http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954244.html?cs=1&s=h&p=0

Quote :

"Satire hands a right Fox, Surnow prep conservative skein By MICHAEL LEARMONTH Comedy Central has made a good living out of skewering the political right. Now Fox News Channel, a primary source of material for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, is teaming with the exec producer of "24" to try its hand at a news satire show for conservatives to love. Joel Surnow, co-creator of "24," is shooting two half-hour pilots of a skein he described as " 'The Daily Show' for conservatives," due to air in primetime on Saturdays in January. If successful, the show could take its place on the regular schedule, adding satire to FNC's formula of news and opinion. "The way I look at it, almost every comedy show or satire show I see uses the same talking points against George W. Bush and Dick Cheney," Surnow said. "The other side hasn't been skewered in a fair and balanced way." The working title of the show has been "This Just In," but that will change because AOL just launched a broadband comedy channel by that name. The pilot segs will be co-anchored by comedians Kurt Long and Susan Yeagley and feature a family of correspondents. "There will be some elements of 'The Daily Show' and some of 'Weekend Update,' " Surnow said. Surnow originally pitched the show to Fox Entertainment prexy Peter Liguori, who is searching for latenight programming for the Fox network. Liguori passed but connected Surnow with Roger Ailes, who in addition to Fox News Channel also runs Twentieth Century Television and the Fox stations group. Ailes, a big fan of "24," got to know Surnow during a visit to the set. As former producer of "The Mike Douglas Show," Ailes knows the variety show format. "I want him to be as creatively involved as he wants to be," Surnow said. "He's the perfect blend of politics and entertainment." Surnow said the show will feature man-on-the-street interviews and "respond to the news of the day." It will be scripted and may not have in-studio guests, a point of departure from Stewart and Colbert. The pilots will be co-exec produced by Manny Coto, also of "24," and run by Ned Rice, an eight-year veteran of HBO's "Politically Incorrect." Comedy Central's shows became hits during a time of Republican dominance of politics. But now the tide has shifted. "Everybody who is in power should get shots equally," Surnow said. "By January, we will have a whole bunch of new people to do material about." "

Synopsis: Deciding that "The O'Reilly Factor" didn't fill the Right's quota of "fake news for a laugh," Fox News has decided to release what is sure to be another big hit with the Larry the Cable Guy crowd. Missing the entire point of The Daily Show, these guys either have never watched it or are simply content to play off of its false image that they've intentionally doctored with many people on the Right.

Again, this is either intentionally deceptive, or they seriously don't get it. The Daily Show has made fun of anybody who has made themselves ripe for humor -- Republican, Democrat, or otherwise. That's the point of the show. Just because Republicans have been making total asses out of themselves (and have been more visible due to being in power), Fox News is all sore and ready to fire back with a "conservative comedy show." Something tells me this won't be a high water mark for comedic achievement, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Right eats it up and falls in love with it simply because of its content. If they can sit through three hours of Rush Limbaugh's "liberals liberals liberals" act, and then through ANOTHER few hours of Sean Hannity and that local clown (Bill LeMay?), what's another thirty minutes?

11/26/2006 9:33:41 AM

It's going to either be 30 min of hippy jokes or an unintentionally hilarious parody of Sean Hannity. We'll probably see a lot of the same stuff we see in Soap Box, I have a feeling. I hope they get Micheal Savage as a guest and he goes on the air and tells us about how gays and the ACLU need to be exterminated. I mean, I'm guessing that's who they'll bring on to counter the "extreme liberals" like Alec Baldwin that we see on the Daily Show.

I mean, this is for the crowd that probably found Yakov Smirnof funny. Maybe he can host.




[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 9:52 AM. Reason : /]

11/26/2006 9:44:28 AM

Quote :

"The Daily Show has made fun of anybody who has made themselves ripe for humor -- Republican, Democrat, or otherwise. "

first off, that is fucking laughable ok. saying something like that just sounds like when sean hannity says he's fair because he's happened to criticize the republican party one or two times.

second, this is a stupid idea for Fox News. Its akin to democrats trying to manufacture Air America out of nothing and it will probably fail just as spectacularly or more so, since the NYT and other MSLM won't be out their chearleading it until its death day.

11/26/2006 10:35:10 AM

Quote :

"first off, that is fucking laughable ok. saying something like that just sounds like when sean hannity says he's fair because he's happened to criticize the republican party one or two times."

