By Drew Grant 5/07 4:37pm

Comedy

Video

Tina Fey, Zach G. in 'Between Two Ferns: A New York Fairytale' (Comedy Central)

Zach Galifianakis’ Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York Gets TV Treatment (Video)

Since the launch of Between Two Ferns on FunnyOrDie.com in 2008, people have been clamoring for Zach Galifianakis and Scott Aukermanto turn their short-form experimental interview project into a 30-minute television show. (We certainly wouldn’t have minded if Mr. Galifiankis’ awkward, confrontational interrogations of celebrities replaced the majority of television interviews.)

Before watching last weekend’s Comedy Central’s Comedy Awards, fans of Between Two Ferns finally got a taste of what a 30 minute episode of the show would be like, in the form of Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York. Read More

By Kat Stoeffel 2/01 10:06am

Features

Brian Williams_Dale_#2453A9(1)

The Man With Two Brians! Can NBC’s Personality Industry Save the Anchor from Irrelevance?

On a recent post-NFL season Monday night, 7.3 million people watched a remake of Hawaii 5-0. Another 6.7 million watched Castle, a crime procedural that’s safely avoided buzz for four seasons. A crowd less than half that size, 3.2 million, watched an American furniture manufacturer tearfully repent for outsourcing the family business, met a real-life moon colonist, and saw a chimpanzee flip through a children’s book. “They like to look at the pictures,” the voiceover explained.

They had landed on the three-month-old newsmagazine Rock Center, NBC’s prime time bid to recapture an audience for TV news by offering a looser format in which to showcase Brian Williams’s formidable charisma. Mr. Williams’s sensibility is so deeply ingrained in the programming that Rock Center executive producer Rome Hartman likes to say that, when it’s working, it feels like “Brian’s playlist.” Read More

By Drew Grant 1/31 8:27am

Stephen Colbert

Video

If only if the rest of government worked this way

Stephen Colbert Steals Back Super PAC from Jon Stewart, Raises Over One Million Dollars (Video)

Bad news first: Stephen Colbert has put an end to his bid for president of South Carolina by disbanding his exploratory committee, as he announced last night.

Good news: He can now regain power of his super PAC, after running through a messy gauntlet with its current gatekeeper (but in no way associate) Jon Stewart.

Even better-best news: According to an F.E.C. filing made at 12:01 this morning, the political action committee–which during the regime change two weeks ago renamed itself “The Definitely Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert Super PAC” but has since returned to its “Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow”…though it’s easier to just say Colbert’s Super Pac–has raised $1,023,121.24. Read More

By Drew Grant 1/13 10:40am

Stephen Colbert

Colbert transfers his super PAC powers to Jon Stewart

Update: Stephen Colbert’s Super PAC Joke Seven Months in the Making Pays Off with Presidential Punchline (Video)

Update: Full video of the Colbert Super PAC transfer below.

Tonight, Stephen Colbert had some big news to share with America: since he was announced to be polling ahead of presidential candidate Jon Huntsman in South Carolina, he had decided to form an exploratory committee to become president of the United States…of South Carolina.

There was only one hitch. Read More

By Drew Grant 10/07/11 9:01am

Occupy Wall Street

Jon Stewart gives props to Jesse LaGreca

Jon Stewart Gives Props to Jesse LaGreca For His Fox News Slap-Down [Video]

We here at the New York Observer don’t like to pat ourselves on the back too often (it’s definitely uncouth, and we’re nothing if not couth), but we couldn’t help feeling a surge of pride when Jon Stewart used the video we uncovered of Daily Kos’ Jesse LaGreca telling off a Fox News producer during  his Wednesday night broadcast.

Of course, we’re only noticing this video now because unlike the “media-mocking-the-media-mocking-the-protesters” angle that Comedy Central took, we were actually down at the Megamarch on Wednesday and forgot to TiVo Mr. Stewart. Again, not patting ourselves on the back or anything. Read More

By Drew Grant 9/30/11 11:12am

Occupy Wall Street

"The Vigilogna"

Daily Show Takes On “Occupy Wall Street,” Inspector Anthony Bologna

Looking back, you could say that it was only a matter of time after Deputy Inspector Anthony “Tony Bologna” Bologna pepper-sprayed those women during the Occupy Wall Street protests until the issue got some real media attention. No, we’re not talking about Lawrence O’Donnell. We’re talking about the big leagues here. We’re talking about a Jon Stewart-level mocking. Read More

By Dan Duray 9/06/11 8:07pm

Our City Since

Jon Stewart And Stephen Colbert Hold Rally On National Mall

All Kidding Aside

“I know we’re late,” Jon Stewart told his audience on Sept. 20, his first post-9/11 show. “They said to get back to work but there were no openings for a man in a fetal position under his desk.” Read More