Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Jon Stewart, accepting the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, warned Sunday night that speculation about the future of comedy amid increased cultural sensitivity was ignoring a true and enduring threat: authoritarian governments. “Comedy doesn’t change the world, but it’s a bellwether,” Stewart said. “When a society feels under threat, comedians are who gets sent away first.” He pointed to Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef, whose Stewart-inspired political comedy show earned him fame and self-imposed exile. Youssef’s story is “an example of the true threat to comedy,” Stewart said. The intersection of comedy and politics was the main theme as celebrities and comedy royalty gathered to honor Stewart, who set the modern template for mixing the topics during his 16-year run hosting TV’s “The Daily Show.” Stewart, the 23rd recipient of the prize, was honored in testimonials from fellow comedians and previous recipients. “It is a miracle to watch you work,” said Dave Chappelle. “You are a cure for what ails this country.” Several of the speakers were former “Daily Show” correspondents, including Samantha Bee, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver. Carell described his time on the show as full of “excitement, fear, physical distress and laughter.” He noted that Stewart seemed to delight in sending him on bizarre assignments that included eating Crisco, dealing with a trailer of snakes and drinking Long Island ice tea until he threw up. Stewart, he said, was “always supporting us and always cheering us from the comfort and safety of his office.” Oliver sent in a video message saying the real Jon Stewart would never spend “two hours squirming in his seat listening to people tell him how much he means to them.” Therefore, Oliver said, Stewart must be dead, and he proceeded to deliver an extended eulogy. Fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen performed an acoustic version of “Born to Run” and praised Stewart as a patriot determined to speak truth to power.
■ Dozens of notebooks, scripts, speeches, drafts of letters, artwork and even signed baseballs owned by the late playwright Neil Simon have been donated to the Library of Congress. The collection offers historians and researchers access to the creative process of American theater’s most successful and prolific playwright. It includes about 7,700 items documenting the evolution of Simon’s plays and screenplays, including “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Lost in Yonkers.”