Mo Rocca On The State Of The States

NEW YORK, April 25, 2008

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(CBS) Writer, comedian, and political satirist Mo Rocca, a regular contributor to CBS' "Sunday Morning," pays tribute in comedy and song to the "specialness" of the states that he says Americans forget to be proud of in a new show, "Mo Rocca 'Cross America," which he'll present at New York's Birdland theater Monday, April 28.

Performing along with Rocca will be Charles Osgood (Host of "Sunday Morning"), Annaleigh Ashford ("Wicked"), Stanley Bahorek ("Spelling Bee"), Julian Fleisher (singer-songwriter-host) and Brian O’Brien ("Spamalot").

As a way of setting up the premise for the show, Rocca asks "Who would beg to differ with Lee Greenwood when he sang 'I'm Proud to be An American'? No one, except perhaps those freaky secessionists up in northern Vermont. But sometimes in loving America, we forget to love our individual states. Each has its own state bird, flower, tree, even soil and seashell. (Oregon's is the Hairy Triton. Gross)."

It promises to be an evening of factoids, prize giveaways and song, as Rocca's friends sing about their home states. "'Country Roads, Take Me Home To ... California, Here I Come, Right Back ...Home Again in Indiana!' As any singer can tell you, a nation is only as strong as its weakest state."

Rocca, also a contributor to NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, is known for his off-beat news reports and satirical commentary. His "Five Minutes With …" segment is featured weekly on LXTV’s "First Look New York." A former correspondent for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," he can be heard regularly on NPR's hit weekly quiz show "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me" as well as "All Things Considered." Creator and host of AOL's "Mo Rocca 180°" (www.morocca180.com), Rocca's blog provides side-splitting and insightful observations on everything from the Presidential election to pop culture news.

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