The definitive Colbert thread, from my perspective (all new!)

[Duer 157099]

I can't claim to have read *all* the Colbert threads here, but they are mostly in agreement (albeit in a couple different directions).

Here are some of my thoughts, after sleeping on it.

1) Main impression was that Colbert performed incredibly well considering that he does most of his biting commentary behind a camera with a small audience (does he have a stand-up background? I don't know). I was just impressed that he didn't get flustered! Even if he does do standup, one has to admit that this was a very different audience and the potential for intimidation was high -- but he sailed through with nary a stumble. Grace and poise under pressure, that was my biggest impression.

2) Some of his bits were just not funny, and I don't mean because they were political or anything, but simply because they weren't funny. Like the comment about believing it's yogurt, but not believing it's butter. Why Stephen, why? Wasted precious moments.

3) Speaking of wasted moments, the Helen Thomas bit was funny... for a minute. Took it too far, but only because I think that time could have been better spent, like making the press room scene longer (*that* was hysterical!)

4) Cheap shots -- like the "Gannon" button on the podium -- why? I mean, I get that he wanted to encompass every last scandal possible, but seems that could have been more deftly done.

5) His body language -- he was mostly facing away from Bush, his right shoulder pressed forward. I would have like to see him in the opposite orientation, with his body facing Bush, for that direct confrontation feeling.

He was awesome, no question, so this isn't meant to detract from what he did. Just some of my silly observations. And because I wanted to start a new thread.

[Ian David]

1. Posts like yours only give aid and comfort to the grizzly bear menace n/t

[Terran1212]

2. I just saw the video and I think he did better than anyone's ever done

...before in attacking Bush and his whole crew of criminals and thugs.

The Helen Thomas video was amazing and stood up for her as she needed it.

[kaygore]

5. Colbert revealed himself to be a true satire genius

With this performance he is no longer in Jon Stewart's shadow.

[Terran1212]

33. Agreed

[Duer 157099]

6. I agree, I support him standing up for Helen

I just think the point was made early on, and the time could have been better spent.

I don't think he's going to get a second chance

[jumpoffdaplanet]

3. The Helen Thomas bit was the best

The whole was great, and it's a good thing cheney wasn't there. He would have shot Stephen.

[The Blue Flower]

4. Gannon not a cheap shot

I've watched the footage twice, and it looked to me as though * was at least pretending to be with Colbert and a good sport up until the "Press Secretary Screen Test." If Gannon's visits were overnight, as the WH SS logs indicate, then there was much more to Gannon than just being a lobber of softballs. I think if anything got *'s (and Laura's) back up, it was the intimacy of the Gannon reference. After all, they're used to ignoring criticism of their policies and failures.

[Duer 157099]

8. No, you misunderstood what I meant

I fully support him pulling a Gannon shot; but just putting a flip-switch on the podium wasn't potent enough -- it was a soft pitch

[fooj]

9. Wait until this "SEX SCANDAL" stuff in DC is really exposed.....

Start by peeling off the layers.

Peace.

[bostonbabs]

29. I agree......they had two shots of the

Gannon button....two, just in case you didn't see the first....it was an attempt to say.....WE'VE NOT FORGOTTEN GANNON.....we have not heard the truth and we know it.....I pray it will come out ....

[Southsideirish]

32. No, it was brilliant - I laughed out loud. Actually, more like a yelp -go

Stephen!

[American liberal]

7. Colbert started at Second City (in Chicago) so, yes, he has a standup

background

[Gabi Hayes]

48. huh? Second City is anything but standup comedy

it's an improv troup. never, ever seen any standup there

he may have started there....he went to Northwestern

he did a shortlived show with Amy Sedaris and a few others, Exit 57, that was a work of genius at times. comedy central

[tridim]

10. Remember, he's doing a parody of crazy RW pundits..

Jokes like "I believe it's Yogurt" are hilarious, but only in the context of his "Colbert" character, because it's something that O'Reilly might say on his actual "news" show.

The Gannon button bit made tears shoot out of my eyes from laughter. I think you need to watch it again.

[Duer 157099]

12. But what was the meaning?

I realize that his audience already had the backstory on Gannon, so the joke didn't need to be very sophisticated.

Was the idea that the switch controlled the mic on Gannon?

[tridim]

14. It's the "Go to Gannon" button

Remember how Scotty used to call on Gannon whenever he was in trouble? That's the point of the joke.

[Duer 157099]

11. Also, I think my favorite part was

when he called Bush's supporters "backwash"!! That was priceless.