Hi can you please watch The Daily Show and then get back to me?

11/26/2006 10:37:57 AM

yes, i've watched it friend.

look i don't want to have this argument ok. this is the last i'll say on this matter.

you'll never be convinced because you don't follow the news closely enough to be aware of much better material created by democrats on days that jon pulls some weak sauce on the republicans, yet again

just go back to your stereotypical college-life existence and continue suckling at the teat of fake news. you're a great citizen and a well informed voter!!!


[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 10:46 AM. Reason : s]

11/26/2006 10:40:41 AM

YOU STUPID COLLEGE KID

Maybe the reason why the right is such an easy target for satire has something to do with either

a) the fact that they've got the presidency, the most visible post in the nation, and traditionally the most satarized.
b) the fact that they've had the legislature, and engaged in easily tageted farces like the terri schiavo debacle and the laughable immigration and marriage amendment debates.
c) the fact that their media mouthpieces are easy comedic targets like the overly self-righteous "culture warrior" Bill O'Reily, who has given us comedic gold such as the "WAR ON CHRISTMAS".

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 11:06 AM. Reason : .]

11/26/2006 10:59:47 AM

Quote :

"but I wouldn't be surprised if the Right eats it up and falls in love with it simply because of its content."

Why else would you love a show, if not for its content?

And I agree that The Daily Show certainly pokes fun at both sides, but if you can watch the show for more than a week and not figure out that Jon Stewart is a liberal, you're not paying attention. I think this is a stupid show anyhow, especially for a 24 hour news and political opinion channel. Truthfully, even though he's a liberal, Stephen Colbert kinda already covers this ground. Conservatives already do love his show, even though they know he's making fun of them 75% of the time.

11/26/2006 11:02:29 AM

Why is Fox News doing comedy?

11/26/2006 11:08:03 AM

Let's face it, politically-charged reactionary humor from the right just isn't usually very funny, unless its outright parody, like the Colbert report.

Case in point: Mallard Fillmore, the right's answer to Doonesbury.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/mallard/2000/mallard1.asp

11/26/2006 11:10:53 AM

I thought fox news was a comical fake news show.

11/26/2006 11:26:23 AM

Holy shit, it's Mr. Obvious Joke Maker!

11/26/2006 11:29:04 AM

Well, I find Bill "Culture Warrior" O'Reily downright hilarious.

11/26/2006 11:31:17 AM

Look, I watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report every time I get the chance, and I love both shows. But they are both biased. The CR is designed exclusively to parody (albeit really stupid) conservative news, and as for TDS...I wouldn't be willing to call it slanted from its content alone, because, as you all always say, the Republicans are very visible targets. But look at:

1) Audience response, which is obviously and admittedly coming from a left-leaning crowd: but when you've got raucous applause and cheering and laughing at Republican folly, you're presenting something slanted.
2) Jon Stewarts own words, for example, the night of the 2004 election, when he says to the audience in as close to a somber tone as Stewart ever has, "Make my job hard."
3) Most of all, the interviews. These are the one thing that knocked Jon down a few pegs on my board. He'll do everything short of fellate guests representing the left, and when the occasional goofy conservative writer comes on there, he'll get a new asshole ripped and very few words in edgewise. When it's a big guy like Ashcroft, he's polite -- he has to be. Ditto moderates.

It's not as bad a bias as some make it out to be, but it's still there, and it's still occasionally grating.

11/26/2006 11:48:27 AM

Quote :

"yes, i've watched it friend. look i don't want to have this argument ok. this is the last i'll say on this matter. you'll never be convinced because you don't follow the news closely enough to be aware of much better material created by democrats on days that jon pulls some weak sauce on the republicans, yet again just go back to your stereotypical college-life existence and continue suckling at the teat of fake news. you're a great citizen and a well informed voter!!!"

Quote :

"Why else would you love a show, if not for its content?"

I should have been more clear. When you're presenting comedy with an obvious, official slant like this, you're OBLIGATING the audience to laugh. It's like if they don't, they agree with Emmanuel Goldstein.

Quote :

"1) Audience response, which is obviously and admittedly coming from a left-leaning crowd: but when you've got raucous applause and cheering and laughing at Republican folly, you're presenting something slanted."

