[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Two of the hottest seats in television have been vacated, which has left two holes that need to be filled by the most qualified, high-profile candidates possible. The answer may be as simple, and as humorous, as the plot from the movie “Trading Places.”

FEATURE STORY: UTAH GOV’T NEEDS TO CONSIDER HEALTH CARE AS MORE THAN JUST AN OBAMA ISSUE

For those of you unfortunate enough not to have seen the 1983 comedy classic “Trading Places,” the plot involves a snobbish investor, played by Dan Aykroyd, and a clever con artist, played by Eddie Murphy, who have their positions reversed with hilarious results. I can’t help but think that a real life version of that movie involving Jon Stewart, longtime host of “The Daily Show,” and Brian Williams, recently suspended NBC News anchor, trading places would be as perfect as it would be ironic. While I would hesitate to compare Stewart to Aykroyd’s aristocratic financial guru character, Stewart does look dashing in a suit and can put on airs with the best of them. And naturally, Williams would be perfect as the clever con artist who makes up stories to better his position in life.

While we all know why Williams was forced to temporarily leave his post, it’s a bit more murky when it come to Stewart’s announcement that he will be leaving “The Daily Show,” as he hasn’t given an official reason yet. Stewart was also rumored to have been offered the job of hosting NBC’s “Meet the Press” last year, and while he ultimately declined, the timing of his announcement, combined with William’s suspension by NBC, makes for some very interesting cooler talk.

If Stewart is looking to try something new as well as make a bigger difference in the world of politics and journalism there arguably isn’t a bigger platform available than by hosting NBC Nightly News. While some might argue that the king of fake news wouldn’t be suited for such a lofty position, I would argue that reporting fake news worked pretty well for Williams so it really shouldn’t be much of a stretch for Stewart. But in all seriousness, Stewart would bring a great deal of integrity to the position as he has made it a point in his career to infuse a sense of fairness with his humor. Stewart was well aware of the fact that many young adults were getting their news from “The Daily Show,” and night after night Stewart was as much a newsman as he was a comedian.

NBC would benefit greatly from an infusion of the youthful demographic that would likely tune in to watch Stewart, and quite frankly he would add a bit of panache to a boring platform. Perhaps most importantly, it would help to erase the awful stench that Williams has left in the wake of what will end up being his legacy of lies.

This same legacy is why Williams would be perfect to take over hosting duties for “The Daily Show.” He could bring an older, more mature demographic to Comedy Central while remaining the butt of jokes for its youthful audience who would never let him forget that he somehow forgot that he didn’t get shot down in an Apache helicopter. Williams reportedly had in interest in hosting the “The Tonight Show” and has made it clear that he sees himself as a celebrity — what better venue to increase his sense of self-aggrandizement then on “The Daily Show?” Most importantly, though, for Williams anyway, he could tell as many far-fetched lies as he wanted to with impunity because he could always pass it off as a joke — which is exactly what he has become.

[email protected][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]