Comedy Central

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 1:27pm on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's animated sci-fi comedy "Futurama" will return to production on 26 new half-hour episodes, 20th Century Fox Television announced on June 10, 2009. The announcement was made today by Twentieth Century Fox Television Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden, and David Bernath, senior vice president, programming for Comedy Central.

"Futurama" was a staple of Fox's Sunday night animation block from 1999 to 2003 before ceasing production on original episodes. In June 2006, Comedy Central acquired the rights to the existing 72 episodes of the series, which the channel began airing in January 2008.

The new episodes will be available in mid 2010 to be shown on Comedy Central. Twentieth Century Fox Television retains the option to license the original runs of the new episodes to a broadcast network.

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 3:56pm on Friday, June 5th, 2009

The Colbert Report is heading to Iraq on a USO Tour for 'Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando:'

It's go time Nation! "The Colbert Report" will deploy to Iraq on a USO tour entitled "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" and will tape and perform shows in front of the troops. "The Colbert Report" is the first TV show in USO history to produce a week of shows in a combat zone. The show will air on Comedy Central June 8 through June 11, 2009 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT.

"The USO counts this as military service, right? I might want to run for office some day," Colbert said.

"Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" is taking place at an undisclosed military base in conjunction with the USO, with all shows taped in front of an audience of troops.

Guests who will appear on the show include: Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Barham Salih; Gen. Ray Odierno, commanding general, Multi National Force- Iraq; Lt. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, Jr., commanding general, Multi National Corps- Iraq; Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Grippe, command sergeant major, Multi National Corps- Iraq; Sgt. Robin Balcom, squad leader, 463rd Military Police Company; and Spc. Tareq Salha, Arabic linguist, 111th Military Intelligence Brigade (attached to 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment).

Proceeds from sales of "The Colbert Report" on iTunes during the week of June 8 will benefit the USO.

The USO is a private, nonprofit organization that lifts the spirits of America's troops and their families. In times of peace and war, the USO delivers entertainment and comfort to service men and women around the world. USO entertainment tours are essential to fulfilling the USO's mission of boosting troop morale. In 2008, celebrity volunteers traveled to 27 countries and 23 states, entertaining more than 236,000 troops and family members.

"Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" is sponsored by Burger King.

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 3:40pm on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

January 28, 2009: Musical legend Sir Paul McCartney will be a guest on tonight’s episode of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central at 11:30 PM eastern time. This is the only scheduled U.S. late-night appearance for the former member of The Beatles, who’s pushing his new album, “Electric Arguments.”

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 9:50pm on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

On January 20, 2009, Kathy A. McDonald of Variety reported on The Daily Show plans for 2009:

With George Bush back in Crawford, Texas, and Barack Obama in the White House trying to deal with the nation's woes, will "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" still have enough satirical fodder for its four-nights-per week/161-episodes-per-year broadcast?

As co-exec producer Rory Albanese explains, the show's objective is to find stories that are not only funny but are meaningful, a directive that comes from the show's top comical voice, Jon Stewart.

"With Bush, we found the narrative pretty quickly. He was doing what he was doing and we were calling him on it," Albanese says, comparing the show's attitude to that of the smart-mouthed kid in the back of class who challenges the status quo.

To respond to the 24-hour news cycle, the show has developed a streamlined approach to developing stories. A team of eight in the studio production department constantly monitors the news network and wire feeds, recording and then editing choice bits. All the show's writers and studio producers stay connected by email, and when something stands out, the clip is quickly disseminated. Stories can be rapidly turned around -- much the same as a "real" newsshow.

"There's just so much planning you can do," Albanese explains. "We find that when we plan too far ahead, stuff doesn't feel organic and natural as when we're in the fray."

In addition to the nightly sendup of news (and often news orgs), "The Daily Show" has patented the offbeat field report: narratives that are more than just interviews with crazy people (although there seems to be an endless supply).

As Albanese explains, "The field producers go out all around the country and whittle down hours of footage into these four-minute golden nuggets of comedy that tell a story."

Unlike legit news orgs, "The Daily Show's" field reports are preconceived and come from staffer and writer pitches that begin with the actual story coupled with "The Daily Show" point-of-view, and even though the show's irreverent tone is well publicized, there's never a shortage of folks willing to be interviewed on TV. Maybe the thought of acting as an authority about a particular subject weighs more heavily that than the thought of being mocked on national television.