February 13, 2005
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PEOPLE WHO KNOCK ME OUT
(See sidebar for others)Jon Stewart
Anyone who has felt frustrated and/or powerless about the role of the media in shaping the events of our daily lives was astounded, admiring, and deeply appreciative to stumble upon (either live or recorded) the October 15 appearance of our favorite comedian on CNN’s Crossfire (see transcript and video here.) It was a moment of personal vengeance and supreme uppityness for all of us in the world of minions. But what do we really know about our hero? Here is a web site that lists every detail you could possibly imagine, but a few of my favorite facts are:
Name at birth: Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz
Born New York City 1962 but raised in New Jersey.
Dad is a physicist who has never seen him perform.
Pets – a cat named Stan and two pit bulls.
Graduated from William and Mary in Psychology but was miserable there and racked up his knee playing soccer.
Proposed to wife via crossword puzzle.
Wife is a vet and they both love animals.
Among many early jobs – Live Mosquito Sorter for the NJ Department of Health
Most of us know he came from standup and slowly gained momentum until on January 4, 1999, he moved into his office at The Daily Show, where he had just seven days to prepare for his first show as host and co-executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Favorites:
Basketball Team: NY Knicks
Baseball Team: NY Mets (also frequently photographed wearing a Giants cap)
Musician: Tom Waits
Ice Cream: Mint Chocolate ChipThere’s been talk that he’s being courted for a big-time talk show and while I’d love to see that too, I kind of hope he’ll stay where he is to keep my/our hopes up that out of the darkness will keep coming those tiny rays of light he represents. Find one today. (And oh by the way Crossfire is coincidentally no more.)
Deep Thought: “If you’re being chased by an angry bull, and then you notice you’re also being chased by a swarm of bees, it doesn’t really change things. Just keep on running.”
Today I am grateful for: Indoor toilets
Guess the Movie: “I’m so damned fast I can wake up at the crack of dawn, rob two banks, a train and a stage coach, shoot the tail feathers off a duck’s ass at 300 feet, and still be back in bed before you wake up next to me.” Answer: The Quick and the Dead, 1995.
Fast-Food Documentary Heading to Schools
by Noreen Gillespie
HARTFORD, Conn. – What happens when a man eats nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days? It’s a lesson that schoolchildren across the country are about to find out.
Morgan Spurlock, director and star of “Super Size Me: A film of epic proportions,” is releasing an edited version of the film for classrooms. The school version of the Academy-Award nominated film is scheduled to be released after the Feb. 27 Oscars ceremony. (Rest of article here.)
Comments (11)
One of the few reasons I wish I had cable.
I love John Stewart! I saw him interviewed on Charlie Rose one late night, and OMG what a brilliant mind this man has. He is a jewel and and an incredible talent. Thanks for the links! Thanks for sharing your insights on the Friday Five, too.
I still haven’t seen SUPERSIZE ME and it probably is just the thing I need to motivate me. Not that I eat any fast food.
I want Jon Stewart to keep doing exactly what he’s doing, and perhaps more of it. Do we need a major Sunday night weekly news round up (a “That Was The Week That Was”)? And we just need everyone to watch.
As far as I’m concerned, Supersize Me (along with Fahrenheit 9/11) deserved ‘Best Film’ Oscar nominations. I thought it was beyond brilliant in how he told the story.
he did show them justice…
The Daily Show is a daily requirement…
I love Jon Stewart!
Happy Valentine’s day.
By the way, I love reading your comments on other sites. Ok I love reading your page here too, I appreciate your comments on my page too, but another facet of your personality comes through when you comment. Very wise, very very wise,!
Where have I been? I don’t know of John Stuart! I guess I better check him out, to be honest I watch almost no TV, I’d just rather read but I’m willing to watch anything that’s getting good reviews!
lionne, you missed posting for a couple days, very unlike you! I hope your doing ok and don’t feel bad for not posting just wanted to let ya know that your absence was noticed!
Thank you so much for your understanding comment on my site. I love Jon Stewart-thanks for the facts. Some nights I forget to watch him, as our regular local news is on at the same time. For obvious reasons, I prefer Daily Show over local junk. Am I blind? What is the movie?
I only recently learned about Jon Stewart and what a relief to have a show like this, and to know that 49% of us aren’t really such a minority!
Hope you are well.