Welcome to the ‘Six Degrees Catch Up Edition’ featuring all the latest happenings and goings on in the world of ‘Daily Show’ and ‘Colbert Report’ staff and ‘Friends of the Show’.
In this month’s catch up we have new humour pieces from Frank Lesser, interviews and a new comedy album from Kevin Bartini, interviews with Al Madrigal and Larry Wilmore, award wins for Jon Stewart and Rob Dubbin, Pete Dominick and Neil deGrasse Tyson launch new talk shows, and The Second City have written a new book.
The Colbert Report
- Frank Lesser has written a new humour for Matter, titled ‘Je Suis Snowman‘.
- Frank Lesser has written a Funny or Die video on climate change, titled #SwipeDeniers,
- Former warm-up comedian Pete Dominick will host a three-hour morning show on the newly launched SiriusXM Insight. Created by Pete, Insight was inspired by topical comics like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher and seeks to attract younger listeners by bringing an entertaining twist to politics and policy discussions.
Friends of the Show
- In a recent interview with The Huffington Post Al Madrigal talks about having Stephen Colbert as a mentor.
What do you think about Stephen Colbert going “straight” as host of “The Late Show”?
I think it’s awesome! I love that guy so much, I really do. I think he’s the best person for it and one of the best people I’ve ever met. In comedy, when I was first starting at “The Daily Show,” he came unannounced and plopped himself down in my office and talked to me for 20 minutes. Just stuff like, ‘How’s it going? How’s everyone treating you here? Any questions?’ It was incredible and he made such an impression on me. I was also passed down his notes, his handwritten notes, that he gave to Rob Riggle when he first started, on how to conduct a proper interview and field piece. I would go back and refer to them on a regular basis to really keep everything in mind. There’s so much pressure when you’re in the hot seat doing those interviews that you have to remind yourself of the general principles as you go forward.
Wow, so he was really supportive to you guys, even after leaving the show. You almost feel like you’re in this fraternity of “Daily Show” correspondents, especially when somebody like John Oliver or Carell moves on. I got to sit at Carell’s old desk. I opened up my desk drawer, and it said, “Steve Carell was here.” So, any movie that Carell is in or anything he’s producing, I’m just so excited for him because you feel like you’re part of that fraternity. When Jessica Williams is on “Girls,” when Jason Jones got a TBS pilot with Samantha Bee, you feel like part of the team. So with Stephen getting this opportunity to be himself and probably fulfill a lifelong dream of being able to host a late night show — not as that character but as Stephen, who is incredibly funny — I think it’s fantastic. I can’t wait.
Six Degrees – January 2015 Catch Up
In this month’s catch up we have new humour pieces from Frank Lesser, interviews and a new comedy album from Kevin Bartini, interviews with Al Madrigal and Larry Wilmore, award wins for Jon Stewart and Rob Dubbin, Pete Dominick and Neil deGrasse Tyson launch new talk shows, and The Second City have written a new book.
The Colbert Report
Friends of the Show
What do you think about Stephen Colbert going “straight” as host of “The Late Show”?
I think it’s awesome! I love that guy so much, I really do. I think he’s the best person for it and one of the best people I’ve ever met. In comedy, when I was first starting at “The Daily Show,” he came unannounced and plopped himself down in my office and talked to me for 20 minutes. Just stuff like, ‘How’s it going? How’s everyone treating you here? Any questions?’ It was incredible and he made such an impression on me. I was also passed down his notes, his handwritten notes, that he gave to Rob Riggle when he first started, on how to conduct a proper interview and field piece. I would go back and refer to them on a regular basis to really keep everything in mind. There’s so much pressure when you’re in the hot seat doing those interviews that you have to remind yourself of the general principles as you go forward.
Wow, so he was really supportive to you guys, even after leaving the show. You almost feel like you’re in this fraternity of “Daily Show” correspondents, especially when somebody like John Oliver or Carell moves on. I got to sit at Carell’s old desk. I opened up my desk drawer, and it said, “Steve Carell was here.” So, any movie that Carell is in or anything he’s producing, I’m just so excited for him because you feel like you’re part of that fraternity. When Jessica Williams is on “Girls,” when Jason Jones got a TBS pilot with Samantha Bee, you feel like part of the team. So with Stephen getting this opportunity to be himself and probably fulfill a lifelong dream of being able to host a late night show — not as that character but as Stephen, who is incredibly funny — I think it’s fantastic. I can’t wait.