By Josef Federman
The Associated Press
Kilborn, the camera-ready anchor of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," had met an attractive woman in a trendy bar. There was magic in the air. If only she could answer five questions, he thought, this might be something special.
Did she like garlic, a Kilborn favorite? Yes. Was she familiar with Carmel, Calif., another Kilborn favorite? Yes again.
Did she know what "peripatetic" means? No, (it means itenerant)- and their tenuous relationship ended. But Kilborn had stumbled onto "Five Questions," the highlight of his increasingly popular satirical news show, Mondays through Thursdays at 11 p.m. EST.
At the top of each edition, Kilborn delivers the day's headlines with the smugness of a small-market news anchor. With his 6-foot-4 frame perfectly clad and his dirty-blond hair in place, the former college basketball player and ESPN anchor seems to embody television in the 90's.
But Kilborn, 32, is no regular talking head.
The headlines are loaded with punch lines, each delivered in deadpan style with Swiss-timing accuracy. Reports by the show's roving correspondents are satirical but informative. And its commentaries make Andy Rooney's diatribes seem like "Entertainment Tonight" puff pieces.
Everbody seems to be in on the joke-except the newsmakers.
"We have a luxury being on Comedy Central. We're doing jokes that no one else is doing-because we have no taste," Kilborn explains. "The goal is to make fun of people and beliefs, to make fun of news broadcasts."
It's late in the morning, and Kilborn has just rolled into his office, a sort of shrine to "The Craiger."
His staff has been working for hours, feverishly scanning the day's newspapers, video feeds and wire reports in search of material for tonight's show. "It's like high school," Kilborn says. "I never really applied myself."
Growing up in Hastings, Minn., he was known as "Vanilla Thunder" for his basketball prowess and went on to play college ball at Montana State University. "They said I was too slow," he recalls. "I said I was smooth."
After graduating in 1987, he was a sportscaster in Savannah, Ga., and Monterey, Calif., and headed to ESPN in 1993.
As anchor of the 2 a.m. "SportsCenter," he became popular for shouting "Jumanji" during slam-dunk highlights. The shtick earned him an autographed poster from Robin Williams. He also caught the eye of Comedy Central president Doug Herzog, who offered Kilborn the news show in early 1996.
The timing was perfect. Kilborn was ready to move on, and he had always wanted to do comedy. "Athletes all say the same things," he says. "Here I have total freedom. It's much more gratifying."
So far, the ever-evolving show is working. After 18 months, Comedy Central says the show's ratings are higher than those of its predecessor, "Politically Incorrect," which moved to ABC.
Soft-spoken in person, Kilborn pumps up his intensity level as he tapes the show in front of a small studio audience. When his celebrity guests come out to chat, he gets even better.
Guests may well bring a plug for their latest movie, but they'd better bring a sense of humor, too. Kilborn's five questions-touching on pop culture, geography and his guest's personal side-are likely to stump, amuse and embarrass.
"At times I have apprehensions," he admits. "The only time I get WORRIED is about my hair."
The Hair-cowlick and all-looks great. He's having a good time, and the guests seem to enjoy it as well. Such stars as Cindy Crawford, Bill Murray and Charlton Heston have subjected themselves to Kilborn's antics, and Comedy Central says the waiting list is growing.
ABC News anchor Peter Jennings is in the hot seat for the year-end special (airing Dec.10), discussing such issues as Mr. Rogers' pants and Ted Koppel's hair. The special also looks at the year in politics, media, religion and corporate America.
"I don't want to get into generic interviews where everyone is happy, happy, happy. I want a little edge to it," Kilborn says. Still, "they know that I'm harmless. I'm just a nice kid from the Midwest."
