Sideshow: A 'Daily Show' with John, not Jon

Waaah!!! Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show at Comedy Central - for a couple of months. He'll produce and direct a flick titled Rosewater, about an Iranian journalist's incarceration by the government. Longtime Daily Show stalwart John Oliver will sit in for Stew for the eight weeks he'll be off.

Carly Rae Jepsen, the Canadian cantadora of last year's bajillion-selling "Call Me Maybe," is slappin' the Boy Scouts of America. As Train did last week, she has pulled out of a skedded gig at the National Scout Jamboree this summer. At issue: the BSA's ban on openly gay members. In a statement, CRJ wrote: "As an artist who believes in equality for all people, I will not be participating. . . . " Train "strongly opposes any kind of policy that questions the equality of any American citizen."

Philly, William Shakespeare, WHYY, and revered Dr. Dan Gottlieb - what's not to like? The plucky, creative Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre is doing Othello March 8 to May 18. Iago is one of the big issues in Othello. So, on March 30, 2 to 3:30 p.m., they and WHYY will offer us "Iago on the Couch," in which J Hernandez, who plays Iago, has a therapy session with good Dr. Dan. It'll be at WHYY, 150 N. Sixth St. Tix $25 for WHYY members and Bard Card subscribers, $35 nonmembers. Info: 215-496-8001, www.phillyshakespeare.org.

Barbara Walters has had a rough time, yo. She fainted, bonked her bean, and turned out to have chicken pox. She was away from The View for six weeks. On Tuesday's View, she revealed she got infected via a sopping New Year's Night kiss with actor Frank Langella, who unknowingly had shingles (caused by the same virus, varicella zoster). He found out, and like Babs, is cured.

Former NBA wildman and Madonna dater Dennis Rodman has been wilding internationally, including a visit (why?) to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. We love what U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said: "As a diplomat, he is a great basketball player." . . . Jamie Lynn Spears, 21 and sister to Britney, is engaged to her bf of three whole years, Jamie Watson, 30. . . . Brody Jenner, son of Kardashian stepdad Bruce Jenner from a previous marriage, will join Keeping Up With the Kardashians for Season 8. Bro Brandon already appears sometimes. Who's next, their gardener? . . . Might be fun: Harrison Ford, who played a TV anchor in 2010's Morning Glory, has joined Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, sequel to the 2004 Will Ferrell romp Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Also signed: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Paul Rudd, and "SideShow" favorite Christina Applegate, who reprises her role as Veronica Corningstone. . . . Weird: Soon they're going to dig up Nobelist/poet Pablo Neruda in Chile, to see if he was murdered by lethal injection. His former driver, Manuel Araya, says he was. Neruda died 12 days after strongman Augusto Pinochet, for whom Pablo had little use, came to power in 1983, and some noses have always smelled a rata.