- zoux
- Apr 28, 2006
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John Oliver did a nice interview with the Daily Beast:
quote:
You did a very nice job hosting The Daily Show in Jon Stewart’s absence. Do you think that’s the big reason why you’ve got this cool new HBO gig?
I think we can honestly say it’s the only reason. Before then, there wasn’t much in the way of people banging down the door. But it was incredibly fun. And incredibly tough. I did not want to leave The Daily Show. It wasn’t quite like passing a kidney stone, because it was a kidney stone you quite wanted to have in your body. There was no reason to leave, really, other than I knew I probably should, and it was going to take something completely different—something where you just think, “Oh, that would be insane to turn down.” This ended up being that. I talked to Jon about it and he was of the same mind. He said, “You would be an idiot to say ‘no’ to that.”
How did your talk with Jon go when you said, “You know, HBO offered me this…”
It was much more than that. Before he left for the summer, he said, “Listen, when I get back we’re going to have to talk about what you want to do next,” and I was slightly alarmed by that and went, “No! I want to stay here!” And he said, “Well… we’ll talk about it. I think that’s going to be… difficult.”
So he really foresaw you getting tons of attention for hosting?
Oh, he definitely foresaw it. He said, “We’ll talk about it when I get back,” and I pushed back hard on it. When he got back, he said, “So, let’s talk about what you’re going to do.” For a period of months, I talked to him every few days about whom I’d spoken to, and he gave me his input. He was my Sherpa all the way through it.
I'd've been shocked if Jon Stewart was anything less than gracious about the whole thing.
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May 1, 2014 22:22
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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May 2, 2024 01:09
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- zoux
- Apr 28, 2006
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Haha the company behind that twee as gently caress Oregon healthcare exchange ad that Oliver went off on is Real Fuckin Mad.
quote:
"Are we, as Mr. Oliver suggests, stupid loving idiots?
Yes.
Given the world today, you have to be a stupid loving idiot to want to help activate a legislation so controversial.
You have to be a stupid loving idiot to suggest a strategy that unites people around a common good before selling them on something as complicated as health insurance.
You have to be a stupid loving idiot to think advertising can actually help improve the quality of people's lives.
But at North, we welcome stupid loving idiots. And I'd do it all again just the same, proudly.
Although, next time I'd probably leave the website out of the ads."
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May 2, 2014 22:13
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- zoux
- Apr 28, 2006
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Dunno. I'm owlgnostic.
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May 13, 2014 03:04
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- zoux
- Apr 28, 2006
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In only 3 shows LWT has become mandatory viewing for me, I might be alone but I can't stand watching TDS/Colbert anymore between the never ending Fox segments and Colbert's act becoming stale, Oliver actually seems to care about what he's talking about instead of just fake outraging his way through every piece.
LWT seems more willing to take a position than the other two, at least.
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May 13, 2014 20:27
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- zoux
- Apr 28, 2006
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I don't know how to feel about the fact that the best US journalism is coming out of a satire program. Anyway, his journalistic rigor was part of the reason Snowden ok'd the interview.
quote:
The interview took many months to arrange. Only a handful of American journalists have traveled to Russia to meet Snowden in person. (Snowden has been living there in exile while his lawyers seek a way for him to return to the United States.)
So why did Snowden and his advisers grant Oliver's long-standing interview request?
"The reason why we chose John Oliver is because of his journalism," said a source close to Snowden.
That's right -- Oliver may insist he's just a comedian, but others know his act is sometimes journalistic, even if that's not his main intent.
Snowden watched "Last Week Tonight's" widely-acclaimed segment about net neutrality policy last summer and came away impressed by Oliver.
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Apr 7, 2015 01:45
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May 1, 2014 22:22
