This is a list of movies featuring recognizable dance forms, demonstrating them, shedding light on their origin, or being the base of a plot.

This article is not about Dance film or Dance for camera which are separate genres. It is also not about Musical films, although they often contain a significant amount of dancing. However they are a specific form of art in itself, therefore their listings generally pertain to the articles specifically related to the topic of musicals. This by no means prevents musicals from being included here, but they are required to meet the outlined criteria. Fred Astaire's and Gene Kelly's filmographies may significantly contribute to these lists.

Movies with plot based on dance[link]

Ballet[link]

• The Red Shoes (1948) - Film classic with dance editing far ahead of its time. Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Moira Shearer. Intricately weaving backstage life with the thrill of performance, this film centers on the dilemma of a young ballerina torn between the composer who loves her and the impresario determined to fashion her into a great dancer. 134 min, and based loosely on the fairytale.
• The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) - Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Moira Shearer and Ludmilla Tchérina. Film version of Jacques Offenbach's opera but making full use of film techniques and special effects. Not just a film of a stage production.
• Suspiria (1977) - A legendary horror film directed by Italian Dario Argento where a new student at a dance academy/school for girls experiences strange goings on.
• The Turning Point (1977) - The story of two women whose lives are dedicated to ballet. Deedee left her promising dance career to become a wife and mother and now runs a ballet school in Oklahoma. Emma stayed with a company and became a star though her time is nearly past. Both want what the other has and reflects back on missed chances as they are brought together again through Deedee's daughter who joins the company. Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Anne Bancroft, Tom Skerrit, Anthony Zerbe, Leslie Browne, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Alexandra Danilova.
• White Nights (1985) - movie starring Mikhail Baryshnikov about a Russian dancer who wants to defect.
• Dancers (1987) - movie starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, about a ballet company.
• Billy Elliot (2000)
• Center Stage (2000) - movie about the students of the American Ballet Academy.
• Save the Last Dance (2000) - movie starring Julia Stiles as a girl who wants to study as a professional dancer.
• Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002) - A silent movie directed by Guy Maddin, a ballet interpretation of Dracula.
• The Company (2003) - An inside look at the world of ballet. With the complete cooperation of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Robert Altman follows the stories of the dancers, whose professional and personal lives grow impossibly close, as they cope with the demands of a life in the ballet. Neve Campbell plays a gifted but conflicted company member on the verge of becoming a principal dancer at a fictional Chicago troupe, with Malcolm McDowell playing the company's co-founder and artistic director, considered one of America's most exciting choreographers. James Franco plays Campbell's boyfriend and one of the few characters not involved in the world of dance.
• Wishing Stairs (2003) - South Korean horror film set in an all-girls art school, in which two of the main characters are competing ballet students.
• Flying Boys (2004) - South Korean film about a group of high school seniors who are reluctantly pressured into joining a ballet class.
• Dancing with Time (2007) - Four dancers, nearing their eighties, take up the challenge of Heike Hennig to return to the stage in Leipzig’s opera house.
• Ballet Shoes (film) (2007) - Three adopted sisters, Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil where each has a different talent: acting, machinery and ballet.
• Morristown: A Ballerina Love Story (2008) - Morristown is a ballet movie set in Morristown, TN that depicts the stories of a young girl’s drive to become a professional dancer and the ballet veteran who helps her find her way.
• Center Stage: Turn it Up (2008) - Kate Parker auditions for the American Ballet Academy but she doesn't get a place. She starts work in a trendy hip-hop club and teams up with a former hockey player as she continues to perfect her dance skills. This movie isn't really a sequel to 'Center Stage' [2000] as there's no continuation or development of the original film's storyline, although a couple of the characters (dance teachers played by Peter Gallagher and Ethan Stiefel) from the first movie reappear in this one.
• Mao's Last Dancer (film) (2009) - Based on the autobiography of Chinese dancer Li Cunxin, this movie tells the story of his selection from an impoverished rural village to train at Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy. The film then follows Li as he travels to the US and is confronted with cultural differences (East/West; Communist/capitalist) and his desire to be true to his artistic soul. Directed by Bruce Beresford.
• Dance Subaru! (2009)
• Black Swan (film) (2010)
• TuTuMUCH (2010) - Traces the stories of 9 young girls vying for a place in the prestigious Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Follows each girl as she participates in a month-long summer intensive that serves as an audition for the school.
• Dance Academy (2010)- Fifteen-year-old Tara Webster has grown up on a farm in country Australia and has dreamt of being a dancer ever since she was a little girl. When she makes it into the National Academy of Dance - the best school in the country - she is sure her life is about to be spectacular. What Tara doesn'trealise is how far behind she is in her training, and that there's a whole lot more to surviving the Academy than just dancing...

Ballroom[link]

• The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) - documentary-style biopic about early ballroom dance stars Vernon and Irene Castle.
• Roseland (1977) - The film is made up of three connected short features, The Waltz, The Hustle and The Peabody. All three stories share a theme of the protagonists trying to find the right dance partner, and all are set in the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.
• Strictly Ballroom (1992) - plot based on competitive ballroom dance.
• Shall We Dance (1996) - Japanese movie.
• Dance with Me (1998) - starring Vanessa L. Williams and Chayanne - plot based on Latin dancing: ballroom vs. street.
• Dance with the Wind (2004) - South Korean film about a man who falls in love with ballroom dancing, but finds himself drawn into the sordid and corrupt world of "cabaret bars". After he seduces the police chief's wife, a female detective is assigned to go undercover to collect evidence against him. Once the two get to know each other, she asks him to teach her how to dance.
• Shall We Dance? (2004) - remake of the 1996 Japanese movie, starring Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere.
• Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) - a documentary about a ballroom dance program for fifth graders in the New York City public school system.
• Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (2005)
• Innocent Steps (2005) - Starring South Korean Actress Moon Geun-Young, she was obliged to replace her older sister—a trained dancer supposed to compete in order to pay for a family debt.
• Take the Lead (2006) - starring Antonio Banderas as a ballroom dance studio teacher who volunteers to teach dance in a New York public school.

