Six Degrees: Allison Silverman, Meg DeFrancesco, Aasif Mandvi

Greetings, Zoners! While I was compiling this week’s zeitgeist post, I came across quite a bit of news about some of our friends in the Colbert universe, so it seemed like a good idea to separate them out into their own post. I love it when there’s this much good news about the folks who make us laugh.

Allison Silverman

• This didn’t take long! From Variety comes word that Allison Silverman has reached a deal to write a pilot for Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video. There are currently no details on the project beyond the fact that it’s a blind script deal. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more news about the project, because this is exciting! I’m so pleased for Allison.

Meg DeFrancesco

• …a.k.a., Meg the Intern, appeared on The Jay Leno Show recently as a customer being entertained by The Dan Band at a car wash. It’s a funny clip with some hilarious hose choreography (yes, dancing with hoses). You can see the clip by clicking on the link to the show above.

Aasif Mandvi

Two articles related to Aasif’s recent appearance at USC for an event billed as “Life on ‘The Daily Show.’”

• Aasif Mandvi: He’s Out to Ruin Your Life – Neon Tommy (Annenberg School of Journalism, USC)

  Mandvi took us through a day in the life of a “Daily Show” correspondent. “I wake up and see if Osama has released another tape. If he has, I get to work. If he hasn’t, I go get a massage,” Mandvi explained.

  Mandvi says he learned his tricks of the trade from the master, Stephen Colbert… Colbert’s advice? “Use the silence,” Mandvi repeated to us. When Mandvi asks a question, at first interviewees will give a typical, well-prepared answer; but if he remains silent once they’ve finished their spiel, they’ll feel the need to continue talking, until “eventually they say what they wish they hadn’t.”

• ‘Daily Show’ actor entertains audience with truth – USC Daily Trojan

  “A field piece requires a whole different skill set,” Mandvi explained. “It basically requires us going out into the world and leaving our souls behind… taking innocent people with kids, wives, husbands, friends and family, and completely just [screwing] up their lives. We do this very well.”

  Mandvi even passed along a bit of advice from former correspondent Stephen Colbert. “Look for the ‘[screw] the chicken moment,’” he said, defining the moment in an interview when the guests will say something that embarrasses them and exposes the absurdity of their argument.

(h/t Katt, Carolyn D., and Ms. I)