I fear that his earlier stumbling in the joke diluted the punchline though (he could have gone on without going back to the "full" vs. "empty" thing)

[Duer 157099]

13. Also, I think the hit on Rove has been largely underappreciated

Showing Rove writing "Karl + Stephen" -- that was bold

[glarius]

15. He was IN BUSH'S FACE!...who cares which way his body leaned?

He never sweated a drop....Completely unflappable....Incredible guts!

[Duer 157099]

16. Me! I cared which way he leaned.

I am not arguing that he wasn't brilliant, not at all.

I just wanted him staring Bush DOWN baby, don't give him the courtesy of your shoulder, give him the full front on assault

[emulatorloo]

18. He looked Bush square in the face a number of times and

addressed him directly. At least that's what I saw/

[Duer 157099]

24. Yes, I saw those and like them

those were potent moments, and highlighted Colbert's unflinching courage, no doubt.

[glarius]

19. What did you expect him to do, punch Bush in the face?

He DID stare Bush down, baby. It even got a bit uncomfortable to watch, because of Colbert's in-your-face attitude....although I loved it....I don't know how you could not have seen that!

[Duer 157099]

22. Oh, but I did

But you also noticed that Colbert had to turn his head and shoulders to do so. I'm just saying it'd been even cooler if he had been in that position the whole time

[glarius]

25. I wouldn't know how to respond to something

so insignificant...Sorry....don't mean to sound sarcastic....but...:)

[Duer 157099]

28. Hey, it's all good

If I can dish out the heat, I expect to take it, no problem.

I'm just launching into my more, as you say, trivial observations, to differentiate from most of the other threads. I'm tired of reading the same comments but I'm not tired of discussing it yet.

[BrklynLiberal]

17. But, wasn't his primary target THE PRESS? And that is where he was facing!

While the sins may have been committed by Dimson, it is the press that has been complicit and enabling him. THAT is why they were so subdued in their responses to his "jokes". They did not like what they saw in the mirror he was holding up to THEM.

[Duer 157099]

20. Could have been, it wasn't completely clear to me how the room

layout was -- I didn't watch the whole show, just the Colbert segment, so didn't have a feel for how the room was.

Even so, we all know what a baby Bush is, and just a slight change in Colbert's body language would have really turned up the pressure on him, I think -- he wouldn't have been able to not smile, or not laugh politely at certain parts, for example

By giving him his shoulder, Colbert gave Bush a way out

[glarius]

23. Yes, he was facing the press...that is the beauty of his performance....

He included them all...press and president...in his scathing remarks. He kept turning his head and looking directly at Bush when he made his remarks.

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. My response re: 1-5

1) Agreed!

2) Agreed

3) Agreed

4) Nope, that was a cheap shot I totally enjoyed.

5) I don't know. I thought he turned to Bush quite a bit. In fact, his turning towards Bush made me uncomfortable a few times. I thought he did a really good job. I'm not sure who received the more scatching indictment. Bush or the Press.

[Duer 157099]

26. I guess I shouldn't have used the phrase "cheap shot"

because it didn't really convey what I was thinking about the Gannon switch. For example, why not have Gannon in the audience, and play it that way? That could have been very productive and fun.

Cheap shot in the sense that the opportunity wasn't maximized

[Pacifist Patriot]

52. Except I can't imagine Gannon being in the audience.

At this point Gannon isn't a single entity, but a representation of purchased news coverage.

[flyarm]

27. the bit about frank rich was rich..it alluded to the suicides and murders

that surround this administration..i thought that was brilliant ..and the media all knew what he meant!

the bumping off of frank rich..was just brilliant!!

and the gannon button was not missed by all of us that know all about gannon..and all those fucking media know what it means as well..

colbert was holding their feet to the fire..and he was brilliant..

fly

[Duer 157099]

30. I sat my 12-year-old son down to watch it with me

and it gave me a fresh perspective when I realized how much I had to explain.

My son has exposure to these subjects, as the radio is constantly tuned to AAR in the house and car, and he watches The Daily Show with me quite often.

He got a lot of the humor, but some was just too complex.

And that's to be expected; my point is just that it gave me a fresh perspective to watch it with him.

(his favorite part was Helen Thomas stalking Colbert)

[Duer 157099]

31. (Monday morning quarterbacking, I know)

I think the Gannon point could have been really well done by showing Gannon lobbing those soft balls to Scotty, and showing Colbert handling them. There's some rich potential in there.

[Herman47]

34. Yeah, I agree with that.

that would have been good.

In addition, I think that (if Rove was actually in the audience, not just in the Helen Thomas skit), once he determined Patrick Fitzgerald was not in the room (just after speaking about Mr. and Ms. Wilson), he could have turned to Rove and said, "You can relax now, Karl."