Hip Hop/Street[link]

• Wild Style (1983)
• Beat Street (1984)
• Breakin' (1984)
• Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)
• Save the Last Dance (2001) - Stars Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, Kerry Washington and Terry Kinney.
• Honey (2003) - Stars Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer.
• You Got Served (2004) - Stars Omarion, Marques Houston and Meagan Good.
• Rize (film) (2005) (Documentary)
• Roll Bounce (2005) - Stars Bow Wow
• Save the Last Dance 2 (2006) - Stars Columbus Short, Ne-Yo and Izabella Miko.
• Step Up (2006) - Stars Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan and Mario (entertainer).
• Take the Lead (2006) - Stars Antonio Banderas
• Feel the Noise (2007)
• Planet B-Boy (2007) (Documentary)
• Stomp the Yard (2007) - Stars Columbus Short, Meagan Good, Chris Brown (American singer) and Ne-Yo.
• How She Move (2007/2008)
• B-Girl (film) (2008)
• Make It Happen (film) (2008)
• Step Up 2 the Streets (2008) - Stars Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman (actor), Channing Tatum, Adam Sevani and Cassie (singer).
• Dance Flick (2009)
• Step Up 3-D (2010) - Stars Adam Sevani and Alyson Stoner.
• Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming (2010) - Stars Columbus Short, Collins Pennie and Pooch Hall.
• StreetDance 3D (2010) - Stars George Sampson, Diversity (dance troupe) and Flawless (dance group).
• Boogie Town (2011) - Stars Brenda Song, Katerina Graham, Marques Houston
• Honey 2 (2011) Stars Katerina Graham
• You Got Served: Beat the World (2011)
• StreetDance 2 (2012)

Swing[link]

With the Whiteys Lindy Hoppers

• Hellzapoppin' by Henry C. Potter (1941)
• A Day at the Races by Sam Wood (1937)

Modern movies

• The Jungle Book by Walt Disney (1967)
• Malcolm X by Spike Lee (1992)
• Swing Kids by Thomas Carter (1993)
• The Mask by Chuck Russell (1994)
• Love N' Dancing by Robert Iscove (2009)
• Toy Story short film (2009)
• Leading Ladies by Daniel Beahm, Erika Randall Beahm (2010)
• Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen (2011)

Tango[link]

See also Tango (dance)#Tango in film

• The Tango Lesson (1997) - starring Sally Potter and Pablo Verón, directed by Sally Potter.
• Tango (1998) - starring Cecilia Narova and Mía Maestro, directed by Carlos Saura. Director, Carlos Saura. Popular dancers and folk groups demonstrate what is considered to be the national dance of Argentina. Over 300 dancers participate as they are photographed by the master cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro.
• The Tango Bar (1998) - starring Raúl Juliá.
• Assassination Tango (2002) - starring Robert Duvall, Rubén Blades and Kathy Baker, directed by Robert Duvall.

Other[link]

• Funny Face (1957) - A musical with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. The most memorable scene is where a talented Audrey Hepburn dances a jazzy ballet with two backup dancers.
• Shall We Dance (1937) - a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical with lots of dance, including ballet. One of the most memorable dances is on roller skates.
• Singin' in the Rain (1952) - starring Gene Kelly.
• Oh... Rosalinda!! (1955) - Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Anton Walbrook and Ludmilla Tchérina. Based on the operetta Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss but updated to take place in post-war Vienna as occupied by the four-powers of Britain, America, France and Russia.
• Luna de Miel (1959) - Directed by Michael Powell and starring Ludmilla Tchérina and Antonio. A light story showcasing the talents of Antonio and his troupe of Spanish dancers. Also many travelogue style scenes of Spain before the tourist boom.
• Saturday Night Fever (1977) - starring John Travolta, featuring a disco dancing competition.
• All That Jazz (1979) - A semi-autobiographical film directed by famed broadway choreographer Bob Fosse. The film portrays the life of a theater director and choreographer as he tries to balance work with his personal life. Shows the process of choreographing and rehearsing for a broadway show.
• Footloose (1984) - starring Kevin Bacon, about a town in which dancing is banned.
• Dirty Dancing (1987) - plot based on club/performance partner dancing.
• Tap (1989)
• Sing (1989)
• Flamenco (1995) - A must-see for flamenco lovers. Performers: Paco de Lucía, Manolo Sanlúcar, Enrique Morente, Joaquin Cortes, Jose Menese, Lole y Manuel, Mario Maya, Jose Merce, Matilde Coral, Carmen Linares, Merche Esmeralda, Chocolate, Manuela Carrasco, Farruco, Fernanda de Utrera, La Paquera de Jerez, Manzanita, Ketama, Agujeta, Manuel Moneo, Paco Toronjo, Maria Pages, Aurora Vargas, Remedios Amaya, Juana la del Revuelo, La Macanita, Chano Lobato, Rancapino, Tomatito, Potito, Duquende, Belen Maya, El Grilo.
• The King is Dancing (2000) depicts the life of Jean-Baptiste Lully and his relationship with King Louis XIV of France.
• Save the Last Dance (2001) - starring Julia Stiles, a high school girl who strives to get into the Juilliard Dance Academy.
• Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004) - loose sequel to Dirty Dancing
• Step Up (2006) - A hip hop meets ballet love story.
• Make It Happen (2008) - A story about a girl (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who finds a new dance technique; burlesque cross hip hop.
• Pina (2011)
• Love n' Dancing (2009)
• Turn the Beat Around (2010)
• The War Zone 3D (2011)
• Footloose" (2011)