The audience that enjoys the daily show is pretty liberal, sure. But does that mean that Jon Stewart is exclusively a mouthpiece for that kind of stuff? I think this comes more from the fact that conservatives see anything less than TOTAL, ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY in an issue is a weak/feminine/faggot/communist trait. This means that any humor that calls their judgments into question is off limits. Why the hell would most conservatives like the daily show? It points out how fucking stupid their idols are.

Quote :

"2) Jon Stewarts own words, for example, the night of the 2004 election, when he says to the audience in as close to a somber tone as Stewart ever has, "Make my job hard.""

Seems like you're the one drawing the inference "Republicans do horrifically stupid things that are easy to mock." Seems like he just wants sensible people in office. You're the one defining sensible as Democrat. Kinda funny.

Quote :

"3) Most of all, the interviews. These are the one thing that knocked Jon down a few pegs on my board. He'll do everything short of fellate guests representing the left, and when the occasional goofy conservative writer comes on there, he'll get a new asshole ripped and very few words in edgewise. When it's a big guy like Ashcroft, he's polite -- he has to be. Ditto moderates."

Then again, anything short of stringing guests from the left up by their balls would be seen as fellating by the right. He's grilled people from the left before... but this leads me to my next point:

Quote :

"It's not as bad a bias as some make it out to be, but it's still there, and it's still occasionally grating."

Agreed -- of course its there, it'll always be there. Does it warrant a massively biased right-wing version, though? This is ridiculous and a bad idea. The point is, the daily show is out to make fun of people. This show is out to make fun of liberals.

11/26/2006 12:01:49 PM

I just don't get why you have such a major problem with this show being aired? It is a show to make fun of liberals. You won't be forced to watch it. I don't like Oprah, but I don't have a problem with it being on the air.

That said, this show will prosper or fail based on its writing, like any other show. I won't watch it if it isn't funny. I surely don't care to watch a show based simply on its stated bias, but I'll watch a show biased against white male catholics from NC State if it is funny.

11/26/2006 12:07:07 PM

Quote :

"I just don't get why you have such a major problem with this show being aired?"

Because it's fucking stupid and I can have an opinion about stupid things? I feel pretty much the same way about the Carlos Mencia show.

Quote :

"That said, this show will prosper or fail based on its writing, like any other show."

If that were true, none of these conservative political cartoons would exist. (the mallard)

11/26/2006 12:15:00 PM

I'm interested in watching this just to see how they handle their own side of the political spectrum, since they are admitting that this show will be aimed at making fun of their opponents on the left.

Is Sean Hannity not funny enough? Those things he says about being a Great American (tm) are jokes, right?

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 12:22 PM. Reason : .]

11/26/2006 12:20:14 PM

Quote :

"Seems like he just wants sensible people in office. You're the one defining sensible as Democrat."

Heh. Now I'll tell you what he said right before "Make my job hard," which was basically, "For the last four years, my job has been easy."

Quote :

"But does that mean that Jon Stewart is exclusively a mouthpiece for that kind of stuff?"

No, but I never said it was "exclusively" anything. You're jumping from "biased" to "slavishly devoted" all on your own there, hoss.

11/26/2006 1:15:52 PM

Quote :

"Now I'll tell you what he said right before "Make my job hard," which was basically, "For the last four years, my job has been easy.""

Oh, my! Opposing the idiotic moves of the current administration sure makes a liberal democrat out of you!

Quote :

"No, but I never said it was "exclusively" anything. You're jumping from "biased" to "slavishly devoted" all on your own there, hoss."

It's not really my argument. You're trying to prop up this viewpoint, albeit with a weaker claim.

11/26/2006 1:24:03 PM

Quote :

"If that were true, none of these conservative political cartoons would exist."

Oh I see, so the forces at work everywhere else in the universe don't work for conservatively tinted entertainment?

I think what you meant to say is: I don't enjoy conservative political cartoons. Instead, you implied that no one does.

11/26/2006 1:27:08 PM

Quote :

"Oh I see, so the forces at work everywhere else in the universe don't work for conservatively tinted entertainment? I think what you meant to say is: I don't enjoy conservative political cartoons. Instead, you implied that no one does."

Of course people do. They agree because of the topic, not because of the cleverness, skill, or quality of the writing.

11/26/2006 1:32:20 PM

1) The man pleaded with people to vote Democrat. There isn't really any getting around it.

