow writers on the series was Stephen Colbert. Colbert subsequently became one of the first break out correspondents on the Jon Stewart version of The Daily Show and, serendipitously, suggested that The Daily Show bring on Carell as a correspondent. Carell shined on The Daily Show for 6 years, and eventually left to ply his trade in Hollywood. He landed the role of Michael Scott on the American version of The Office, which was originally a British sensation starring Ricky Gervais. From there, things got interesting.

BuddyTV's Comic Relief DVD Giveaway

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:58:35 GMT

Comic Relief: The Greatest… And The Latest DVD collection plays host to the best 20 years of Comic Relief and includes uncensored performances from COMIC RELIEF 2006, which helped raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims and animal rescue operations.

Featuring the greatest and the latest from Billy Crystal, Whoopi, Robin Williams, Lewis Black, Dane Cook, John Candy, Jennifer Coolidge, George Carlin, Mike Epps, Jim Carrey, Susie Essman, Dave Chappelle, D.L. Hughley, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Eugene Levy, Richard Lewis, George Lopez, Jon Lovitz, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Dennis Miller, Dudley Moore, Catherine O'Hara, Jeremy Piven, Harold Ramis, Carl Reiner, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Rita Rudner, Bob Saget, Gary Schandling, Martin Short, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, Fred Willard, Steven Wright and more!

2008 Academy Awards Wrap-Up

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:41:10 GMT

The Academy Awards played out without incident last night from Hollywood's Kodak Theater, and The Daily Show's Jon Stewart is at least partly responsible. The duties of an Oscars host are as important as the host makes them. Over the years we've seen extensive pre-taped bits, elaborate set pieces, choreographed dance numbers and one ill fated Oprah-Uma-Uma-Oprah sketch. Jon Stewart did a admirable job last night as host because he mostly just stayed out of the way. The simplicity and natural ease of his performance gave the whole festivities a very laid-back feel. Some may call it boring, but don't kid yourselves - the Oscars are always boring. We all just forget this fact over the course of the year. There were no big numbers, no costume changes – nothing extravagant. Stewart came on stage for the opening by himself, gave a funny monologue, and then spouted off tasteful one-liners for the rest of the night, while no creating any awkward or cringe-inducing moments, which are generally staples of any awards show.

'Daily Show' Correspondent Discusses "Real Take on American Politics"

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT

British-born comedian John Oliver entertains late-night television audiences with his humorous takes on American politics as a foreign correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. When asked what he really thought of nation's political environment, especially this election year, Oliver's answer was not short of humor.

“My 'real' take on American politics is buried in a treasure chest somewhere in Utah,” Oliver told The Standard Times via email. “As soon as someone finds it, my career is over. There is a map for how to find it, and that map is buried somewhere in Ohio.”

The Return of 'The Daily Show' and 'The Colbert Report'

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:47:53 GMT

It has been a long nine weeks! The Daily Show and The Colbert Report last ran new episodes on November 1 and the fans have been slowly dying ever since. Due to the excessive reruns, both shows have lost more than 50% of their audiences but tonight, those numbers will change. It will be interesting to see how both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will handle returning to tv. We still expect political, smart humor and it's going to be a challenge considering neither one of them can write a single word. They'll have to improv the whole thing, which may work for Conan or Dave but will it work well for the Comedy Central duo? Here's how each show played out as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report return with new episodes.

Top 7 of '07: Best Shows - The Colbert Report/The Daily Show

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:01:09 GMT

Check out all our lists for BuddyTV's Top 7 of '07 to relive the best and the worst of the year in television.

Gina Scarpa ranked The Colbert Report and The Daily Show 4th. She says...

It's been said many times that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are where many college students go to get their news. Well, I'm not in college anymore but I still get my news from them. Jon Stewart has been giving me my news since 1998 and I've never looked back. You can't pay me to watch MSNBC or FOX News.