Movies with memorable dance scenes[link]

• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Rudolph Valentino dancing Tango.
• After Seben (1929) - short film starring George Snowden and featuring Breakaway.
• Flying Down to Rio (1933) - Carioca dance and more.
• A Day at the Races (1937) - featuring lindy hop and Frankie Manning.
• Keep Punching (1939) - featuring Frankie Manning in the Big Apple sequence
• Cottontail aka Hot Chocolates (1941) - Soundie featuring the Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, including Frankie Manning and lindy hop.
• Hellzapoppin' (1941) - a film remembered for its lindy hop scenes and Frankie Manning dance performances.
• Never on Sunday (1960) - scenes of Greek line and solo dancing.
• Zorba the Greek (1964) - the origin of Sirtaki.
• The Sound of Music (1965) - has a scene of Ländler danced; however choreographed in an American ballroom way, rather than in an authentic Austrian folk way.
• El Bolero de Raquel (Raquel's Bolero) (1967) - The movie star Cantinflas featuring a bootblack, who, in one episode, feebly joins a professional dancer during her performance to Ravel's Bolero producing both comical and highly artistic Spanish dance. The title is a pun for Ravel's Bolero.
• Urban Cowboy (1980) - featuring John Travolta.
• Flashdance (1983) - Jennifer Beals' character doing a breakdance routine during a prestigious dance school audition to the Academy Award-winning song "Flashdance... What a Feeling".
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) - Pee-wee goes to a bar and does the "Peewee Dance" while listening to Tequila by The Champs.
• Hairspray (1988) & (2007) - featuring line dance.
• Scent of a Woman (1992) - Al Pacino as blind Colonel dances Argentine Tango.
• Addams Family Values (1993) - featuring Raúl Juliá in a stunning scene of Tango.
• Pulp Fiction (1994) - featuring John Travolta and Uma Thurman in a twist contest.
• Chicago (2002)- There is the most famous Cell Block Tango number.
• The Fighting Temptations (2003)- Cuba Gooding Jr. as Darrin Hill, successfully does a backflip while directing his church choir. He is later seen breakdancing during the end credits.
• Toy Story 3 (2010) - Buzz Lightyear and Jessie (Toy Story) do a dance before the cr

TV shows[link]

See category:Dance television shows

• 30 Seconds to Fame, featured dancing among other "talent search" episodes
• Angel episode "Waiting in the Wings"
• The Arthur Murray Party
• Bailando por un sueño, "Dancing for a Dream", a reality series on the Mexican television network Televisa, in which celebrities are partnered with common, everyday people
• Come Dancing
• The Hot Shoe Show - BBC TV 1980s
• Dancing with the Stars
• Electric Circus
• Fame
• Got to Dance
• Dance India Dance
• Just Dance
• So You Think You Can Dance
• StarDance
• Strictly Come Dancing
• Strictly Dance Fever
• Ballroom Boot Camp
• Americas Best Dance Crew
• Dancing with the Stars
• Glee
• Dance Academy
• Dance Moms
• Shake It Up

Dance portal

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Les Twins
Background information
Born	(1988-12-06) December 6, 1988 (age 23)
Origin	Sarcelles, Val d'Oise, France
Genres	New Style, Hip-hop dance
Associated acts	Cirque Du Soleil, Criminalz Crew, Veteranz Crew
Website	https://www.facebook.com/pages/Les-TWINS-Organization-Official/109855652372782?sk=info
Members
Laurent Nicolas Bourgeois Larry Nicolas Bourgeois

Larry and Laurent Bourgeois, popularly known as "Les Twins" or Larry " Ca Blaze " Bourgeois and Laurent " Lil Beast " Bourgeois, are a hip hop dance duo originating from Sarcelles, France. The twin brothers who are of Guadeloupean descent (Guadeloupe, F.W.I.), are known worldwide for their talents in New Style dancing. Although they can be seen dancing as a duet, they are also a part of a larger crew known as Criminalz Crew, a group with a variety of dancers that range from b-boys to other new style dancers such as themselves. Les Twins have appeared on the television show Incroyable Talent^[1] as well as the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Les Twins have competed in multiple dance competitions such as: World Of Dance, Battle Of The Stylez, Urban Dance Showcase and won the Juste Debout Dance Competition in the Hip-Hop New Style category in 2011. ^{[2][original research?]} They come from a very large family with 18 siblings, and only 9 of whom dance.

Les Twins have performed with Beyoncé Knowles^[3].^[4] They have also appeared in Jay-Z's That's Rocawear viral video^[5] and the music video for "La Gloria" by French-Argentine band Gotan Project. They were also traveling with Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour as dancers with a newly formed crew especially for the tour, named Veteranz crew until sometime in 2012.

Les Twins are represented by Next Model Management.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Les Twins photo shoot with Shawn Welling

• 

  Les Twins in action

• 

  Les Twins mid-air during a shoot with Shawn Welling

References[link]

External links[link]

• Les Twins Official Contacts: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Les-TWINS-Organization-Official/109855652372782?sk=info

Jon Stewart
Stewart at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, October 30, 2010
Birth name	Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz
Born	(1962-11-28) November 28, 1962 (age 49) New York City, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, books
Nationality	American
Years active	1987–present
Genres	Satire/political satire/news satire, observational comedy
Subject(s)	Mass media/news media/media criticism, American politics, current events, religion, Jewish culture, race relations, human sexuality, self-deprecation
Influences	George Carlin,[1] Woody Allen,[2] Lenny Bruce,[3] David Letterman,[4] Steve Martin,[5] Richard Pryor[6]
Influenced	Stephen Colbert,[7] Steve Carell, Ed Helms, Rob Corddry
Spouse	Tracey McShane Stewart (2000— ; 2 children)
Notable works and roles	Host of The Daily Show Host of The Jon Stewart Show America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011 The Daily Show Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 The Daily Show
Grammy Awards
Best Comedy Album 2005 America (The Audiobook): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction Best Spoken Word Album 2011 Earth (The Audiobook): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race

Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962)^[6] is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian. He is widely known as host of The Daily Show, a satirical news program that airs on Comedy Central.

