Jon Stewart: A Biography

by Michael Blitz

Overview

This biography profiles Jon Stewart, television's most incisive deliverer of the fake news. As the host of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he has attracted a vast audience that sees him as one of the few credible sources of cultural critique TV.

As comfortable and adept at interviewing Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, U.S. President Barack Obama, activist Al Sharpton, or political commentator Bill O'Reilly as he is chatting with Angelina Jolie, Bill Gates, or Denis Leary, Jon Stewart has emerged as one of the hottest television personalities and most powerful media icons of the 21st century. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, currently Comedy Central's longest running show, has launched the successful careers of Stephen Colbert (host of The Colbert Report) and Steve Carell (star of The 40 Year Old Virgin and the popular television series The Office), and an appearance on Stewart's half-hour segment is coveted by both political figures and Hollywood celebrities as one of the most important places to be seen.

Well-read, impossibly well-versed in current events, charismatic, and self-deprecating, Stewart has successfully garnered a broad-based following of viewers, from teens to senior citizens. Ideal for students and general readers alike, this biography profiles the always controversial, always prepared Stewart, including his early life, his first break in comedy, and his meteoric rise to joining an elite group of well-known and often-quoted media personalities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313358289
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/15/2014
Series:	Greenwood Biographies
Pages:	207
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Michael Blitz is professor of English and chair of interdisciplinary studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. He is coauthor of Arnold Schwarzenegger: A Biography and Johnny Depp: A Biography.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword vii

Preface and Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Timeline: Events in the Life of Jon Stewart xvii

Chapter 1 The (Hairy) Backstory 1

Chapter 2 Before Jon Stewart Was Jon Stewart 13

Chapter 3 "Leibo" 25

Chapter 4 The Bitter End and a New Beginning 37

Chapter 5 A Show of His Own-Part I 49

Chapter 6 A Show of His Own-Part II 59

Chapter 7 A Show of His Own-Part III 67

Chapter 8 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 85

Chapter 9 Exceeding His Own Track Record 103

Chapter 10 Kill or Be Killed 121

Chapter 11 Jon, Judaism, and Jewish Humor 135

Chapter 12 A Long Moment of Zen 147

Appendix: My Guest Tonight… 157

Notes 171

Further Reading 197

Index 199

Editorial Reviews

"Blitz has written an appealing and highly readable biography of one of the most well-known and accomplished comedians of our time." - ARBAonline

"Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart attracts around 1.8 million viewers per show. As this latest book in the Greenwood Biographies series points out, this is comparable to the audiences of both Jay Leno and David Letterman—an amazing number for a show that only appears on cable television. What makes this comedian's show so appealing? This work points out the incisive interviews and careful preparation that await each guest, along with Stewart's spontaneous comedic remarks." - ProtoView

From the Publisher