White House correspondents dinner speaker: Rich Little! Sure to outdo Colbert

[MnFats]

Isn't this just incredible? Could they have picked a safer comic for Bush?

from the New Yorker:

"This year, no such insults will be directed at the President, because the correspondents’ association has hired as entertainment the impressionist Rich Little, who calls himself “basically a Republican,” and whose jokes are reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s, though without the edge.
The decision to retain Little’s services has raised, as they say, a host of troubling questions.....":


full item:

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/070129ta_talk_goldberg

[patrice]

1. I expect the same thing Colbert did, but aimed at BushCo oppo. n/t

[ShortnFiery]

2. Little, et. al., are not bright enough to pull it off.

We're talking about a comedic "lead balloon."

I'll love to see the video to see how many journalists FAKE laughing. ;)

[patrice]

13. You're right. I guess I should have said "an attempt" to do the

same thing. Which many of them will find utterly hilarious, but which will, in fact, be utterly lame, but that won't stop them from going around sayingwat a great send-up it is.

[TomInTib]

3. I didn't know the guy was still alive.

Man, this is really on the cutting edge.

I guess they couldn't find Henny Youngman's phone number.

[Ian David]

4. I guess Don Ho was unavailable.

I still don't know why they didn't ask Shields and Yarnell.

[Bobbie Jo]

8. !

LOL :rofl:

[jimshoes]

5. Too bad Red Skelton

is gone. He would have been perfect. He would never hurt Li'l Boots' feelings.

[WI_DEM]

17. Red Skelton was a true American comic genius, imo.

[Benhurst]

6. The White House Correspondents: with a handful of exceptions,

a group of sold-out hacks.

[The Count]

7. On behalf of Dennis Miller, I must protest!

They didn't quite reach the bottom of the pool on irrelevant...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. good one!

:rofL:

[AndyA]

9. Rich Little used to be funny.

In 1968. Today, he's as boring as last week's tuna casserole.

[Faygo Kid]

21. I think that's unfair. It's not his fault that he was selected this year.

No one could top Colbert last year, and this has to beat the Bedford, Pennsylvania PTA Annual Meeting, or wherever else Rich would have been booked otherwise.
He is a talented guy, but if they wanted an "old timer," I would have preferred Mark Russell.

[AndyA]

24. Unfair perhaps, but I haven't seen or heard much from him lately.

Last I saw of him, he was still doing many of the same tired old jokes he'd used for years. I feel sorry for anyone who has to follow Colbert's performance, as it was perfection, but as you said it beats the PTA meeting.

[Faygo Kid]

25. Check out his appearance on Letterman, http://www.richlittle.com/

It's worth a look. He is a very talented impressionist, and I enjoyed him immensely 30 years ago, when we were both a tad(?) younger. He provided genuine laughs then, and so I hate to see him so disparaged now, even though I understand the criticism. Anyway, the video shows both that he is talented and terribly dated, but in this world of right-wing haters, I hold a soft spot for someone who has never done me harm, and actually provided a few good laughs. Thanks, Rich.

[Rex]

10. Ha! I bet he gets in a least one good one!

I wouldn't bet on Rich just following a script and playing nice! Then again he is a lot older now then when I used to watch him as a kid. Maybe he has mellowed out alot. I'm gonna watch, just because. :)

[aquart]

26. Isn't he the one who leaked they told him to go easy?

[Phredicles]

27. I'm far too lazy to track it down, but I'm pretty sure that's what he said.

It'd be hilarious if after all this he absolutely cut loose and went to town on Flight Suit Boy, but I'm not holding my breath.

[maveric]

11. Isnt Rich Little Canadian?

:shrug:

[rocktivity]

12. Too little, too late--he'll come across as a total sellout.

Besides, what about Dub and Laura insulting US with WMDs-under-his-desk and milking male horses jokes?

So it's been close to a year since The Great Colberting, huh? How old is Rich Little, anyway?

:headbang:
rocknation

[cdnwannabe]

23. Believe it or not, Little is ONLY 68 years old....

and yes, he was born in Ottawa.

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. Could they have picked a safer comic for Bush?

Yep.

Bob Hope.

[CJCRANE]

15. Remember how shocking Colbert's set was at the time?!

What a difference a year makes.

[Ian David]

18. They realy should have picked David Cross. n/t

[deutsey]

19. Wink Martindale must be too busy filming those Orbitz commercials

[ChairmanAgnostic]

20. let's see. this is the W.House CORRESPONDENCE dinner - and they become

even less brave than they have been over the past 6 yrs? It is hard to imagine a less deserving group of yellow-bellied, POS that the White House Whores who pretend to be real journalists.

stenographers would have more backbone.

[Patiod]

22. Maybe he'll make jokes about Barney

and maybe even a really cutting edge joke about Cheney going quail hunting.

[Kickin_Donkey]

28. I can hardly wait till he breaks out his Tricky Dick personation ...

which was funny ... in 1972.

[Lisa]

29. this weekend's SNL showed Little picking up from where Colbert left off

... and slamming the White House. (I don't think that will actually happen, but it was sure fun to fantasize!)