Stewart started as a stand-up comedian, but branched into television as host of Short Attention Span Theater for Comedy Central. He went on to host his own show on MTV, called The Jon Stewart Show, and then hosted another show on MTV called You Wrote It, You Watch It. He has also had several film roles as an actor. Stewart became the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central in early 1999. He is also a writer and co-executive-producer of the show. After Stewart joined, The Daily Show steadily gained popularity and critical acclaim, resulting in his sixteen Emmy Awards.

Stewart has gained acclaim as an acerbic, satirical critic of personality-driven media shows, in particular those of the US media networks such as CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC.^[8] Critics say Stewart benefits from a double standard: he critiques other news shows from the safe, removed position of his "fake news" desk.^[9][10] Stewart agrees, saying that neither his show nor his channel purports to be anything other than satire and comedy. In spite of its self-professed entertainment mandate, The Daily Show has been nominated for news and journalism awards. Stewart hosted the 78th and 80th Academy Awards. He is the co-author of America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, which was one of the best-selling books in the U.S. in 2004^[11] and Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race released in 2010.

Early life[link]

Stewart was born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz in New York City, to a Jewish family. He and his older brother, Larry, who is currently Chief Operating Officer of NYSE Euronext (parent company of the New York Stock Exchange),^[12] grew up in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where they attended Lawrence High School.^[6] Jon's mother, Marian (née Laskin), is an educational consultant and teacher.^[13] His father, Donald, was a professor of physics at The College of New Jersey from 2001 through 2008; he now teaches an online course at Thomas Edison State College.^[14] Jon's parents were divorced when Stewart was eleven years old, and Stewart no longer has any contact with his father.^[6] According to Stewart, he was subjected to anti-Semitic bullying as a child.^[7] He describes himself in high school as "very into Eugene Debs and a bit of a leftist."^[15]

Stewart graduated in 1984 from The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where he played on the soccer team and initially majored in chemistry before switching to psychology.^[16][17] While at William & Mary, Stewart became a brother of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.^[18] After college, Stewart held numerous jobs; a contingency planner for the New Jersey Department of Human Services, a contract administrator for the City University of New York, a puppeteer for children with disabilities, a caterer, a busboy, a shelf stocker at Woolworth's, and a bartender at the Franklin Corner Tavern, a local blue-collar bar.^[6][17][19] In college, Stewart was friends with future Congressman Anthony Weiner, who is the only politician to have received campaign donations from Stewart.^[20]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

With a reputation for being a funny man in school,^[6][17] Jon Stewart moved to New York City in 1986 to try his hand at the comedy club circuit, but he could not muster the courage to get on stage until the following year.^[21] He made his stand-up debut at The Bitter End, where his comedic idol, Woody Allen, also began.^[2] He began using the stage name "Jon Stewart" by dropping his last name and changing the spelling of his middle name "Stuart" to "Stewart." He often jokes this is because people had difficulty with the pronunciation of Leibowitz or it "sounded too Hollywood" (a reference to Lenny Bruce's joke on the same theme).^[22] He has implied that the name change was actually due to a strained relationship with his father, with whom Stewart no longer has any contact.^[19]

Stewart became a regular at the Comedy Cellar, where he was the last performer every night. For two years, he would perform at 2 a.m. while developing his comedic style.^[23] In 1989 Stewart landed his first television job as a writer for Caroline's Comedy Hour. In 1991 he began co-hosting Comedy Central's Short Attention Span Theater, with Patty Rosborough. In 1992 Stewart hosted the short-lived You Wrote It, You Watch It on MTV, which invited viewers to send in their stories to be acted out by the comedy troupe, The State. When David Letterman left NBC in 1993, Stewart was a finalist to replace him, but Conan O'Brien was hired instead.^[22]

[edit] The Jon Stewart Show

Later in 1993, Stewart developed The Jon Stewart Show, a talk show on MTV. The Jon Stewart Show was the first talk show on that network and was an instant hit, becoming the second-highest rated MTV show behind Beavis and Butt-head.^[24] In 1994 Paramount pulled the plug on The Arsenio Hall Show and, with new corporate sibling MTV (through MTV parent Viacom's acquisition of the studio), launched an hour-long syndicated late-night version of The Jon Stewart Show. Many local affiliates had moved Hall's show to 2 a.m. during its decline and Stewart's show inherited such early morning time slots in many cities. Ratings were dismal and the show was canceled in June 1995.

