Canadians have all the fun. They get free health care; there hasn't been any major destruction in their cities; and they have the biggest comedy festival in the world taking place in Montreal. And this year's lineup for the festival looks magnificent. The 35th annual Just For Laughs Festival has landed an all-star bunch of comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Ali Wong, Kevin Hart, Judd Apatow, Trevor Noah, Natasha Leggero, and Moshe Kasher among others. Additionally, there will be live podcast recordings like Jake and Amir's If I Were You and Jon Gabrus's High & Mighty. The full lineup and tickets can be found here.
Trevor Noah's book is out very soon
After joining the ranks of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah is now joining them as well as other comedy greats (like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Phoebe Robinson and others) again with his new book deal. Back in January, the comedian was said to have a book deal which would lead to a real book filled with personal essays. That book is set to come out next month. Born A Crime follows Noah's climb from South Africa to Daily Show host. The title refers to Noah's "original sin" of being born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother which it was a crime punishable by law. The synopsis points to a fairly exciting book sure to be filled with countless tales of South African fun. Born A Crime is out on November 15.
And the first guests for Trevor Noah's 'Daily Show' are...plus a whole bunch of other stuff
Kevin Hart, Whitney Wolfe, Chris Christie and Ryan Adams! Announced via Comedy Central's Twitter this morning, the first week guests of The Daily Show will feature an eclectic mix of entertainers, business people and politicians.
Announcing @TheDailyShow with Trevor Noah's first week guests:
@KevinHart4real
@WLWolfe
@ChrisChristie
@TheRyanAdams pic.twitter.com/V1GIS9AjUu
— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) September 23, 2015Along with that news Splitsider also learned the identities of the show's writers. Writers and executive producers will be Trevor Noah, Adam Lowitt, and Steve Bodow. The Head Writer will be Zhubin Parang with Daniel Radosh as the Senior Writer. Staff Writers include Hallie Haglund, Dan McCoy, Lauren Sarver, Travon Free, Matt Koff, Dan Amira, Owen Parsons, Delaney Yeager, David Kibuuka, Joseph Opio, Devin Delliquanti, and Alex Marino.
And finally, in a Rolling Stone interview released on Wednesday, Noah revealed that the premiere week of the show would "play out like a four part miniseries" with the first episode being a reintroduction into the program and its format. He also opened up about what it's like being a mixed race comedian in post-apartheid South Africa as well as society evolving alongside comedy. It's a good read and Noah has some decent points. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah premieres on Monday September 28 at 11 PM on Comedy Central.
New York Comedy Festival returns with Trevor Noah, Sarah Silverman, Bill Maher, & several hundred others
Three of today's top comedians will show their comedy chops as headliners in this year's New York Comedy Festival. Trevor Noah, Sarah Silverman and Bill Maher will be joined by other comedians as they make audiences laugh for a week straight. Starting November 10 and ending the 15th, the NYCF is set to feature the likes of Judd Apatow (yes, he does standup too!), Patton Oswalt, Margaret Cho, Billy Crystal, Bill Burr, Kathy Griffin, Gabriel Iglesias, Norm Macdonald, and Kumail Nanjiani among others. The Wrap reports this event is in co-production with Comedy Central. 200+ comedians will perform more than 60 shows throughout various stages in the city from Madison Square Garden, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Carnegie Hall. Several panels will be held as well such as “An Evening with the Late Show with David Letterman Writers” and “Clown Panties and Other Unpleasant Truths: An Evening with Inside Amy Schumer.” Head to the NYCF site in order to purchase tickets on August 17.
Trevor Noah is 100% taking over for Jon Stewart
Rampant speculation about who will be Jon Stewart's replacement on The Daily Show ranged from Larry Wilmore to John Oliver to Jason Jones. But all of those men have their own shows or upcoming projects. Now, Comedy Central has confirmed what others have already concluded: South African correspondent Trevor Noah is the new host of The Daily Show.
The New York Times is reporting that the newest member to the nightly news show will be offering his outsider perspective in the host position when Stewart leaves. After only three appearances since starting in December of 2014, Noah is getting the promotion of a lifetime.
Speaking with the paper, Noah said he is excited for the opportunity he's been given:
“You don’t believe it for the first few hours...You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol.”
While we don't know exactly when Jon Stewart is leaving, we now have a sense of what Comedy Central is doing for late night television. For one, they are entrusting another nonwhite comedian - the first being Larry Wilmore taking over Stephen Colbert's time slot - with one of their tentpole series. Noah also should add a younger, energetic attitude to the aged late night landscape.