2) I know he makes fun of everybody, I've been watching since the Kilborne (sp?) days, and so I've seen Jon lay into Clinton and whatnot. But I guess what it comes down to is that in eight years I can't see Jon having GWB on as a guest and treating him quite as amiably as he did Bill a while back.

11/26/2006 1:35:50 PM

Quote :

"1) The man pleaded with people to vote Democrat. There isn't really any getting around it."

Doesn't suggest much about the overall "bias" of the show's material, though.

Quote :

"2) I know he makes fun of everybody, I've been watching since the Kilborne (sp?) days, and so I've seen Jon lay into Clinton and whatnot. But I guess what it comes down to is that in eight years I can't see Jon having GWB on as a guest and treating him quite as amiably as he did Bill a while back."

I wonder why this must be... oh, it must be liberal bias.

11/26/2006 1:54:06 PM

Quote :

"I can't see Jon having GWB on as a guest and treating him quite as amiably as he did Bill a while back."

There is no way in hell that GWB is getting in front of anyone's camera after he leaves office. That cat is a PR disaster whenever he opens his mouth.

As far as the Fox show - meh. The market will figure it all out. I gots a feeling it will tank, but who knows.

11/26/2006 2:19:21 PM

this show is going to fail

11/26/2006 2:48:14 PM

the problem with this is that TDS isnt a parody of anything.

Colbert Report isnt nearly as funny and gets lame very fast.

thus this is going to suck even worse.

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 3:01 PM. Reason : i'll watch it because it will be funny but not for the reasons they want it to be]

11/26/2006 3:01:02 PM

A fake news show on Fox News? They do that already.

Seriously though, why would they put this show on news network? It belongs on a comedy network, right?

Anyway, one thing that makes TDS amusing is that they sift through the bullshit and point out the funny. Their number one goal is to get laughs--that's their agenda. It doesn't make sense to start with a spoken bias; you'll miss some good jokes.

11/26/2006 3:18:57 PM

it does make sense to start with a bias. if they made fun of some of the shit that came out of liberal's mouths they'd lose a lot of their audience and fast.

so they keep it dumb and simple. make fun of republicans for being conservatives and (just to keep it fair) make fun of democrats for not being liberal enough.

11/26/2006 4:05:17 PM

Liberal = codeword for better and smarter than me

11/26/2006 4:09:03 PM

Quote :

"make fun of republicans for being conservatives"

Since almost all of his jabs at... anyone involve making fun of some clip of them saying something profoundly stupid; are you implying that being conservative means spouting bushisms, awkward/innapropriate metaphors, and blatant self-contradictinos? When he's making fun of someone, that's what he usually has a clip of.

Maybe you just think that when you make fun of a conservative, you must be making fun of them for BEING conservative?

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 4:18 PM. Reason : ]

11/26/2006 4:18:24 PM

sometimes i really think political persuasions are motherfucking cults the way some people engage in such denial. over thanksgiving my ultra-conservative parents said that, "oh that ted haggard he did the wrong thing but he didn't actually take any drugs and he sure didn't do anything with that man"



some people just can't open their goddamn eyes

11/26/2006 4:20:11 PM

The Daily Show is pretty much a good mixture of jokes between the left and the right. Obviously, Republicans get made fun of more because they're in charge right now. I mean, look at the Clinton Years, or Howard Dean's war call, or at Kerry Jokes during the election...its pretty even.

Colbert Report though...is extremely biased towards the left though.

11/26/2006 4:22:36 PM

Yeah, we registered independents who voted for republicans in the last two election for everything except president are pretty rabid.

11/26/2006 4:23:00 PM

its going to be really interesting to see how fast everyone drops the "republicans are in charge" excuse for Daily Show in January

11/26/2006 4:24:47 PM

Quote :

"sometimes i really think political persuasions are motherfucking cults the way some people engage in such denial."

Yeah because I'm totally a liberal, man! It's hilarious because whenever I engage in debate with a conservative who's dumber than a fucking rock, I get called a liberal. It's just a code word for "... FUCK YOU WITH ALL THAT LEARNIN AND BOOKS AND SHIT."

11/26/2006 4:28:48 PM

So who do you think he's an alias for?

11/26/2006 4:29:50 PM

Quote :

"its going to be really interesting to see how fast everyone drops the "republicans are in charge" excuse for Daily Show in January"

Honestly...do you not remember the Clinton years?

