With news that correspondent Ed Helms is taking time off to work at another Office, here's a look at the extracurricular activities of The Daily Show's in-demand crew.
1. ED HELMS
Following in the footsteps of ex-Showman Steve Carell, correspondent Ed
Helms will join NBC's The Office for a recurring role. ''I'm on a
walkabout. This is my vision quest,'' says Helms, who'll take a hiatus
from his Comedy Central gig to play a new Dunder Mifflin employee. Says
Helms: ''It's an opportunity to expand the perception of me as an
actor...[and] not just a smug newscaster.'' Still, he isn't totally
prepared to leave the fake-news nest.'' The Daily Show is such a
consistent job,'' he says. ''Honestly, I'm terrified.''
2. ROB AND NATE CORDDRY
Younger sib Nate has left Daily to play a sketch-comedy artist
on NBC's Studio 60..., while Rob remains on staff. But that could
change: He has a number of movies on the way (among them, Blades of
Glory with Will Ferrell), and come January will play a Gen-X slacker in
Fox's sitcom The Winner. The elder Corddry admits the office is
competitive: ''We have tests of strength. We do irony drills and satire
push-ups.''
3. SAMANTHA BEE AND JASON JONES
This Canadian pair — a real-life husband and wife — are poised to be the
next two correspondents to get poached from the fauxcast. Jones is tight-lipped about future projects, which he'll announce shortly, and
Bee recently shot a cameo as a school principal for 2007's Underdogfeature. ''Sam is the sweetest person,'' says Helms. ''But she has an
ability to put that on the shelf and take out the scalpel for an
interview.''
4. LEWIS BLACK
Though never a reporter in his decadelong run on the Show, the caustic
comic is finally getting his due. He plays a ''psychotic'' in this week's
Accepted, a comedy writer in Man of the Year (out Oct. 13), and a
''prick'' in Unaccompanied Minors (Dec. 8). Marvels Black: ''Who knew that
two and a half minutes a week on cable would have this effect?''
