Brownie, you're on "The Colbert Report"

[DeepModem Mom]

LA Times: The truly serious appear on 'The Colbert Report'
Ex-FEMA chief is the latest public figure to cross his fingers and face the mock newscaster.
By Matea Gold, Times Staff Writer
March 27, 2006


(AP)

....On Tuesday, (former FEMA director Michael D.) Brown is scheduled to sit down with Stephen Colbert — who plays the bombastic, preening cable anchor on Comedy Central's 11:30 p.m. mock newscast — for an unpredictable interview in which the only thing the former federal official can count on is the likelihood of being embarrassed....

***

Nowadays, it seems, it's not enough to field lighthearted quips on "The Tonight Show" to prove that you have a sense of humor. The real test for a public figure, especially with an image to mend, is to endure a heavy dose of ridicule at the hands of Colbert, whose parody of a pompous television pundit has attracted an impressive lineup of guests since the show premiered in October.

They don't come on to be flattered. New York state Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer, known for his crackdown on Wall Street shenanigans, made an appearance on the show to tout his gubernatorial bid, only to have Colbert inquire if he had been a tattletale as a child. California Sen. Barbara Boxer spent most of her interview shaking with horrified laughter as Colbert earnestly read aloud the sex scenes from her new novel. And when George Stephanopoulos visited the program, his host politely inquired if ABC's short-statured chief Washington correspondent needed to sit on a telephone book in order to reach the table....

***

With an average of 1.1 million viewers a night, the program gets solid if not spectacular ratings for a late-night cable show. But 40% of its audience is in the coveted 18- to 34-year-old age group, which means that "The Colbert Report" — like its lead-in, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," from which it was spun off — offers media figures and politicians valuable airtime in front of young viewers, even if they risk looking silly in the process....

***

Emily Lazar, who books "The Colbert Report" guests, said she was in discussions with a raft of likely 2008 presidential candidates who were interested in coming on, including Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and John F. Kerry (D-Mass.)....

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-humor27mar27,1,234837.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews

[galatea]

1. does anyone know

if this guy is a liberal?

It sure didn't look like it when Al Franken was on. Colbert simply destroyed him, Franken looked like a dear caught in the headlights.

[silverweb]

2. You're kidding, right?

:rofl:

[galatea]

5. No I was not kidding

Colbert before announcing Franken said he was going to have to stick his fingers in his ears so he wouldn't have to listen.

He also allowed 2 members of the audience to ask Franken 'why do you hate the troops?' If it was comedy, it was bad comedy.

[silverweb]

7. It was GREAT comedy.

If you knew Colbert and/or Franken at all, you'd know they had this well rehearsed in advance. They were both on the verge of cracking up during the whole thing.

[galatea]

22. hmm I think you never heard of

Lucille Ball or Charlie Chaplin. Don't tell Colbert or Franken do 'great' comedy.

[Supply Side Jesus]

23. Can you say Satire????

Pronunciation: 'sa-"tIr
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin satura, satira, perhaps from (lanx) satura dish of mixed ingredients, from feminine of satur well-fed; akin to Latin satis enough -- more at SAD
1 : a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn
2 : trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly
synonym see WIT


welcome to DU and enjoy your short stay.

[silverweb]

28. In your opinion.

Slapstick schtick is just one form of comedy -- and your definitions are quite subjective and narrow.

[TabulaRasa]

8. He didn't allow 2 members to ask Franken that

It was clearly a bit, and Franken was clearly in on the bit. They also had a segment where a caller put them on hold, and they awkwardly discussed Lasik surgery. Just listen to his audience and their responses. Do you genuinely think he'd take calls from the audience, and any one of them would ask "Why do you hate our troops?" Moreover, how would they have gotten such calls, as they didn't give anyone a number to call into, and the show isn't taped live? The entire thing was obviously pre-arranged.

Do you really not get that Colbert is lampooning right-wing blowhards? If it's not obvious enough, he says it often. You can read an interview with him at the Onion. He's also been on Franken's show, as himself (not his right-wing blowhard personality), and they discussed right-wing dominance of the media, along with other topics.

