Jon Stewart
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Jon Stewart says Apple asked him not to host FTC Chair Lina Khan
Jon Stewart hosted FTC chair Lina Khan on his weekly Daily Show segment yesterday, but Stewart's own revelations were just as interesting as Khan's.
Paramount Global lays off a reported 800 employees
Paramount Global said Tuesday it’s laying off some of its “very valued colleagues,” including on its Paramount+ team. The cuts will reportedly affect about 800 employees, an estimated three percent of the media giant’s workforce.
Jon Stewart's Apple TV+ show reportedly ends following clash over AI and China
The host told production staff that Apple executives had raised concerns about certain subject matters he's potentially covering in the show, particularly China and artificial intelligence, according to The New York Times.
Jon Stewart's Apple TV+ show premieres on September 30th
New episodes of 'The Problem With Jon Stewart' will arrive every other week.
Jon Stewart's next TV show is coming to Apple TV+
Hour-long episodes will see the comedian dissect a single topic.
Recommended Reading: Why is Apple breaking up with Intel?
The week's noteworthy writing on technology and more.
Barely Related: Hello Kitty is not a cat and other nonsense
Deep breaths, everyone. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Jon Stewart slams the NSA with World of Warcraft
... And yes, he kind of slams World of Warcraft with the NSA. Following reports that the US National Security Agency was monitoring potential terrorist activity in Second Life and WoW, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart hosted a real-life, in-game interview with Aasif Mandvi as Greychalk the dwarf paladin. The joke focuses on Mandvi not realizing that some people lie about their identities online: "This place is all about trust," Mandvi says. "If we thought that people might not be who they say they are, the whole world would fall apart." But hey, Jon Stewart, joke's on you – as a few viewers point out, Mandvi is in an impossible starting area for a dwarf, he has priest spells instead of paladin ones and he's dressed as a night elf rather than a dwarf. Take that. Watch the entire episode here and the WoW clip after the break.
The Daily Show touches on the NSA in WoW
Last night Jon Stewart of The Daily Show weighed in, as he does, on the topic of the NSA/WoW news that hit yesterday regarding information released by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. In rare form, Stewart ran a segment entitled That Thing They Said They're Not Doing? They're Totally Doing, in which he lambasted government efforts to downplay the NSA's role in gathering and stockpiling information via phone, internet, and now video games like Second Life and WoW. Being a comedian, Stewart took the opportunity to take several ridiculously funny, tongue-in-cheek shots at gamers in the process. And if that weren't enough, self-proclaimed "proud dwarf paladin" Greychalk of Dun Morogh arrived on the scene to add even more comic relief. Of course, Greychalk seems to be more than a little confused about both the nebulous identities of people on the internet, and the class he plays -- his spell bar is chock full of priest spells. Oh, Greychalk. Silly Greychalk. That's not Holy Wrath you're casting, it's Smite. You can watch the segment above -- and you can catch the full episode on The Daily Show's website.
Jon Stewart covers Tim Cook and Apple's tax issue
On The Daily Show last night, Jon Stewart covered, in typically hilarious fashion, Apple's recent trip to Washington D.C. to defend its tax practices. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook Funny stuff, per usual. My favorite moment was Stewart's sarcastic take on various senators heaping praise upon Apple. How about we pay you?! How about that? For the inconvenience of you having to keep your money overseas. I mean, the upkeep must be unbelievable, like having a pony. The Tax Code nano bit is also great.
Presidents Obama, Clinton pay tribute to Steve Jobs at Webbys
Yesterday a host of political leaders, artists, scientists, and tech visionaries paid tribute to Steve Jobs at the annual Webby Awards in New York. The tribute started with an opening from Justin Long and John Hodgman, who played Mac and PC in Apple's long-running "I'm a Mac" ads. Richard Dreyfuss, who voiced the original Think Different "Crazy Ones" commercial, then came out and said in five words (a kind of tradition at the Webbys) what he thought of Steve Jobs: "Exception that proves the rule." In the tribute video that played, people as diverse as President Obama, Buzz Aldrin, Vint Cerf, Adriana Huffington, President Clinton, George Lucas, U2's Bono, Jon Stewart, and more all said five words each about Steve Jobs. The video ends with President Obama saying, "The truth is when we are talking about Steve Jobs, we only need one word: amazing." You can view the whole tribute in the video below. Your browser does not support iframes.
