Six Degrees: September 2015 Catch Up

graphic-six-degrees-4012909 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 interviews with Brian Stack, Elliott Kalan, and Jon Batiste, a new humour piece from David Sedaris, events featuring Jon Stewart, Larry Wilmore and Trevor Noah, and Mindy Kaling writes about working with Stephen Colbert in her new book, ‘Why Not Me?‘.

  • Brain Stack was recently a guest on ‘Theft of the Dial,’ where he shares stories of music and comedy, and the times during his career where the two have intersected.
  • David Sedaris has a new piece in New Yorker, entitled ‘A Modest Proposal‘.
  • ‘Daily Show’ writer Elliott Kalan recently spoke at ‘Sublime Primetime: A Panel Discussion with Emmy Nominated Writers,” where he spoke about the playful competition between ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report’:

    The playful competition between The Daily Show and The Colbert Report extended to sending gag gifts whenever one show beat the other to a story or a joke. Kalan said they’d send “a gift meant to depress or distract them.” Apparently The Daily Show attempted to send the Colbert writers a $10 gift certificate for one of New York’s most expensive restaurants, but the restaurant declined.

  • Singer Sam Smith recently interviewed some of his favourite artists, including Jon Batiste for piece in V Magazine.
  • Jon Stewart, Larry Wilmore and Trevor Noah will be performing at the New York Comedy Festival from November 10th – 15th, 2015.
  • Jon Stewart and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) are leading the charge to renew the Zadroga Act, which has provided $1.6 billion in health care and monitoring for workers suffering health related problems from their work at Ground Zero. The bill is set to expire in October, 2015.
  • Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling recently took the stage at 92Y to discuss Mindy’s new book, ‘Why Not Me?‘. Tina challenged Mindy to a round of “Shag, Marry, Kill”, to which she answered, shag B.J. Novak, marry Stephen Colbert, and kill Michael Fassbender.

    Mindy also writes about working with Stephen Colbert on ‘The Mindy Project’ in ‘Why Not Me?’, out now.