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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Get ready for some mo’ Mo

Rocca (The Spokesman-Review)
Jake Coyle Associated Press

Of all the former “Daily Show” correspondents to move on, none has stayed as close to the news as Mo Rocca.

Rocca recently launched “The Tomorrow Show,” a Web series for CBS News that looks with humor and curiosity at future changes that may await us. New episodes debut on Mondays at cbsnews.com.

The 40-year-old satirist is known to many for his appearances as a “Daily Show” correspondent from 1998-2003.

Since then, he’s appeared as a panelist on NPR’s news trivia show “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” and has been a contributor to CBS’ “Sunday Morning,” CNN’s “Larry King Live” and NBC’s “Tonight Show.”

“I don’t want to live inside of news, but I think having a guesthouse on the grounds of news – somewhere in the back, with a garden, with a cabana, with a private driveway – all of that, I think, is pretty nice,” he quips.

Rocca grew up in Washington and considers himself a “news junkie.” He has carved out a niche as a cultural commentator, marked by his quick wit and black frame glasses.

The first episode of “The Tomorrow Show” looked at the future of paper. Topics ahead, Rocca says, will include the future of dating (“yes, it involves robots”), candy (“it involves inhalable chocolate”) and traffic.

In the videos – about 10 to 15 minutes long – Rocca first does field reporting and interviews, then sits down with a few guests in a studio interview.

Many former “Daily Show” correspondents, such as Steve Carrell and Rob Corddry, have remained primarily in comedy. Rocca recalls his time on the satirical show with fondness, but realizes he differs in one respect.

“We used to say it was kind of like standing outside the moat throwing rocks at the castle,” he says. “Well, I kind of like being inside the castle.”

The birthday bunch

Singer Van Morrison is 64. Actor Richard Gere is 60. Singer Deborah Gibson is 39. Actor Chris Tucker (“Rush Hour”) is 37. Actress Sara Ramirez (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 34.