Jon Stewart vs. Katie Couric

Let me just say this now...I love The Daily Show and I think that Jon Stewart is hilarious. I've been to live tapings of the show on many occasions. I try and watch his show a few times a week if I'm not busy. While he is not the best source of news for people, if you already have an existing knowledge of current events, his show is absolute gold. He is able to put a funny spin on the serious news that we watch everyday. Now I know some people think that the show is stupid and has no point, but I feel it does get younger individuals involved with what's going on in the world. At least if they are not going to pick up a paper, they have some sort of background on current issues. Like discussed in class, the show may make people more interested in politics and such and encourage them to read the newspaper or watch other news sources. I'm glad that people like Jon Stewart exist, and can bring us the lighter side of the news.

I watched The Daily Show the same day as the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, which is posted below. Many of the topics discussed in the CBS news were also covered on The Daily Show, with a comedic spin of course. For example, Stewart mentions the Swine Flu and how the government is trying to shy away from using the term "swine flu." This is because the pork industry feels it may hurt their sales...they want the flu to be called the hybrid flu. He makes a joke that this would hurt the auto industry and their sales of hybrid cars. After this, he makes reference to VP Biden's gaff about air travel, and how out of sync VP Biden's comments were to President Obama's message to the people to just practice good hygiene. He also mentioned the Obama press conference, something the CBS news did not. Stewart makes fun of the major TV news outlets (MSNBC, Fox News, CNN) and how they perceived Obama and his first 100 days (the video is below!)

Then John Oliver, one of Stewart's colleagues (who I also find funny), had a random story about a group of scientist who are recreating the Big Bang. He interviews one of the scientists, and hilarity ensues. Calling him an evil genius who will end up destroying the world, he then interviews a high school science teacher to prove his point that the experiment will go wrong. While it is very silly, it gives us something different than the normal news that we see all the time.

Like all of these entertainment shows, there was an interview with a celebrity. Tonight, it was with Hugh Jackman, the huge star who was there to promote the new X-men movie. While nothing political was discussed, there were some funny moments, like about how Jackman's son (who is 8) uses his dad to pick up girls, and his experience hosting the Oscar's and singing with Beyonce on stage. I'm sure that these celebrity interviews attract many viewers, just as any of the late night talk shows do. Another hilarious Daily Show! Keep the jokes coming Jon!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Obama 101
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis First 100 Days