Amongst the fans of the show was David Letterman, who was the final guest of The Jon Stewart Show. Letterman signed Stewart with his production company, Worldwide Pants.^[25] Stewart then became a frequent guest host for Tom Snyder on The Late Late Show, which was produced by Letterman and aired after Late Show on CBS. This led to much speculation that Stewart would soon replace Snyder permanently,^[26] but Stewart was instead offered the time slot after Snyder, which he turned down.^[27]

[edit] The Daily Show

In 1999 Stewart began hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central when Craig Kilborn left the show to replace Tom Snyder on The Late Late Show. The show, which has been popular and successful in cable television since Stewart became the host, blends humor with the day's top news stories, usually in politics, while simultaneously poking fun at politicians and many newsmakers as well as the news media itself. In an interview on The O'Reilly Factor, Stewart denied the show has any intentional political agenda, saying the goal was "schnicks and giggles." "The same weakness that drove me into comedy also informs my show," meaning that he was uncomfortable talking without hearing the audience laugh.^[28]

Stewart has since hosted almost all airings of the program, except for a few occasions when correspondents such as Stephen Colbert, Rob Corddry, and Steve Carell subbed for him. Stewart has won a total of sixteen Emmys for The Daily Show as either a writer or producer.^[8] In 2005 The Daily Show and Jon Stewart received a Best Comedy Album Grammy Award for the audio book edition of America (The Book). In 2000 and 2004, the show won two Peabody Awards for its coverage of the presidential elections relevant to those years, called "Indecision 2000" and "Indecision 2004", respectively.

Stewart interviewing Admiral Michael Mullen during a taping session of The Daily Show

The September 20, 2001, show,^[29] the first show after the attacks of September 11, 2001, began with no introduction.^[30] Before this, the introduction included footage of a fly-in towards the World Trade Center and New York City. The first nine minutes of the show included a tearful Stewart discussing his personal view on the event. His remarks ended as follows:

"The view… from my apartment… was the World Trade Center… and now it's gone, and they attacked it. This symbol of American ingenuity, and strength, and labor, and imagination and commerce, and it is gone. But you know what the view is now? The Statue of Liberty. The view from the South of Manhattan is now the Statue of Liberty. You can't beat that."^[29]

On April 4, 2006, Stewart confronted US Senator John McCain about his decision to appear at Liberty University, an institution founded by Jerry Falwell, whom McCain had previously denounced as one of the "agents of intolerance."^[31][32] In the interchange, Stewart asked McCain, "You're not freaking out on us? Are you freaking out on us, because if you're freaking out and you're going into the crazy base [politics] world—are you going into crazy base world?" McCain replied, "I'm afraid so." The clip was played on CNN and created a surge of articles across the blogosphere.^[33][34]

In 2007 The Daily Show was involved in former correspondent Stephen Colbert's announcement that he would run for president in 2008. In 2008 Stewart appeared on an episode of the show Democracy Now!^[35] A 2008 New York Times story questioned whether he was, in a phrase originally used to describe longtime network news anchor Walter Cronkite, "the most trusted man in America".^[36]

On April 28, 2009, during a discussion on torture with Clifford May, Stewart expressed his opinion that former President Harry S. Truman was a war criminal for his use of the atomic bomb on Japan during World War II.^[37][38][39]Moments later, Stewart defended his assertion:

Here's what I think of the atom bombs. I think if you dropped an atom bomb fifteen miles offshore and you said, "The next one's coming and hitting you," then I would think it's okay. To drop it on a city, and kill a hundred thousand people. Yeah. I think that's criminal.^[37]

On April 30, 2009, Stewart apologized on his program, and stated he did not believe Truman was a war criminal:^[40]

The other night we had on Cliff May. He was on, we were discussing torture, back and forth, very spirited discussion, very enjoyable. And I may have mentioned during the discussion we were having that Harry Truman was a war criminal. And right after saying it, I thought to myself that was dumb. And it was dumb. Stupid in fact. So I shouldn't have said that, and I did. So I say right now, no, I don't believe that to be the case. The atomic bomb, a very complicated decision in the context of a horrific war, and I walk that back because it was in my estimation a stupid thing to say. Which, by the way, as it was coming out of your mouth, you ever do that, where you're saying something, and as it's coming out you're like, "What the fuck, nyah?" And it just sat in there for a couple of days, just sitting going, "No, no, he wasn't, and you should really say that out loud on the show." So I am, right now, and, man, ew. Sorry.^[41]

In April 2010, Comedy Central renewed Stewart's contract to host The Daily Show into 2013.^[42] Stewart is paid a reported $1.5 million for one season of The Daily Show.^[43] According to the Forbes list of Celebrities, he earns $14 million a year.^[44]

On September 16, 2010, Stewart and Stephen Colbert announced a rally for October 30, known as the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. It took place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. and attracted an estimated 215,000 participants.^[45]

In December 2010 Stewart was credited by the White House and other media and political news outlets for bringing awareness of the Republican filibuster on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to the public, leading to the ultimate passing of the bill which provides health benefits to first responders whose health has been adversely affected by their work at Ground Zero.^[46]

On the January 10, 2011 show, Stewart began with a monologue about the shootings in Tucson, AZ.^[47] Stewart said that he wished the "ramblings of crazy people didn't in any way resemble how we actually talk to each other on television".^[48] Before commercial break, Stewart told viewers that the show would continue as usual the next night. After commercial break, the show featured a rerun of a field piece done by Jason Jones two years earlier.

As a result of such high-profile political stands, Stewart is being recognized as a political force rather than merely as a comedian. The New York Times suggested that he is "the modern-day equivalent of Edward R. Murrow"^[49] and the UK national newspaper The Independent called him the "satirist-in-chief".^[50]

In the middle of 2002, amid rumors that David Letterman was going to switch from CBS to ABC when his contract ran out, Stewart was rumored as Letterman's replacement on CBS.^[51] Ultimately, Letterman renewed his contract with CBS. On the March 9, 2002, episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Stewart, a "Weekend Update" sketch poked fun at the situation. In the middle of the sketch, "Weekend Update" anchor Jimmy Fallon said that he could not continue doing the broadcast and he brought Stewart in to replace him. Stewart glowed with excitement and chattered to himself about this chance to prove himself on network television. His pep talk went on too long, however, and before Stewart could deliver any headlines, Fallon returned and said he would be able to finish the broadcast himself.

