TVSquad

First of all, if you missed Jon Stewart's interview with certified douchebag Bill O'Reilly from last night, you can catch it here. It's worth watching.

On to the actual show... Lately, cable news has shown numerous tragedies, ranging from bridge fires to broken dams. Yet another tragedy that has flown fairly under the radar: the reporters. None of them have any idea what the hell is going on. What's the point in reporting about it if you can't back it up with any more information? They might as well be saying, "So... the dam's broken... and there's water... and stuff... but mostly water. Yup. Uh, back to you."


"Baghdad Legal": Saddam Hussein just went on trial for his mass murder of Shiite villagers back in the '80s. He plead not guilty as he sat in what looked like a giant crib. From feared dictator to a disheveled man in a baby's crib? Oh, how the mighty have fallen... Correspondent Dan Bakkedahl, Iraqi Legal Analyst, joins in to talk some more about the court case. He shows some courtroom sketches that have Hussein standing in his underwear. Jon's confused because the footage that they saw earlier didn't have Hussein in his tighty-whities... Freedom must've have gotten into the sketch artist's head. Tsk tsk, unknown artist. Publicly making fun of political leaders -- especially on a respected program like The Daily Show -- is unacceptable.

"This Week in God": God, the Almighty, Jehovah... Satchmo... Whatever you call Him, He's there and He knows what you're doing (so stop... and wash your hands). Rob Corddry is filling for Stephen Colbert from now on, I guess. He hooks and reels in the God Machine (I can sense the God Machine's initial hesitance to meet its new master).

• Corddry talks a bit about CNN's Wolf Blitzer asking Jerry Falwell about whether or not he thinks the End of Days is approaching (marked by the large number of devastating natural disasters). Thank you, Blitzer, for actually asking the questions that the creepy guy on the 7:00 bus only dares to mumble.
  
• The Jewish faith is pissed off at Madonna (who is Jewish the same way that she's British)... again. Israeli rabbis are angry because of Madonna's new song "Isaac". To use the name to make a profit is against Jewish law. Corddry points out that this should be the least of their worries... Madonna could have very well released pictures of her nibbling on his nipples (what's scary is that I know people that would buy such a coffee table book).
• "What Went Wrong": This segment within a segment is all about what went wrong with certain religions that have disappeared. This week is the Shakers! As soon as I heard this name, I jumped in my seat because it's the only thing I remember from American History class: Shakers weren't allowed to have sex. And sure enough, Corddry talks about the universal celibacy (yup, includes married couples too) that the Shakers were sworn to. It sure is a mystery why they died off... What went wrong? You decide.
  

I really miss Colbert/God Machine chemistry... but at least Corddry's a funny guy. Could've been worse.

Tonight's guest is former FBI Director, Louis Freeh. He has a new book coming out called My FBI. During the interview, he talks a little about having to investigate Bill Clinton despite Clinton being the one that appointed Freeh in the first place. Jon dubs this as the "most uncomfortable Christmas party moment ever". Freeh tells a story about trying to get through guard dogs by feeding them fast food... He's a good storyteller and he sounds fairly relaxed, but his face doesn't seem to want to pull into a smile. His story was pretty cool and Jon said that it sounds like Freeh's life is directed by Scorcese or something... Hm. I might actually pick this book up.

Jon checks in with Colbert, who reports that he brought a live eagle to get the audience pumped up. Unfortunately, it just resulted in a pasty intern, whose skin resembles the pale underbelly of a salmon, getting attacked. Tomorrow's guest is The Rock (haven't heard from that guy in a while). Here it is, your Moment of Zen: Saddam chilling with his lookalike homies... shirtless... in the water. Creepy.