Mo Rocca

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Mo Rocca
Mo Rocca in 2008
Mo Rocca in 2008
Birth name Maurice Alberto Rocca
Born January 28, 1969 (1969-01-28) (age 39)
Washington, DC U.S.
Medium Television, Radio, Blog
Nationality American
Years active 1995  – Present
Genres Political satire
Spouse NA
Notable works and roles Correspondent for The Daily Show
Website Mo Rocca's Blog

Mo Rocca (born Maurice Alberto Rocca on January 28, 1969 in Washington, DC) is an American writer, comedian, political satirist, and self-styled "fundit" (fun pundit).

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[edit] Early life and work

Rocca, of Colombian and Italian descent, attended Georgetown Preparatory School, the Jesuit boys school in North Bethesda, Maryland and later went on to graduate from Harvard University in 1991 with a B.A. in literature. He served as president of Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, performing in four of the company's notorious burlesques and even co-authoring one (Suede Expectations). Later, he worked as a writer and producer for the children's television series Wishbone (1995), The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (1996) and Pepper Ann (1997), and also as a consulting editor to the men's magazine Perfect 10.

[edit] Career

Rocca is a regular panelist on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and a regular contributor to CBS' Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood. He is a regular correspondent for NBC's Tonight Show, most recently providing 2008 election coverage, as well as for MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. He was a celebrity commentator on VH1's Best week ever, as well as the I Love The... shows: I Love the '80s, I Love the '70s, I Love the '70s Volume 2, I Love the '80s Strikes Back, I Love the '80s 3-D, I Love the '90s, I Love the '90s: Part Deux, I Love Toys, and I Love the Holidays. The series officially stated his occupation as "media gadfly" for one of its incarnations, and noted his physical resemblance to the children's book character Waldo in another. He was the host of Things I Hate About You on Bravo.

Rocca was an on-the-floor correspondent for Larry King on CNN at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which he called an "Obamarama." Though occasionally making straight insights and political comments, Rocca's irrelevant and irreverent statements were a humorous contrast to King's more staid politician and pundit guests. Rocca characterized Teresa Heinz Kerry as the "Siren of the Serengeti," and expressed affinity with the statement by keynote speaker, Barack Obama, about the pains of growing up as a skinny boy with a funny name. During his report to King from the convention floor alongside the Pennsylvania delegates, he exclaimed "Everybody's talking Teresa, Teresa, Teresa!" Rocca spent a good deal of his time with the Convention delegates from American Samoa. He returned as a correspondent for the 2004 Republican National Convention.

Rocca is the author of the All the Presidents' Pets: The Inside Story of One Reporter Who Refused to Roll Over.

Mo is the host of 5 Minutes With, a weekly segment on LX.TV 1stLook NY[1] on NBC.

He was the host of Whoa! Sunday which premiered in 2005 on Animal Planet.

Mo Rocca was a regular contributor to "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart". He contributed on such segments as "Dollars and 'Cents'" and "Mark Your Calendar."

He is a regular judge on the Food Network's Iron Chef America.

He has appeared in SnoopDog's "Fatherhood" (E Channel) 2 times.

In 2007, he appeared with fellow Daily Show alum Ed Helms in the indie family sci-fi comedy I'll Believe You.

Rocca contributes to AOL Newsbloggers[2]. His blog is entitled Mo Rocca 180°, Only Half as Tedious as the Regular News.

On Broadway, Rocca played the role of Vice Principal Douglas Panch in the Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

[edit] References

  1. ^ LX.TV 1stLook NY: 5 Minutes With
  2. ^ Mo Rocca 180°: Only Half as Tedious as the Regular News

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Current correspondents and contributors to The Daily Show
Preceded by
Greg Stuhr		 Portraying Vice Principal Douglas Panch in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
April 17-June, 2007		 Succeeded by
Darrell Hammond