In late 2002, ABC offered Stewart his own talk show to air after Nightline. Stewart's contract with The Daily Show was near expiring and he expressed strong interest. ABC, however, decided to give another Comedy Central figure, Jimmy Kimmel, the post-Nightline slot.^[52]

Books[link]

Stewart at the launch of his book, Earth, in New York, September 27, 2010.

In 1998, Stewart released his first book, Naked Pictures of Famous People, a collection of humorous short stories and essays. The book reached The New York Times Best Seller List.

In 2004 Stewart and The Daily Show writing staff released America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, a mock high school History textbook offering insights into the unique American system of government, dissecting its institutions, explaining its history and processes, and satirizing such popular American political precepts as "one man, one vote", "government by the people," and "every vote counts." The book sold millions of copies upon its 2004 release and ended the year as a top fifteen best-seller.^[11]

In 2005 Stewart provided the voice of President James A. Garfield for the audiobook version of Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation.

In 2007 Stewart voiced a role on Stephen Colbert's audiobook version of I Am America (And So Can You!). He plays Mort Sinclaire, former TV comedy writer and Communist.

On September 21, 2010, Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race, written by Stewart and other writers of The Daily Show, was released.

Acting[link]

Although best known for his work on The Daily Show, Stewart has had roles in several films and television series.

His first film role was a minor part in The First Wives Club but his scene was deleted.^[53] In 1995 Stewart signed a three-year deal with Miramax.^[54] He played romantic leads in the films Playing by Heart and Wishful Thinking. He had a supporting role in the romantic comedy Since You've Been Gone and in the horror film The Faculty. Other films were planned for Stewart to write and star in, but they were never produced. Stewart has since maintained a relationship with Miramax founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein and continues to appear in films they have produced including Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Doogal and the documentary Wordplay.

He appeared in Half Baked as an "enhancement smoker" and in Big Daddy as Adam Sandler's roommate; he has joked on the Daily Show and in the documentary The Aristocrats that to get the role he slept with Sandler. Stewart often makes fun of his appearances in the high-profile flop Death to Smoochy,^[55] in which he played a treacherous television executive, and the animated film Doogal,^[56] where he played a blue spring named Zeebad who shot a freeze ray from his mustache. In 2007 Stewart made a cameo appearance as himself in Evan Almighty, which starred former Daily Show correspondent Steve Carell. In the movie Stewart was seen on a television screen in a fictional Daily Show episode poking fun at Carell's character for building an ark.

Stewart had a recurring role in The Larry Sanders Show, playing himself as an occasional substitute and possible successor to late-night talk show host Larry Sanders (played by Garry Shandling). In 1998 Stewart hosted the television special, Elmopalooza, celebrating 30 years of Sesame Street. He has guest-starred on other sitcoms including The Nanny, Dr Katz, Professional Therapist, Spin City, NewsRadio, American Dad, and The Simpsons. He has made guest-appearances on the children's television series Between the Lions, Sesame Street and Jack's Big Music Show.

Producing[link]

In the mid-1990s Stewart launched his own production company, Busboy Productions. The name of the company is a reference to Stewart's previous job as a busboy. The company's production logo features the sound of a glass being knocked over followed by a voice whispering "Oops. Sorry." Stewart signed a deal with Miramax to develop projects through his company, but none of his ideas has been produced to date. After Stewart's success as host and producer of The Daily Show, he revived Busboy Productions with Daily Show producers Ben Karlin and Rich Korson. In 2002 Busboy planned to produce a sitcom for NBC starring Stephen Colbert, but the show did not come to fruition.^[57]

In 2005 Comedy Central reached an agreement with Busboy in which Comedy Central would provide financial backing for the production company. Comedy Central has a first-look agreement on all projects, after which Busboy is free to shop them to other networks.^[58][59] The deal spawned the Daily Show spin-off The Colbert Report. Other projects include the sitcom pilot Three Strikes, the documentary Sportsfan, the series Important Things with Demetri Martin, and the film The Donor.

In March 2010 Stewart announced that he had optioned rights to the story of journalist Maziar Bahari, who was imprisoned in Iran for 118 days.^[60] On the June 6, 2011 episode of The Daily Show, Stewart again hosted Bahari and confirmed that the two would be collaborating on the project.^[61]

Awards show hosting[link]

Stewart has hosted the Grammy Awards twice, in 2001 and in 2002. In the middle of the 2001 broadcast, after laying a number of comedic duds, Stewart did what he encourages most public officials to do: he recognized his lackluster performance, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to say I feel your scorn and accept it." When Stewart returned to host the next year, his comedy was more successful. Joking about the performance of the song "Lady Marmalade", he said, "Our next performance is from the movie Moulin Rouge!, a film about a time when the whorehouses were about the music!" When the award winners for Album of the Year walked up on stage, many in number, Stewart quipped, "I don't know what you may have heard, but you were only supposed to go on stage if you worked on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, not if you heard it."

On January 5, 2006, Stewart was officially announced as the host of the 78th Academy Awards, which were held March 5 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Responding to press questions at the time of his selection, Stewart remarked: "As a performer, I'm truly honored to be hosting the show. Although, as an avid watcher of the Oscars, I can't help but be a little disappointed with the choice. It appears to be another sad attempt to smoke out Billy Crystal."^[62] (According to The New York Times, Oscar producer Gilbert Cates knew that Crystal was going to be performing 700 Sundays during the time period and was not able to host.) On the Monday before the Oscars, Stewart told Larry King that he was more "excited" than nervous about the job and joked that if he turned out a failure, he could be "bumped down to public access". When asked what the opening would be, the comedian chastised himself by comparing a Stewart opening to a "Gene Rayburn homage". Instead, the opening segment, preceding Stewart's monologue, featured several recent hosts "declining" to host the show.

