The Daily Show

Thanks to my sister, we got to have an amazing time attending the taping of The Daily Show in NYC yesterday. Logistically it was a challenge - we had to get someone in line early enough to get good seats, get five kids covered for childcare in NJ, and get everyone else in line before 4:30pm (you show up at 4:31 you get booted to the back of the line and don't make it in).

Jim was coming straight from work, so that was taken care of. Kathy and David took the train in around lunchtime to get in line early. Since the babysitters are in high school, and I had to leave by 2:15pm to physically make it to NYC in time, Emma got to do babysitter duty for about 40 minutes (with both neighbors' phone numbers handy should any help be needed) until both high school girls made it to the house. But it all worked out in the end. Kathy was so worried about making it into the show that she ended up waiting in line for 2 1/2 hours, making us FIRST in line for the non-VIP tickets. Way to go Kathy!!!

So Kathy is there by about 2pm, Jim and I both show up around 3:45pm, David (who was exploring the area) was there a little after 4pm. We got briefed outside on how things work and got our tickets to enter which just looked like laminated sticky notes with a Daily Show stamp and a number written on it. At 5:15 we watched the "VIP" tickets file in - looked like it was about 65 people for that night's show. Then we got shuffled in through a metal detector and bag checking station to wait in an interior waiting room. From there we waited about another 30 minutes before they finally started putting us into the studio. It was SO COOL to see the studio - all the backdrops and props you see every night. The music is loud enough to get you pumped, but not so loud to be annoying (not that we need much of a reason to be pumped). And due to Kathy's patience with waiting, our seats were about the best we could get - third row back, center section, first row up on risers so no heads were in front of us.

The warm up comedian (Paul Mecurio) came out to make sure we know how to cheer and clap loudly, and he was actually pretty darn funny. Then after his bit he announces Jon Stewart, who comes out into the studio to all of us cheering wildly. It was a really awesome moment - very exciting. Jon asks the crowd for questions, and I got picked to ask one! Kathy was totally ready with one of the best questions ("Who would your all time dream interview be - Karl Rove or Dick Cheney?") but got too nervous to even put her hand up when faced with the opportunity. But I stuck mine right up to ask why he doesn't have his face on a bag like Stephen Colbert, and then hold the one up from Barnes & Nobel that Kathy brought to me as a gift. I honestly can't remember what he said back to me - that is where MY nervousness kicked in.

Then they started the show taping. Pretty much just like watching it on TV, except no commercials and you are VERY close to it. They had a skit where Aasif Mandiv had to hold a live snake, but the first take the snake looked asleep, so they reshot it after the show had finished. They also have an international version of the show which since it was Wednesday they needed to record the intro for it, so we got a little bonus show (and extra thanks from Jon for sticking around for both the International bit and the Aasif retake).

But one of the best bits was when he did his back and forth with Stephen Colbert at the end of the show. Because before they record the actual part that airs, these two joke back and forth with each other a lot to warm up. And they are VERY funny with each other.

Anyway, lots and lots of fun. I highly recommend it for anyone traveling up to NYC. As Kathy commented, Jon Stewart seems like such a nice guy on TV and seems like an even nicer guy in real life.




Jim got a better shot of this than mine here. The sign over the door you walk in from the street to enter the studio says "Abandon News, All Ye Who Enter Here."


The hanging banners in the waiting area with the pictures of (old) correspondents on them. I think they all said things like "Trustworthiness" on them except for the one of Jon Stewart, which said "Afraid of Heights."


Kathy, very excited about getting into the studio.