'Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America'
(8 and 9PM, PBS)
Knock, knock. Who's there? Billy Crystal and Amy Sedaris. Billy Crystal and Amy Sedaris who? No, silly, it's really Billy Crystal and Amy Sedaris, who introduce and narrate all six episodes of this special on the history of American comedy.

Tonight's installments include 'Would Ya Hit a Guy with Glasses?: Nerds, Jerks & Oddballs' and 'Honey, I'm Home!: Breadwinners and Homemakers,' a look at classic domestic humor from George Burns and Gracie Allen on the radio to 'Roseanne' and 'The Simpsons' on the tube.

The miniseries, which continues on Jan. 21 and 28, also features episodes on physical comedy, controversial comedy, classic comedy wiseguys and satire.

Almost as soon as I arrived in Beverly Hills for the press tour on July 13, I had an assignment: find a power brick for my laptop, which I had left behind in New Jersey. One frantic and sweaty trip to Radio Shack later, I was ready for my next assignment: a brief interview with The Daily Show's Senior Black Correspondent, Larry Wilmore.

Wilmore was on hand to promote Make 'Em Laugh, a wide-ranging PBS documentary series on the history of modern comedy that's set to air in 2009 (it was announced that day that Billy Crystal is hosting the series). Right after the interview, Wilmore was on a panel with two other documentary participants: original SNL writer Anne Beatts (whom I also interviewed) and comedian Richard Lewis.

I only had a few minutes with Wilmore, so I quickly moved on from the special to ask him about how he got the Daily Show gig after a career spent behind the scenes as a writer and producer (The PJs, The Bernie Mac Show). I also asked him what it's like to work on a show that's so influential on the political and news scene. The interview is after the jump.

Thirteen/WNET and Ghost Light films named Billy Crystal host of the new documentary series Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America. The six-hour documentary, which will air in January 2009, will explore the tropes of American comedy and chronicle its evolution.

The comedian will appear in the opening of each episode and introduce viewers to the funniest moments in American entertainment. Some of the comedic talents that will be featured include: Charlie Chaplin, Jack Benny, Abbott & Costello, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, Anne Beatts, Woody Allen, Larry Wilmore, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Richard Lewis, Jon Stewart, and Chris Rock.