In October of this year, Stephen Colbert pulled one of the greatest publicity stunts ever: he announced that he would be running for president. He got himself a sponsor (Doritos) and launched a website, colbert08.org. On Facebook, he had over one million supporters for his presidency. It all came to end when the state of South Carolina, Colbert's home state, rejected his application by a vote of 13-3 and refunded his $2500 filing fee.

'The Daily Show' and 'The Colbert Report' to Return Jan. 7

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:01:33 GMT

Comedy Central just got their holiday wish granted. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert have both agreed to return to the cable network with new episodes, beginning on January 7. Like the two NBC late night shows (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Nite with Conan O'Brien) Stewart and Colbert will return to the air without writers. The shows will reportedly try to work around the lack of written material by relying on pre-taped field segments. The WGA strike not only keeps writers off of the series, it forbids shows to air or write anything that would normally be in the domain of the writers. For Stewart and Colbert, under this definition, that constitutes most of their shows.

Late Night Programming, Including 'The Daily Show,' May Return Soon, Award Shows Still in Doubt

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:38:19 GMT

The first and most apparent casualty of the WGA writers' strike was the immediate absence of all late night television. The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Nite with Conan O'Brien and even Last Call with Carson Daly all shut down production once the strike began. However, the word is that most, if not all, of these shows are in back channel discussions with their networks to return to air sooner rather than later. The reason for this is that hundreds of lower-level production staff depend upon their jobs on these shows for a career. Also, while writers are an integral part of these shows, they aren't completely necessary.

'Daily Show' Host to Appear at Bob Carpenter Center

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, is heading to the University of Delaware early next month for a special performance at the school's Bob Carpenter Center.

Stewart, who also works as a co-writer and producer on The Daily Show, is a Peabody, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning television personality. Among his numerous achievements is hosting the prestigious Academy Awards. In 2008, he is slated to serve as the awards ceremony's host once again.

'Daily Show' Correspondent was Hoping Strike Would be Averted

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Comedy Central's The Daily Show is among those scripted shows suffering from the writers' strike. Early Monday, the series' writing staff took to the picket lines in front of Rockefeller Center, and while all of them are dedicated to the cause of the strike, correspondent and writer John Oliver admitted he was hoping things would have turned out differently.

"It's hard to believe, because part of you wants this not to be happening," he told the Los Angeles Times on Monday, gesturing to his co-writers marching behind the barricades. "You just assume common sense will prevail."

Another 'Daily Show' Spin-Off in the Works

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Undeniably, Comedy Central's The Daily Show has opened doors for many of its cast members. Steve Carell and Ed Helms, both of whom gained fame for their work on the satirical television series, are now costarring on NBC's The Office. Rob Corddry is busy with his growing film career and Stephen Colbert is now the host of his own late night talk show, The Colbert Report, a spin-off series that satirizes personality-driven political pundit programs.

Now, another Daily Show cast member is getting ready to branch out of the series in the hopes of making his own mark on the television world.

Jon Stewart Extends Contract as Host of 'The Daily Show'

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:10:06 GMT

Jon Stewart, the acclaimed host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, has extended his contract and will remain on The Daily Show through at least 2010. The terms of the deal with Viacom (which owns Comedy Central) have not been disclosed. Stewart joined The Daily Show in 1999, replacing Craig Kilborn behind the desk. Since Stewart, 44, became host, The Daily Show has transformed into a prime location on TV for political and cultural satire. Although the ratings for The Daily Show have never been overly gaudy, the audience skews very young and the show has become a source for world news among the younger set.

Exclusive Interview: Aasif Mandvi, of The Daily Show

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:06:11 GMT

Aasif Mandvi got his start in theater, but quickly worked his way into film and television, and now has a long and prolific filmography. Aasif has been appearing on The Daily Show for a couple of years now, and has recently been hired full-time on the Comedy Central "fake news" show. Aasif has also appeared on the CBS drama Jericho this year, and has worked on various TV dramas in the past (ER, Oz, CSI). Aasif was kind enough to stop by and talk with us at BuddyTV about his early career and how he found himself working on one of cable's most popular shows.

Below you will find both the written transcript and the full mp3 audio of the interview.