Hundreds of eyes are transfixed on the black nothingness lying center stage at the Davis Concert Hall. Suddenly, the Big Brother-esque visage of Jon Stewart appears, prompting a burst of applause and near cult-like adoration for the tiny New York satirist.

In true Daily Show fashion, Stewart's introduction for Saturday night's guest is laden with playful deprecation: "He's one of the best reporters with the bad kind of syphilis working today."

As Stewart's face dims, a shock of sound floods the stage, "What's up Fairbanks?"

Rob Corddry has arrived. Standing behind a podium and unadorned DVD player, remarkably dressed-down from his on-air persona, is one of The Daily Show's burgeoning fan favorites. Corddry, best known as a fake news correspondent for America's most popular fake news show, looks upon the packed house in amazement, "Wow. Is this, like, all the people in Fairbanks?"

Corddry went on to share his reinterpretation - via faux breaking-news voice and all - of UAF headlines and current events, going so far as to offer ideas for how the school can attract more internet traffic.

"You could have more pictures of faculty sportin' The Shocker," while flashing the appropriate hand motions a la gang sign.

The centerpiece for the event, however, came as Corddry presented a step-by-step breakdown of how an average correspondent's sketch is put together. Mixing clips with narration, Corddry demonstrated how an interview is assembled, dispelling speculation that interviewees are actors or that skits are compiled entirely without guests' participation.

"I get asked what it's like to interview all these people," Corddry said after the clips. "On my first piece I got to interview [a representative] from Planned Parenthood. And the thing was, I was supposed to be looking at her breasts the whole time. I really wanted to ask her questions, things that I was interested in. But there I am, staring at her breasts. So, it's not what you think."

After the show, Corddry took questions from the audience, even joining in with a little onstage "geeksta rap."

The Sun Star was able to talk with Mr. Corddry after the performance:

SS: Jon Stewart often tries to remind people that The Daily Show is "fake journalism" and "purely entertainment." How do you feel about many Americans having The Daily Show as one of their main, if not only, news source?

RC: Fine. Or if they want to watch Fox News - also a constant source of entertainment. I get most of my material from them, actually.

SS: So do you think there should be a clear division of satire and "hard news" or should other news programs consider incorporating different approaches?

RC: I think the worst thing news can do is try to be more sensational or flashy to get our attention.

SS: But not boring?

RC: News shouldn't be trying to not be boring. I mean, what happened to the Fourth Estate? News is not there to necessarily please you; it should be to challenge people.

SS: You mentioned before that many people in your sketches know the nature of The Daily Show. Why do you think so many people would forego embarrassment - maybe not even getting their message out - just to be featured?

RC: Nobody ever thinks that their opinions are crazy. Everyone thinks their opinions are normal. And they think we'll think they're normal too. But mostly I think people will do anything just to be on television for a few minutes.

SS: You're very lean. Tell me about your exercise routine.

RC: Normal exercise routine... it's the cheeks, mostly. Gotta work the cheeks. The chin. The neck.

SS: Any particular body part you're most proud of?

RC: The shins.

SS : How much of what you do on The Daily Show is dependant on rehearsal and how much on your improvisational background?

RC: Oh, there's a lot of it improv. We really only get a chance to rehearse pieces once before we film.

SS: And the taped sketches? What you showed us before had a lot of monotony involved. Do you come in there with a very clear idea of what you want or do you just go with it as it comes?

RC: You can come in there with 30 questions and each one can go somewhere else or lead you to think of another, better question. There's room for all different directions the piece can take.

SS: What are you doing now outside of The Daily Show?

RC: Competitive scrapbooking, mostly. Let's see... (laughs). No. I'm working on a couple of movies. I have this thing, "Failure to Launch," that's coming out. I'm doing this movie written and directed by Michael Ian Black that is hilarious called "The Pleasure of Your Company."

SS: Are you sticking with The Daily Show, you know, till the wheels fall off, or is this a launching pad for something else?

RC: I'll tell you, I cannot wait to get the fuck out of there. Christ. No. I don't know. I'm pretty happy. I like doing lots of different things. We'll see.

SS: Is there anything you'd like to see done differently on The Daily Show?

RC: Now, say Jon Stewart picks up the Sun Star. Where would that put me?

SS: It doesn't have to be bad. You want it to be more newsy, more entertainment? You've got Pierce Brosnan on one night and then Richard Clarke on the next. What would you like to see happen?

RC: The only reason you have celebrities on The Daily Show is because Comedy Central asks Jon for more celebrities. If Jon had it his way he'd have obscure authors and politicians on every night.

SS: Finally, if I had to put money on you versus Stephen Colbert, who would win and why?

RC: Well, that depends on what we're doing. If it's a contest for being awesome, me. If it's something more physical, well, Stephen's not so much a man as an onion-skin of a human being stretched over a black abyss.

SS:Thank you, Rob.

The Sun Star would like to thank Jeff Stepp and the Student Activities Office for their hard work in organizing the show and helping to arrange the preceding interview.