Happy Earth Day to any and all tree huggers out there! And for the Leatherback watchers, the underreported story today is that Stephanie Colburtle, once trailing the leader by 50 miles, is now 30 miles in the lead and just 136 miles from home. In other news, here’s a snapshot of the Zeitgieist for April 22, 2007.

News Flash: Little is Not Colbert!
I’m afraid that every newspaper in the country has at least 2 lines about the White House Correspondents Association Dinner last night. The news: The President spoke briefly but did not perform the traditional comedy. The Non-news: Rich Little was not Stephen Colbert. Here are a few highlights from the reports. (h/t to WordsWithGrace for some of these.)

  • Little back at correspondents’ dinner – AP (via Yahoo News):
    • President Bush, deferring to the tragedy at Virginia Tech, passed up any attempt to be funny at the House Correspondents’ Association dinner Saturday, leaving those efforts to impersonator Rich Little.
    • Little’s material was safe if occasionally a little raunchy. He dusted off his impersonations of six presidents, from Nixon to the current occupant of the White House, and avoided any reference to current political issues.
    • After one joke bombed, he said, “And you thought (Stephen) Colbert was bad.”
    • White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, who has suffered a recurrence of cancer, got a warm reception when he joined Bush at the head table. He promised to return to the White House briefing podium soon for more jousting with the press corps. “We’ll have that entertainment again, trust me,” he said.
    • The association presented a $5,000 check to the Virginia Tech student paper to help its coverage in the aftermath of the massacre there last Monday.

  • Tony Snow Makes Surprise Appearance At WHCA Dinner Tonight – Editor & Publisher:
    • Some, like veteran White House scribe Helen Thomas, were slightly disappointed. “I have never played it safe,” she said. “I liked Stephen Colbert. He was with it, he has a lot on the ball.”
    • For John Roberts of CNN, Little was fine, but he preferred something “a little edgier, it is a night to let loose a little bit.”

  • Bush Doesn’t Joke at WHCA Dinner Due to Virginia Tech Killings — But Rich Little Says ‘Nuts’ – Editor & Publisher: The link has more details on the jokes…
    • President Bush was back, but with impressionist Rich Little replacing the barbed satire of Colbert, and with the usual broad cast of celebrities — from Reggie Bush to Condi Rice
    • Actually, one of the funniest jokes was Karl Rove being seated at a New York Times table.
    • Rich Little, with shockingly dyed hair, said at the outset that he is “not political” but rather a “nightclub performer who does a lot of dumb, stupid jokes,” then proved that.
    • Speaking to E&P afterward, probably aware that his routine went over rather poorly, he said, “this is not the easiest audience in the world.” But he said Bush told him when it was over, “absolutely perfect.”
    • Some in the crowd walked out in the middle of the routine– far more than left during Colbert’s performance last year.
    • The video turned to be a Top 10 list of favorite George W. Bush moments, provided by David Letterman, who said he could not attend the dinner due to yoga practice.The moments included Bush bumping his head in a helicopter, bouncing a basketball that did not bounce, the door in China that would not open, his desire to rid Iran of “Iranian influence,” and spitting on the White House lawn.

  • Rich Little: Little Entertainment – Courant.com: Again, more details on Rich Little’s routine at the link.
    • After the delightful insurrection of last year’s White House Correspondent’s dinner, where the genius booking was Stephen Colbert, this year’s event Saturday went absurdly old school.
    • They said Colbert bombed last year because the CSPAN setup wasn’t miked well enough to catch the laughs and reaction shots in the audience always showed bored people. He was making lots of people laugh and applaud at home, later on YouTube, and doubtlessly in the hall as well.

  • Rat, protesters grace annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner: ‘Russert will rat you out’ – The Raw Story: “This year Stephen Colbert wasn’t invited to speak. But as media hotshots arrived for the much-hyped annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, they were faced with a new dilemma – how to avoid the rat. A rat carrying a sign saying “RUSSERT WILL RAT YOU OUT” graced the corner of the sidewalk at Connecticut and Florida Avenues, where President Bush arrived in his motorcade. “

Ha Ha! Dangley Bits on Playstation
Stephen’s not mentioned, but how could they make a Harvey Birdman game and not have Reducto and Phil? Full press release at the link.

Isn’t it romantic?
One High School Senior talks about her dream date for prom and a couple ‘meets cute’ on a Marine base in Iraq.

  • Best and worst of prom dates – New Jersey Express Times: “After several firsthand girl fights and heated declarations of love later, it’s clear that Stephen Colbert of “The Colbert Report” is the perfect man. In Nov. 2006, he was even named one of the sexiest men alive by People Magazine.

    Colbert is extremely funny, oddly political, always well dressed and has his own Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor: “Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream.”

    But, that is not why he would be the perfect prom date — or is unquestionably the perfect man.

    After making a guest appearance on “The O’Reilly Factor” in Jan. 2007, Colbert stole a microwave from the Fox News studio and later taunted O’Reilly with it on “The Colbert Report.” Anyone who steals microwaves from Fox News for entertainment value must be the perfect prom date. ”

  • Melissa Epstein, Jason Mills – New York Times Wedding Announcements: ““We were stationed together at the same office,” Ms. Epstein said. “It was a very stressful environment, and in those situations you get to know somebody quite well.”

    They learned they both liked Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, food and running, and they exercised together on the base. ”

Seeing as it’s Sunday

  • altar of television – Domestic Psychology: ” Our tv, who broadcasts from Hollywood, we worship you each night. Thy programs entertain. Thy news informs, On earth and whomever’s in the heavens. Give us this day our Daily Show. And answer the mysteries of LOST, As we appreciate the sarcasm of Stephen Colbert. And make us not watch reality shows, always shield us from American Idol. For thine is the comedy, and the action, and the adventure, for ever and ever. Cablevision.”

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