FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Nov. 24, 2003
CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

MO ROCCA TO SPEAK AT DRAKE UNIVERSITY DEC. 3

Mo Rocca, correspondent for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and NBC's "Today Show," will speak at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, in Drake University's Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 25th Street and University Avenue. His speech, sponsored by the Drake Student Activities Board, is titled "Making It Up as I Go Along: Satire in an Absurd World."

Tickets are $10. They are on sale at Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue, and will be available at the door. For more information, call (515) 271-3711.

Rocca is best known for his wacky, tongue-in-cheek news reports. "Indecision 2000," "The Daily Show's" coverage of the presidential race, garnered a Peabody Award.

He also is the host and co-executive producer of "Smoking Gun TV," a series of Court TV specials based on the award-winning Web site: www.thesmokinggun.com. An immensely popular site that unearths and posts entertaining, scandalous and bizarre documents, the television show brings to life the incriminating and outrageous celebrity-related material found on the site. "Everything I know about law and order I learned on 'The Smoking Gun' Web site," Rocca said. "Hosting the show is my way of giving something back."

The former president and writer of Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Rocca is no stranger to the stage. His acting credits include the role of "Doody" in the Southeast Asia Tour of "Grease," and the "Professor" in the Paper Mill Playhouse production of "South Pacific." Rocca continues to hone his writing skills. He has contributed to GQ, Newsweek.com, Elle and The Washington Post.

Rocca began his career in TV as a writer and producer for the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning PBS children's series "Wishbone." He went on to write and produce for other children's series, including ABC's "Pepper Ann" and Nickelodeon's "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss." He current serves as a regular panelist on NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," and is a frequent commentator for CNN, Headline News and the Fox News Channel. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University and resides in New York City.