Critical response to Stewart's performance was mixed. Roger Ebert compared him favorably to legendary Oscar host Johnny Carson.^[63] Other reviewers were less positive; Tom Shales of The Washington Post said that Stewart hosted with “smug humorlessness.” James Poniewozik of Time said that Stewart was a bad host, but a great “anti-host” in that he poked fun at parts of the broadcast that deserved it, which lent him a degree of authenticity with the non-Hollywood audience.^[64] Stewart and correspondent John Oliver later poked fun at his lackluster reception on The Daily Show's coverage of the 79th Academy Awards by saying that the "demon of last year's Oscars had finally been exorcised."

Stewart also hosted the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008. Reception that time, however, was far more positive.

Criticism of journalists[link]

[edit] Crossfire appearance

In a televised exchange with then-CNN personality Tucker Carlson on Crossfire on October 15, 2004, Stewart criticized the state of television journalism and pleaded with the show's hosts to "stop hurting America," and referred to both Carlson and co-host Paul Begala as "partisan hacks."^[65] When posted on the internet, this exchange became widely viewed and was a topic of much media discussion.

Despite being on the program to comment on current events, Stewart immediately shifted the discussion toward the show itself, asserting that Crossfire had failed in its responsibility to inform and educate viewers about politics as a serious topic. Stewart stated that the show engaged in partisan hackery instead of honest debate, and said that the hosts' assertion that Crossfire is a debate show is like "saying pro wrestling is a show about athletic competition." Carlson responded by saying that Stewart criticizes news organizations for not holding public officials accountable, but when he interviewed John Kerry, Stewart asked a series of "softball" questions (Stewart has acknowledged he voted for Kerry in the 2004 presidential election).^[66] Stewart responded that he didn't realize "the news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity."^[67] When Carlson continued to press Stewart on the Kerry issue, Stewart said, "You're on CNN! The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls! What is wrong with you?" In response to prods from Carlson, "Come on. Be funny," Stewart said, "No, I'm not going to be your monkey." Later in the show when Carlson jibed, "I do think you're more fun on your show," Stewart retorted, "You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."^[10] In response to Stewart's criticisms, Carlson said, "You need to teach at a journalism school," to which Stewart responded, "You need to go to one!"

Stewart discussed the incident on The Daily Show the following Monday:

We decided to go to this place, Crossfire, which is a nuanced public policy analysis show… named after the stray bullets that hit innocent bystanders in a gang fight. So I go to Crossfire and, let's face it, I was dehydrated, it's the Martin Lawrence defense… and I had always in the past mentioned to friends and people that I meet on the street that I think that show… um… blows. So I thought it was only the right thing to do to go say it to them personally on their program, but here's the thing about confronting someone with that on their show: They're there! Uncomfortable! And they were very mad, because apparently, when you invite someone on a show called Crossfire and you express an opinion, they don't care for that… I told them that I felt their show was hurting America and they came back at me pretty good, they said that I wasn't being funny. And I said to them, "I know that, but tomorrow I will go back to being funny, and your show will still blow."^[9][68]

In January 2005 CNN announced that it was canceling Crossfire. When asked about the cancellations, CNN/US' incoming president, Jonathan Klein, referenced Stewart's appearance on the show: "I think he made a good point about the noise level of these types of shows, which does nothing to illuminate the issues of the day."^[69] Soon after, Stewart quipped on The Daily Show that "I fought the law, and the law lost!"^{[citation needed]}

When asked about his relationship with Tucker Carlson on CNN's Larry King Live in February 2008, Stewart said: "It became this idea that it was personal between the two of us, and it wasn't… If there's one thing I regret about that thing, it was probably the idea that it was personal, that there was something I was saying about Tucker to Tucker, but actually it was about the show."

On March 18, 2009, Carlson wrote a blog entry for The Daily Beast criticizing Stewart for his handling of the CNBC controversy (see below). Carlson discussed the CNN incident and claimed that Stewart remained backstage for at least "an hour" and "continued to lecture our staff", something Carlson described as "one of the weirdest things I have ever seen."^[70]

Criticism of CNBC[link]

Stewart again became a viral internet phenomenon following a March 4, 2009, The Daily Show sequence. CNBC cancelled Rick Santelli's scheduled appearance but Stewart still ran a short segment showing CNBC giving bad investment advice.^[71]

Subsequent media coverage of exchanges between Jim Cramer, who had been featured heavily in the original segment, and Stewart, led to a highly anticipated face-to-face confrontation on The Daily Show.^[72] The episode received much media attention and became the second most-viewed episode of The Daily Show, trailing only the 2009 Inauguration Day episode. It had 2.3 million total viewers, and the next day, the show's website saw its highest day of traffic in 2009.^[73] Although Cramer acknowledged on the show that some of Stewart's criticisms of CNBC were valid and that the network could "do better," he later said on The Today Show that Stewart's criticism of the media was "naïve and misleading."^[74]

Criticism of Fox News[link]

For years Stewart has accused Fox News of distorting the news to fit a conservative agenda, at one point ridiculing the network as "the meanest sorority in the world."^[75] In November 2009 Stewart called out Fox News for using some footage from a previous Tea Party rally during its report of a more recent one, making the later rally appear larger than it was. The show's anchor, Sean Hannity, apologized the following night.^[76] A month later, Stewart criticized Fox & Friends cohost Gretchen Carlson – a former Miss America and Stanford graduate – for claiming that she googled words such as "ignoramus" and "czar." Stewart said that Carlson was dumbing herself down for "an audience who sees intellect as an elitist flaw."^[77]