[partylessinOhio]

43. Rove was in the room last night, the camera caught the side of his head.

Rove looked more balding, ashen and very old. I don't feel he is holding up too well to the grilling he's undergone. He was sitting with two other men that I didn't recognize. They seemed to be near the back of the room quite far from the head table.

I found it strange who was missing; Cheney, Rumsfeld, Condi, Card, Hughes, and so on. The core of Bush wasn't there.

[partylessinOhio]

49. Rove and others:

White House aide Karl Roves jokes with members of the White House staff after returning White House Correspondents' Association's 92nd annual awards dinner, Saturday, April 29, 2006, in Washington.



Actor and Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and his wife, Jeri, arrive for a party at the Macedonian Embassy in Washington following The White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, April 29, 2006.



Stern Stepford wife.

[ScreamingMeemie]

35. "I believe it's yogurt..." I thought that was hysterical.. For Colbert

to turn (not once but several times) and look Bush dead in the eye was enough for me. He is addressing the president and the president. Equal time for all of the idiots. ;)

As I always contend, we'll never find perfection unless it is we, ourselves, standing up there. This is nitpicking. And I mean that with respect.

[Duer 157099]

37. Some say nitpicking, some say constructive criticism

(not that he's actually reading this...)

No harm in expressing honest opinions, imho.

Alot of my "criticisms" had more to do with how this precious time was spent. This was a one-shot deal.

[ScreamingMeemie]

39. Again, I think it would only be perfect if each one of us was standing

up there giving our own thoughts.

He is far better at it then I. I've got no room to criticize. ;)

[Duer 157099]

41. LOL, no not in a million years would I do that

I'm fully confident that my own performance would suck very badly.

Hey, some are writers, some are editors, that's ok.

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. Hee. Me too. I'd pass out.

I'm just Joe Audience. ;)

[applegrove]

36. Gannon a cheap shot? Sorry - GOP put that puppy in the press room

for years.. in a time of war... Gannon button should have been pressed. Not a cheap shot at all. Just reality.

[Duer 157099]

38. I admitted upthread that my choice of wording was poor

I wanted the Gannon issue dealt with more fully and more powerfully

[Duer 157099]

40. Also, another observation:

I wasn't sure if I heard this correctly or if my brain was playing tricks on me, but I thought I heard Bush say "Good job" to Colbert as he was leaving the podium. Did he?

[LouisianaLiberal]

44. Yes, he did say that.

Just curious: When Colbert was lampooning Bush's apparent right to define reality and rewrite history, he mentioned 1914 and 1941. I'm not convinced this was just transposing numbers - Colbert is exceedingly clever, and because the rest of his speech was so tightly written it is unlikely he just threw those numbers out. Could it be that there is more to it?

Could he have meant that we are confusing the beginnings of an unjust war with a just war? Could he have meant that 1941 was the FIRST Pearl Harbor, as a way of pointing to PNAC's alleged SECOND Pearl Harbor?

I realize this is a stretch - just curious to see what others here might think.

[supernova]

46. I wondered about 1914/1941 too

Because remember, at the time, there was speculation that FDR let Pearl Harbor happen so that we would be compelled to get into WWII.

[SPKrazy]

53. 1914= We Got Into WW1; 1941=We Got Into WW2

and there was something to that I'm sure

[Duer 157099]

51. I never underestimate his genius

and I am quite sure that there are loads of nuances that get by me. In some ways, that's part of his brilliance, that he plays on so many levels that the audience can respond according to their own level of knowledge/understanding. That it's not digital, that you either get it or don't.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to find he meant something specific by using those dates.

[Gabi Hayes]

45. definitive, from your perspective, is exactly right

agree about the yogurt/margarine comment, but not with anything else

humor, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder

TRUTH, on the other hand, is not

he told the truth, right in the maw of power, to its ugly, unyielding, monstrous face. and the truth is NOT funny

another thing, have you read the transcript? it plays much better on the mind than before that audience of Vichy cretins

too bad he didn't tape it on the Daily Show, or his own, first, and had an APPRECIATIVE audience to respond

NOBODY would have entertained the idea of his bombing, had he done it in front of people who didn't have a very highly vested interest in maintaining the status quo

[Duer 157099]

50. Actually, I read the transcript before seeing him perform it

And... not to put too fine a point on it... the title of my thread in itself is a wee bit of a homage to Colbert's character... :-)

[Eric J in MN]

47. I agree that the yogurt/butter joke should have been left out, but

the Jeff Gannon bit was good.

For people unfamiliar with Jeff Gannon:
"The Media Whore Who Literally Was a Whore, 'Jeff Gannon'"
http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2005_02_19_lust_the_media_whore_who_literally_was_a_whore_jeff_gannon.asp