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See that globe in the picture above? It hangs over Jon Stewart's head as he sits at his fake desk to deliver the fake news. Viewers see it at the opening of each episode of The Daily Show and occasionally after a commercial break or when a guest walks on. Those of you with sharp eyes might have noticed that a ticker on the globe lists a series of place-names: the show's home base, New York, and six other locales. And since this is The Daily Show, the names aren't just random picks. Each week, there's a theme. And this week, the names have a special National Geographic spin.
The globe was born two years ago, when the show unveiled its
new set. Director Chuck O’Neil decided to put some serious effort into selecting places for the banner, often with help from Patty Smith and Jeff Bass, who are responsible for the show’s satirical on-screen text.
At first, Team Global Names would go for funny-sounding world capitals or geographic spots with double entendres. Now they come up with a theme in the hope that viewers will laugh their atlases off. Last week, towns with names inspired by April made the rounds: Aprilia, Abril, Aprelova, et alia. Famous ski resorts popped up in the middle of winter, as have beach burgs, to help people think warmer thoughts. Late in March we saw Lionsville and Lambs Corner. Colors, Bruce Springsteen lyrics, and wine regions (Chianti, Bordeaux, Asti, Chablis, Tokaj) are other themes.
"I've been doing this for maybe two years now and I was wondering if anyone was really getting the jokes," O'Neil says, "but I figured I had committed to it, and we have the globe there, so we have to put names up, so we might as well go with it. Someone will catch on, someone will see it. Lo and behold, you guys at National Geographic did. So it makes it all worthwhile."
The place-names are almost always real. An exception was TV town week: Dillon, Texas, from Friday Night Lights, Tree Hill from One Tree Hill, Smallville, and Jericho. O’Neil bent the rules because "those cities do live on TV."
This week, the names Novyy Port, Shangri-La, Vancouver, Hammerfest, Halifax, and Alert ring the equator. The average viewer might be mystified–what do these towns have in common? Pop Omnivore knows–we suggested the mix of six to The Daily Show. If your mind is spinning along with the ticker, take a look at the
May issue of National Geographic for some hints.
–Brad Scriber
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Comments
Apr 15, 2009 11AM #
"I've been doing this for maybe two years now and I was wondering if anyone was really getting the jokes."
Someone needs to tell O'Neill that even on an HDTV, the globe is visible for maybe three seconds, and only two names are legible in that space at best. I noticed the city names a few months back, but they're so difficult to see that it makes it tough to "get" the joke theme even when you're looking for it.
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