Jon Stewart takes his "Daily Show" crew to North Carolina for the Democratic National Convention

LAUGHING AT THE DNC: First comes the Labor Day weekend, and then comes a week-long labor of laughs at the expense of politicians.

Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" will continue its tradition of providing hilarious alternative coverage of the year's biggest national political events by traveling to Charlotte, N.C., to report on the 2012 Democratic National Convention. While the convention will take place at the Time Warner Cable Arena and close at the Bank of America Stadium, host Jon Stewart will cover the convention from a facility primarily known as a children's library and theater Centre.

Tapings will take place at ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center and will air nightly from Tuesday, Sept. 4, to Friday, Sept. 7. More than 125 staff members will accompany Stewart to enjoy the southern hospitality during the week as they offer news clips, analysis and interviews to politically savvy viewers. "Daily Show" news team members, including Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Al Madrigal, Aasif Mandvi, Jason Jones, Jessica Williams and John Oliver, will be on the floor at the convention to contribute to Stewart's studio material.

"We are incredibly excited to spend a week in the beautiful city of Charlotte," said executive producer Rory Albanese. "And to the good people of North Carolina, for their southern hospitality in hosting 125 smart-aleck New Yorkers, we offer in advance our thanks, but most of all, our apologies. Honestly, we didn't mean to break that, and we promise we'll pay for it."

Various parts of the convention will be open to the public, or they can alternatively choose to attend the special tapings of "The Daily Show." However, tickets for those tapings are exclusively available through thedailyshow.com.

UNLOCKING THE 'GATE': As the American political scene moves full speed ahead toward the next presidential election, Discovery is preparing to take a look at some of the most influential political movers and shakers from the past.

It is said that the president is the most powerful person in the country, but without his chiefs of staff, political dreams and goals would never become a reality.

Premiering next year, Discovery will air a special series event called "The Gatekeepers," which will offer an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at various terms of office in recent history through the eyes of those presidents' closest confidants.

The cabler has put together a top-notch team to run the show, including Emmy-winning documentarians and brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet, as well as news producer Chris Whipple and White House photographer David Hume Kennerly.

Nine administrations will be discussed through interviews with former chiefs of staff Rahm Emanuel, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, James A. Baker III, Mack McLarty and John Sununu. The crew will also interview former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush for the special.

"When Discovery does history, it's about great storytelling. That's why I am so excited about 'The Gatekeepers,'" said Discovery's Eileen O'Neill. "We are working with the best filmmakers in the business, offering the ultimate insider's guide to the modern presidency."

The Naudet brothers are best known for their 2002 TV special "9/11" -- as well as last year's followup, "9/11: 10 Years Later" -- and 2007's "In God's Name." Whipple previously worked for ABC News and on "What Would You Do" and "60 Minutes," and he is also a Peabody Award winner. Kennerly has won a Pulitzer Prize and various other industry awards for his photography work over the last 45 years.

BOARD THE LONGSHIPS: Vikings have been immortalized through books, films, sports teams, comic strips and festivals, but their modern romantic representations are far from the tradesmen, warriors and explorers who once existed.

It will be interesting, then, to see how History will blend fact with fiction as it readies for the premiere of its first scripted series. The network recently announced it has ordered a full season of "Vikings" from MGM Studios, and filming will take place in Ireland and throughout Northern Europe.

Casting has not yet been announced, but the series already has one very influential man working behind the scenes. Creator and writer Michael Hirst is best known for writing 1998's "Elizabeth" and its 2007 sequel "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," the latter of which he also executive produced. He also wrote "The Tudors" and currently writes "Camelot."

"This is an amazing crossroads for History embarking on our first scripted series," said network president Nancy Dubuc. "People think they know about the Vikings -- we see references to them all the time in our popular culture from TV commercials to football teams -- but the reality is so much more fascinating and complex, more vivid, visceral and powerful than popular legend. We will explore the mysteries of the Vikings, the adventures they took and the people who led them. And we will start to understand a past that is very much part of our collective DNA today."

The series will revolve around Ragnar Lothbrok, a real Viking king, and will explore his family life, adventures, experiences in war and dedication to the Norse gods.

Filming will take place at Ireland's Ashford Studios, while post-production, visual effects and sound work will be done in Canada.