Stewart stepped up his criticism of Fox News in 2010; as of April 24, The Daily Show had 24 segments criticizing Fox News' coverage.^[42] Bill O'Reilly, host of The O'Reilly Factor, countered that The Daily Show was a "key component of left-wing television" and that Stewart was a fan of Fox News because the network was so interesting to watch.^[42]

WGA strike of 2007–2008[link]

Stewart was an important factor in the unionization of the Comedy Central writers. The Daily Show writers were the first of Comedy Central's writers to be able to join the guild, after which other shows followed.^[78][79]

Stewart supported the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, commenting on The Daily Show episode just before the strike in a sarcastic manner about how Comedy Central had made available all of the episodes for free on their website, but without advertising, and said 'go support our advertisers'. The show went on hiatus when the strike began, as did other late night talk shows. Upon Stewart's return to the show on January 7, 2008, he refused to use the title The Daily Show, stating that "The Daily Show" was the show made with all of the people responsible for the broadcast, including his writers. During the strike, he referred to his show as A Daily Show with Jon Stewart until the strike ended on February 13, 2008.^[80] Stewart, as well as several other late night talk shows, returned to TV early in January even though the strike was not over, because their stage crews and production teams were suffering much more than the writers from the financial crunch, and by that point had been out of work for two months.^{[citation needed]}

The Writers Guild Strike of 2007–2008 was also responsible for a notable mock feud between Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Conan O'Brien in early 2008. Without writers to help fuel their banter, the three comedians concocted a crossover/rivalry in order to garner more viewers during the ratings slump. Colbert made the claim that because of "the Colbert bump", he was responsible for Mike Huckabee's success in the 2008 presidential race. O'Brien claimed that he was responsible for Huckabee's success because not only had he mentioned Huckabee on his show, but also that he was responsible for Chuck Norris' success (Norris backed Huckabee). In response, Stewart claimed that he was responsible for the success of O'Brien, since Stewart had featured him on The Jon Stewart Show, and in turn the success of Huckabee. This resulted in a three-part comedic battle between the three pundits, with all three appearing on each other's shows. The feud ended on Late Night with Conan O'Brien with a mock brawl involving the three hosts.^[81]

Honors and awards[link]

Stewart in 2008

Stewart and other members of The Daily Show have received two Peabody Awards for "Indecision 2000" and "Indecision 2004", covering the 2000 presidential election and the 2004 presidential election, respectively.

The Daily Show received the Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program Emmy Award in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2011, and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series every year from 2003 to 2011.

Stewart won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 2005 for his recording, America (The Audiobook): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction.

In the December 2003 New Year's edition of Newsweek, Stewart was named the "Who's Next?" person for 2004, with the magazine predicting that he would emerge as an absolute sensation in that year. (The magazine said they were right at the end of that year.)

Entertainment Weekly named Stewart as its "Entertainer of the Year" for 2004.

In 2004 Stewart spoke at the commencement ceremonies at his alma mater, William and Mary, and received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree.^[82] Stewart was also the Class Day keynote speaker at Princeton University in 2004,^[83] and the 2008 Sacerdote Great Names speaker at Hamilton College.

Stewart was named one of the 2005 Time 100, an annual list of 100 of the most influential people of the year by Time magazine.^[84]

Stewart and The Daily Show received the 2005 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language.

Stewart was presented an Honorary All-America Award by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in 2006.^[85]

Asteroid 116939 Jonstewart, discovered April 15, 2004, is named in his honor.

On April 21, 2009, President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made Stewart a chief.^[86]

On October 26, 2010, Stewart was named the Most Influential Man of 2010 by AskMen.com.^[87]

Personal life[link]

In 2000 Stewart married Tracey McShane, his girlfriend of four years. The couple met on a blind date set up by a production assistant on Stewart's film, Wishful Thinking.^{[5][88][89][90]} On June 19, 2001, Stewart and his wife filed a joint name change application and legally changed both of their surnames to "Stewart."^[91] He proposed to his future wife through a personalized crossword puzzle created with the help of Will Shortz, the crossword editor at The New York Times.^[92][93] The couple had their first child, Nathan Thomas Stewart (named after Stewart's grandfather),^[6] in July 2004. Their second child, a daughter, Maggie Rose Stewart, was born in February 2006.^[94] They own a cat named Stanley and two pit bull terriers, Monkey and Shamsky (named after former Major League Baseball player Art Shamsky).^[7]

In 2000, when he was labeled a Democrat, Stewart generally agreed but described his political affiliation as "more socialist or independent" than Democratic.^[95]

Stewart is an avid fan of both the New York Giants and the New York Mets and occasionally brings this up on his show. He gave an impassioned rant to open his show on February 4, 2008, immediately after the Giants had defeated the Patriots in the Super Bowl, about the Giants victory, noting his satisfaction in having bragging rights over Patriot and Red Sox sports fans who worked with him and had tormented him for years.^[96] He has mentioned his fandom on his show during interviews with Tiki Barber and David Wright.^[97][98]

Filmography[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Naked Pictures of Famous People (Rob Weisbach Books, 1998) ISBN 0-688-17162-1
• America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (Warner Books, September 2004) ISBN 0-446-53268-1
• Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race (Grand Central Publishing, 2010) ISBN 978-0-446-57922-3

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jon Stewart

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jon Stewart

Wikinews has related news: 2006 Oscars handed out at Kodak Theatre

• Jon Stewart at the Internet Movie Database
• Jon Stewart on National Public Radio in 2010
• Jon Stewart on National Public Radio in 2005
• Jon Stewart on Charlie Rose
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Works by or about Jon Stewart in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Jon Stewart collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Jon Stewart at WN