I'm Republican, I voted for Bush because I thought he was a better choice then Kerry. I enjoy watch TDS, I think its amusing and the jokes never really seemed biased. Besides, if we can't laugh at ourselves..who can we laugh at?

11/26/2006 4:34:16 PM

^^^ i didn't say you were a liberal, but you do have a political persuasion. and its seemingly aligned with the bias on TDS if you can't see it. i guess because i'm so ego-centric, i feel that the majority of people are capable of viewing things objectively and so i'm always surprised when the opposite is demonstrated

^ I remember back when Jon Stewart really would lay into people on both sides legitimately (i'm not talking about token jabs at democrats like he does now), but this was before the Iraq war. I guess the war must really bother him and he's doing what he can to hurt the republicans and bring the war to an end. Whatever the reason, nowadays he lets an awful lot of good material slide and substitutes it with any weak sauce he can scrape up against republicans.

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 4:38 PM. Reason : s]

11/26/2006 4:35:13 PM

Quote :

"i didn't say you were a liberal, but you do have a political persuasion. and its seemingly aligned with the bias on TDS if you can't see it. i guess because i'm so ego-centric, i feel that the majority of people are capable of viewing things objectively and so i'm always surprised when the opposite is demonstrated"

No, I just enjoy the satire. It's been SPOON FED to him by the Republicans who can't stop doing dumb shit. Besides -- everybody has a subjective view of the world, yourself included.

11/26/2006 4:40:43 PM

look i recognize that republicans have done a lot of idiotic shit ok but the point is that democrats have been doing some pretty goddamned retarded shit also and if he mentions it at all, i guess that counts as "fair and balanced" in your book.

check out this left-wing blog where the liberals shit a brick because jon stewart didn't praise hugo chavez, sheehan, and belafonte for saying that bush is satan and a bigger terrorist than osama

http://jdeanicite.typepad.com/i_cite/2006/01/jon_stewart_blo.html

oh and i just remembered - he ripped the democrats during the oscars that was hillarious - not his words, just the reaction from the whole audience which was not expecting that angle. hmmm wonder why they weren't expecting it

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 4:51 PM. Reason : s]

11/26/2006 4:48:45 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAgaqpy1ov8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hcqy8y9bwo

Quote :

"if he mentions it at all"

Obviously he doesn't.

Quote :

""fair and balanced""

No, that would be a claim made by Fox News.

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 4:57 PM. Reason : ]

11/26/2006 4:57:00 PM

well actually it would be claim you implied when you stated the TDS is not biased

11/26/2006 5:07:31 PM

Quote :

"check out this left-wing blog where the liberals shit a brick because jon stewart didn't praise hugo chavez, sheehan, and belafonte for saying that bush is satan and a bigger terrorist than osama"

Well that's certainly relevant to what Jon Stewart does and doesn't do. People are outraged because he doesn't display enough of their bias, and you consider that damning evidence that he's left leaning?

Quote :

"oh and i just remembered - he ripped the democrats during the oscars that was hillarious - not his words, just the reaction from the whole audience which was not expecting that angle. hmmm wonder why they weren't expecting it "

Because just like conservatives without a humor, some liberals have no humor?

11/26/2006 5:08:59 PM

Quote :

"when you stated the TDS is not biased"

When was that? Oooh right, it didn't happen. Please continue to frame your arguments around what you imagine people are saying instead of what's actually being said. It's effective.

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 5:15 PM. Reason : ]

11/26/2006 5:13:08 PM

peopel with no sense of humor suck

11/26/2006 5:31:50 PM

after the '08 elections when stewart gets to make fun of a democratic president im going to bttt all the threads about how he only pics on republicans

actually i guess i just have to wait for congress

11/26/2006 5:35:43 PM

^ i dont know if anyone said that but he is a liberal and it comes out during the show.

this is a fact and if you think other wise then you have brain damage.

now regardless of this if you think he only picks on conservatives you have serious brain damage.

11/26/2006 5:38:39 PM

you call it a bias, i call it being right

11/26/2006 5:43:58 PM

^^thank you. damn. finally.

[Edited on November 26, 2006 at 5:44 PM. Reason : s]

11/26/2006 5:44:39 PM

ps i like how witty and intelligent are liberal qualities now

11/26/2006 5:57:11 PM