He did gently jab at Franken a couple of times. His bit about how AAR is conquering the world, one Portland public radio station at a time, was one such jab.

[Sydnie]

15. that comment was a jab about Randi Rhodes and that

right wing nut when they were on C-SPAN.

Here's a screen shot of what the wing nut Janet (what the hell is her last name? ) did when Randi was speaking truth on the show.

[Gabi Hayes]

16. yeeshhhh...an example of "good" comedy, then, by all means,

please

please!

[DeepModem Mom]

3. He sticks it to everybody, but I think he's one of us. Welcome to DU!

[Zynx]

4. It's big time satire.

Colbert is a big time liberal.

[galatea]

6. ok any evidence?

I hope you're right.

[President Jesus]

9. ummmmm...welcome to DU

I'm sure you're being 100% genuine with your 'hope.'

Here's a little background on Stephen Colbert.

Anyone who can't recognize what he's actually doing should just keep their tv tuned to FOX News, the 700 Club, and the Home Shopping Network, cause those are the only broadcasts that won't make their head hurt.

[Gabi Hayes]

10. heh...was there anything better than the spate of Freep threads

that pledged their fealty to Colbert?

[TabulaRasa]

11. Can you give us a link?

I'm always curious about people taking Colbert seriously in spite of the absolute ridiculousness of everything he says. Do Freepers really like him?

[Gabi Hayes]

14. there were several threads about that, including lots of freeplinks and

quotes

I googled for awhile, with no success, but somebody must've kept a record here, cause they were VERY VERY funny. they had to be CONVINCED he was jerking them around

there were ARGUMENTS about it

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

20. I was bored, so I got you links...

Freepers are stupid

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1535790/posts
Some get it. Some don't.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1518653/posts
Choice quotes...
"Colbert isn't liberal... all his best material is from a conservative point of view, though he does wander freely left and right.
40 posted on 11/21/2005 9:23:31 PM PST by thoughtomator (Hindsight is 20/20, or in the case of Democrats, totally blind)"

"I'm starting to like this guy too....
Last night he asks Tim Robbins, "So would you rather have Saddam in power." The delivery is heavy on sarcasm, as if Colbert is playing the role of an O'Reilly, but the fact that the question is being asked is brilliant.
I don't think a real reporter could get away with it, but he is.
50 posted on 11/22/2005 6:51:55 AM PST by rwilson99 (South Park (R)"

"CommieCentral" has always towed the liberal line.
Perhaps they had to put this guy on for "balance".
This guy may be good, but one show isn't enough
for me to unblock it from the remote.
74 posted on 01/01/2006 9:24:19 AM PST by Boondock_Saint"

[KT2000]

12. Is that true?

Freepers think it is real??

[rucky]

21. How do we know that wikipedia link isn't satire? n/t

[NobleCynic]

17. wow

[Ladyhawk]

18. See my sig. n/t

[Swamp Rat]

19. LOL!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Neil Lisst]

13. Those of us who watched him before this show understand

Anyone who watched him on The Daily Show regularly understands his whole thing. This is an O'Reilly like character he has made up. But look at how he uses his talking points to poke fun at the right.

He's not your average leftwinger, but he's definitely left of center.

Dude is as smart as a tree full of owls, too.

[n2doc]

24. Yep- his "The Word" segments are brilliant

I challenge anyone not to break out in laughter and cheers duing those segments. And the fact that the MSM steals his "word"s and uses them w/o understanding their context makes it even better.
That said, I didn't find the Franken interview to be one of his best- I was expecting better, and it seemed a bit too "one note". They should have wrestled at the end to see who was right....

[Neil Lisst]

25. I didn't feel Franken was good in that one.

I felt he hadn't watched the show enough to really get into it right.

[Catchawave]

26. So glad you posted this....

I try to be a good little DUer and check for dupes, so I'll give ya a bump instead :hi:

[DeepModem Mom]

27. Back atcha, Catchawave --

:hi:

[OhioChick]

29. I never miss Colbert.........

he rocks! :)