Jon Stewart interviews Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson recently appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to promote his biography of Steve Jobs. In the seven-minute interview (embedded below), Stewart and Isaacson discuss the the process of writing the biography while trying to stay objective about its subject -- a task Isaacson admits was difficult, especially in the face of Jobs's long illness. The two men discuss something I also found fascinating about Jobs when I read the book: his extremely emotional nature. Stewart: The really interesting thing in the book is how often Steve Jobs cries. Isaacson: He's a very emotional person. That was the biggest surprise to me. Stewart: He is a weeper. They go on a bit of a tangent after that, but eventually Isaacson gets to the core of both Jobs himself and public opinion of him. "He connected emotion to technology. This is why the outpouring of grief at his death was beyond what most may have expected," Isaacson says. "I think that emotionalism came from a deep passion for artistic things." The real gem of the interview comes at the end, when Isaacson describes the difference between Jobs and Bill Gates. "In the end, [Bill Gates] makes the Zune and Steve makes the iPod." Stewart busts out laughing, along with the audience, and responds, "That is the best eulogy I have ever heard in my life." The full video's embedded below (sorry iOS users, Comedy Central doesn't offer a non-Flash version and there's nothing we can do about it), and it's definitely worth watching. If you're looking for a more comprehensive review of the biography itself, we just happen to have one right here at TUAW. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert pay tribute to Steve Jobs
Talk show host Jon Stewart used a small part of his Daily Show to pay tribute to Steve Jobs. His remembrance was touching and thoughtful. Stephen Colbert also honored Steve Jobs in a short clip that tried to lighten things up with a touch of humor. You can watch both clips below. Jon Stewart: Stephen Colbert: The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Jon Stewart kombats mortally with Supreme Court decision
Mortal Kombat makes Jon Stewart uncomfortable, and not in the good, pants-region way. Last night on The Daily Show, Stewart dissected the finer points of the United States Supreme Court's recent decision to allow the sale of violent video games to minors, using Noob's ripping-fun fatality on Sonya Blade as a demonstration of Mature material. Stewart noted the courts may regulate sexual material, while extreme violence can now terrorize our children's minds all the legal-long day. Stewart generally offers an open-minded comedic spin to the news, but at the end of the day he's still a middle-aged American man on television, and the sight of a woman's internal organs spilling from her gaping torso never seems to sit well with their kind. But good of him for showing it on basic cable and posting it for free online, where every child with thumbs can now access the gruesome slaughter of a busty blonde woman by two men in black masks. As long as her shirt stays on. [Thanks, Ben!]
The Daily Show takes on the Verizon iPhone
While the tech world debates both the merits and the shortcomings of the Verizon iPhone, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart and John Oliver used the occasion to do some good ol' AT&T bashing. They celebrated the announcement of the Verizon iPhone with a rousing chant of "Freedom!" and poked fun at the dropped calls that plague iPhone owners on AT&T. The pinnacle of the seven-minute skit occurred when a band of frustrated iPhone owners trampled an AT&T sign. You can enjoy watching the segment in its entirety after the break. The video comes straight from The Daily Show's website, which uses Flash; sorry!
The Daily Show reacts to Verizon iPhone, Jon Stewart gets a little excited (video)
Were you excited about yesterday's iPhone announcement? Not so much as The Daily Show, which spent a whole seven minutes and 18 seconds out of its 30 minutes of programming to celebrate the announcement -- and certainly not sparing the whip when it comes to AT&T. Jon Stewart appeared to be somewhat excited, screaming in excitement at being able to use "the world's most popular almost phone" as, well, an actual phone. See it for yourself below.
Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear app now available
MTV Networks has released the official Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear app for this Saturday's Jon Stewart rally and Stephen Colbert march. The app features a map of the rally site, Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare integration, a portal to upload photos to the official rally photostream, news updates, and an exclusive message from the master satirists themselves. The app also features a complete FAQ about the rally including directions on how to get there, accessibility for the disabled, the average weather forecast, and what you are and are not allowed to bring to rallies in the National Mall. The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear takes place on Saturday, October 30 at the National Mall in Washington D.C. from noon to 3pm. The app is available now as a free download. [via Obamapacman]
Found Footage: Jon Stewart scolds Apple over the Gizmodo stolen iPhone fracas
Leave it to Jon Stewart to put things into perspective. In this segment from The Daily Show, Jon satirically cops to being an Apple user since the 80s and takes Apple to task for stealing the evil empire crown from Microsoft in their handling of the Gizmodo lost iPhone incident. After Giz gave back the iPhone, the cops busted down its editor, Jason Chen's door. "Don't they know there's an app for that?" Say what you will, I think Jon nailed it. Watch the full clip after the break. [via iPhone Savior]
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert begin HDTV broadcasts January 4
Cross another one off the "waiting for them to go HD" list, as Comedy Central is upgrading The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report to 1080i. What caused the wait until 2010? Apparently that's how long it took to upgrade the control room for these shows that are continuously in production, but at least we'll get to see how many CNBC thumbnails Stewart can squeeze into a 16x9 frame before the Mayan calendar runs out.
Stewart vs. Cramer now on Xbox Live Video Marketplace
In the most lopsided victory since Boll vs. Kyanka, Jon Stewart took on Jim Cramer last week in The Daily Show ring and -- spoiler alert -- humbled the CNBC Mad Money host in a technically brilliant, 22-minute ass whoopin'. This instant classic is now available in its "unedited" (warning: F-bomb dropping) entirety on the US Xbox Live Video Marketplace -- free for Gold subscribers.Note: The video content (257 MB) is only accessable through the console and isn't queueable from the Xbox.com Marketplace.
