Tag Archives: The Daily Show

Dec 18

As much information as I required

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The paperbacks I ordered from Amazon to take my harmonica reed plate order into the mystical realm of Super Saver Shipping were two by John Hodgman: “The Areas of My Expertise” and “More Information Than You Require.”

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them, and should have picked them up long ago. I love Hodgman on “The Daily Show” and on his new “Judge John Hodgman” podcast, and I’ve enjoyed little bits of pieces of his writing that I’ve seen in magazines or on web sites.

Hodgman has been a literary editor and writer for magazines. “Areas,” his first book, is a parody of almanacs, reference books, and especially the “Book of Lists” series that novelist Irving Wallace and his children produced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. An appearance on “The Daily Show” to promote the book led to Hodgman appearing regularly on the show as its “resident expert,” dispensing his absolutely-confident and absolutely-crazy widsom on various topics and issues. About the same time, he began appearing as the PC on those “I’m a Mac … and I’m a P.C.” ads.

“More Information” continues the fake-almanac theme of “Areas” but also includes more in the way of humorous essays, including some in which Hodgman laughs at his unexpected celebrity.

Both books are loads of fun, and both are the type that you can browse or skip around in as you please.

Sep 23

The areas of his expertise

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If you saw the interview with John Hodgman in this month’s issue of Wired magazine, be sure and go to the web site and see the much longer version, which includes everything from comparative literature to Bruce Campbell. (The magazine version appears in its entirety on the first page; click on “next” or the number “2″ at the bottom of the page to start reading the expanded version.)

I meant to link to McSweeney’s earlier this month; every year on 9/11, they link to a really, really good transcript of remarks Hodgman made at a book reading two weeks after the attack.

Hodgman, a former book editor (he was responsible for getting Campbell’s memoir published), is best known today as an author; for being The Daily Show‘s “resident expert John Hodgman”; and for playing the part of “PC” in those Apple ads.

Microsoft’s new ad campaign managed to root up a MS employee who looks and sounds sort of like Hodgman, and they shoot him from a distance to maximize the effect.

Hodgman is also on Twitter.

Aug 20

Thou shalt do the dance

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Our movie tonight at church was “Evan Almighty,” which I never got around to seeing at the theater, so I was happy to turn out for it tonight. My parents saw it in the theatre and absolutely adore it.

It was, in fact, an awful lot of fun. As a fan of “The Daily Show,” I found it even more fun — not only Steve Carell but Ed Helms and Rachael Harris as reporters, and even fake TDS clips with Jon Stewart making fun of Carell’s character (“EVAN CAN WAIT,” reads the graphic over Stewart’s shoulder).

And of course, Morgan Freeman is …. Morgan Freeman, which is pretty much all you need to say.
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Oct 19

Opening the vault

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In case you didn’t read any of the coverage this week, “The Daily Show” has launched its new web site which includes a searchable library of clips that will soon include nearly every second of the show since Jon Stewart took over as host in 1999. (I’ve read that they may eventually add the Kilborn clips as well.) It’s really, really cool.

Oct 17

His hat’s in the ring

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Of all the nights to fall asleep on the couch in front of the TV. I saw Stephen Colbert’s appearance on “The Daily Show,” but missed the big announcement on Colbert’s own show a few minutes later. (Clip contains a bleeped and punctuation-obscured Bad Word.)

Here, in case you missed it, is a very funny guest column Colbert had written for Maureen Dowd a few days earlier, hinting at his possible decision.