Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – 5/9/2007

Slow news days always make for very eclectic zeitgeist posts. Most of the time around here, when it comes to Colbert news, either it’s Feast or Famine. Today would be one of the slower news days. So the zeitgeist is all over the place. Here’s your glimpse of Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist for Wednesday, May 9, 2007.

Politics

• Running Wild with Mike Gravel – Radar Online: Yay for Buzz Gravel! “The wave of popularity that Mike Gravel, an ex-senator from Alaska, has ridden out of the first Democratic presidential debate, held on April 26 in South Carolina, has been remarkable and unexpected. When the cameras started rolling, he was the one utterly obscure candidate of the eight on stage, having kept his distance from politics since 1980 and (in his own words) “hiding under a rock” for much of the interim. Ninety minutes later, he was a sensation. He’d been smashing: hilarious and provocative in just the right balance. (For a highlight reel, click here.) “You people scare me!” he’d hollered at his rivals, calling out Barack Obama in particular for seeming to consider the option of using nuclear weapons against Iran. He’d made a slam dunk comment about Joe Biden’s arrogance and decried the military-industrial complex as a cancer on American culture. In his eyes, the war on terror was as bogus and illogical as the war on drugs. Blogs and MySpace pages were instantly abuzz with approving messages. Producers from the Situation Room, Hardball, and The Colbert Report came calling. And, as final proof that his appeal was not limited to online devotees of fringe politics, Today, the most-watched news show in America and staple of white-bread middle-brow programming, had decided to profile him.”
• Colbert calls out Oregon’s 3rd District – BlueOregon.com : “In his intro to his review of Virginia’s 11th District, Stephen Colbert talks about his “favorite district”. And it’s not Oregon’s 3rd — represented by Earl Blumenauer. Will Congressman Blumenauer respond? Will he defend the honor of the 3rd? And what explains Colbert’s betrayal of the Fightin’ 3rd? After all, he seemed rather taken with it when he talked to Blumenauer last year.”

Had to go waaaaaay back for this reference on ‘The Colbert Report’ reference

• Go ahead, make my day – National Review of Medicine (Canada): Interview with George Smitherman, Ontario’s outspoken, openly gay health minister and deputy premier – “Stephen Colbert [the host of the satirical Colbert Report] was sure impressed. He saluted you, saying “Bravo, sir. Optometrists are a menace. You have to be careful with a group that gets their kicks blowing air into our eyeballs.” I figured ‘As long as they are using your name…’ If it’d been Jon Stewart, I would’ve felt worse. I like him miles better.”

Why didn’t they have classes like this when *I* was in college?

• Telling Bogus From True: A Class in Reading News – NY Times : This article mentions ‘The Daily Show’, but I still thought it was kind of relevant so I thought I’d share – “Mr. Schneider and his colleagues approach the subject from an array of angles. The class watches “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, and debates whether it is news or entertainment. They read news articles and commentary, and then formulate critical distinctions between the two. They try to differentiate journalism and propaganda, and they discuss what makes something news and who gets to decide. They scrutinize newspaper and television news stories, analyzing which kinds of sources are reliable and which are not.”

Six Degrees of Stephen Colbert: The Overpublicizing of Shreck II version (Amy Sedaris)

• Amy Sedaris doesn’t give a …. – The Coming.org: Click on the link to see the pic and the punchline to this funny screencap.
• NOBODY AT THE PREMIERE Glenn’s Gay Blog: The stories of one man’s adventures at the Shrek 3 premiere – “Ok, so now it’s the big day. You couldn’t have asked for better weather on a Sunday morning. My Plus-one and I parked the car and walked over to the Mann Bruin Westwood theatre. The red carpet was heating up. From a distance I could see Amy Sedaris talking to E! It doesn’t get any better than that. Once you’ve seen Jerri Blank, you can go home.”

At least he had a good excuse

• TIME SETS TABLE FOR 100 – NY Post: “It started more as a one-time marketing gimmick, but now the Time 100 list of “most influential people in the world” has become an annual event, one that gave some welcome bulk to the weekly that hit on Friday and gravitas last night to a glitzy, black-tie dinner overlooking Central Park. … Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert was a no-show – reportedly due to a daughter’s broken arm. “

Gratuitious Name Dropping

• Steelers’ ’02 draft was special – Scrippsnews.com : Um … what? “With draft speculation having grown into its own industry, any attempts at prudence have been sorely compromised, as when Kevin Colbert, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ personnel chief and star of The Colbert Report, mentioned the other day that his personal analysis of last week’s draft won’t be fully useful for two or three years. “
• Ask a Mexican – but beware the answer – Fortwayne.com : “Arellano’s humorously combative style has propelled his “Ask A Mexican” column to the pages of 22 alternative newsweeklies across the country, to television programs like “The Colbert Report,” and to a new compilation book of the same name, out this month.”
• Those crazy Catholics – Erin’s MySpace Blog: “Reasons why people think we [Catholics] are “crazy” … You’re of the opinion that Stephen Colbert should be Canonized.”