Do people think FishbowlNY has a thing for Jon Stewart? We've gotten this article from Wired from a few of you today (including this special mystery guest). Actually we've been watching but have fallen behind on some killer JS material and, well, the demand for our highly impartial Daily Show coverage has come pouring in from places as far off as Allentown, Pennsylvania. So, we're flooding the zone.

In this article, Thomas Goetz sits down with Jon Stewart and his partner, executive producer Ben Karlin to talk about the show. To be honest, I don't think this it gives us much insight into the Daily Show; I wish Stewart weren't so glib and slippery. To wit: "Boy, I never want to be part of something called "good television." I can tell you that with certainty. That is not a comfortable place to be." I mean, come on, Jon, that's as disingenuous as saying that your show doesn't matter because it follows puppets. You can't say that and then turn around and be like, "oh yeah, Sy Hersh, I'm so down with your pre-Pat Robertson Venezuela references." You just can't. There are some interesting parts, like hearing about how Stewart felt about the Crossfire incident, and Jon's "Goodness Theorem" (actual good stuff on TV holds at a constant rate of about 12%) but nary a word on the new set or any sort of vision or direction for the show. Plus, nothing on the couch. Even though the article is in Wired and it's essentially about the delivery of content, the fact that the Daily Show is content that's especially good is kind of an important part of that. Anyway, check it out, and in the meantime come back to Fishbowl in a few for some more Daily Show and non-Daily Show coverage!

Reinventing Television [Wired]