Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist (May 20, 2007)

Nothing too major going on the Colbert universe today, but here are some odds and ends for your Zeitgeist. Enjoy!

Interview with Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), last year’s “Online Politician of the Year” on YouTube

• Dome Nation interview with Jack Kingston: Kingston discusses the importance of “alternative media outlets” like The Colbert Report in connecting with the next generation of voters (relevant portion begins at approximately 4:50). Here’s a rough, partial transcript of Kingston’s statement: “I think it’s real important because, you know what? I don’t watch Sunday talk shows. I mean, it’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon; why am I gonna stand there and do Meet the Press, watch them or participate in them? Face the Nation? Really you’ve got a bunch of old guys, you know, in blue suits who *always* seem to smugly know what’s best, and they can tell you the history of the 1988 election; it’s not really relevant to all the stuff that’s out there today . . . I was at the University of Georgia recently, an Honors class, a class that actually specialized in congressional politics, and I asked them, ‘How many of you watch the Sunday talking heads’ shows?’ None of them. Zero. I asked, ‘How many watch The Daily Show?’ About half of them. ‘How many of you watch Colbert?’ About all of them . . .”
• Want another look at the Kingston BKAD? Video here, courtesy of MotherLoad.
• Other Kingston references on TCR here and here.

Six Degrees of Stephen Colbert

• Peter Gwinn (writer, The Colbert Report) to be in tomorrow night’s “Bro’in Out with Leo & Tony” at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in NYC.
• An evening with Aasif Mandvi (correspondent, The Daily Show), “Mood: Elevated” – The New York Times: “Next, an Indian woman at a nearby table inquired if Mr. Mandvi was Russell Peters, an Indian-Canadian comedian. Once corrected, the woman’s companion, also Indian, offered an apology. (‘I love Jon Stewart! Sorry, we’ve been trying to place you, you’re familiar and brown.’) Ms. Anderson’s face looked like she’d just seen Ann Coulter. ‘That’s so racist,’ she hissed.

  ‘Well,’ said Mr. Mandvi shrugging, after the offending table had snapped a photo with him and left, ‘brown people have a club.’” [Editor's note: As a minority, myself, I'm simultaneously offended on his behalf and completely amused.]

• Amy Sedaris, et al, interviewed for Shrek 3, “Diaz, Poehler and More: A Magical Q&A with Shrek the Third’s Fab Five Princesses” – TV Guide: [Sedaris, on which fairy tale princess she would most like to be], “Snow White because of all the woodland creatures. And she also hangs out with those midgets.”
• Jon Stewart hilarious on many subjects – Star Tribune (Minneapolis – St. Paul): ” . . . Stewart is a smart, articulate and razor-sharp comedian. As any regular viewer of ‘The Daily Show’ knows, he is often funnier off the cuff than he is with prepared material.

  That’s why some of Friday night’s funniest moments came when Stewart was obviously cracking himself up.

  ‘Gay isn’t about same-sex intercourse,’ he said, chuckling. ‘It’s about thousands of boys [Boy Scouts] wearing matching neckerchiefs.’”

Reaction to the Tom DeLay interview
I’m with DB on this one; I’m surprised that the blogosphere didn’t jump on this interview. Still, here’s one reaction from Daily Kos.

• wow…. Tom Delay really is that Dumb… – Daily Kos: “Admit it… you loved watching Colbert roast President Bush a year ago… watching him squirm and listening to the strained awkward laughter of Washington dopes who wanted to laugh at the correspondents dinner but were afraid to. But you always kind of wondered… did they hire Colbert because he had a new show and was a hot item, or did they hire him because they actually thought that he was a republican? I always though that no… no one could be that dumb. But after tonight I offically change my tune thanks to Colbert and Delay…. because Tom Delay just got owned by Colbert …. and yes Tom Delay really is that dumb.”

Shout outs, references and gratuitous name dropping

• Shredding the competition – Boston Globe: “Sundays are Guitar Hero nights, which means the bar is taken over by gamers who battle one another with guitar-shaped joysticks that are used to play anthems by bands like Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, and Nirvana.

  . . .

  Since the Pianos night started last month, it has been featured in the Village Voice and Time Out New York. The night has drawn staffers from ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report,’ who work nearby.

  ‘They’re big Guitar Hero fans,’ Coolidge said.”

• The Daily Dish: The Party of Torture – The Atlantic Online: “Watching the Daily Show and Colbert last night, I felt for the first time that the plain fact of one party supporting war crimes is now on the radar screen. Most Americans don’t want to discuss this, know about it, or think about it. But increasingly, the explicitly pro-torture position of the GOP will define their party. And it should define their party. The attempt to hide behind the ludicrously Orwellian term ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ won’t work if it’s properly challenged.”
• Festival International Musique Actuelle Victoriaville: Day 2 – May 18, 2007 – All About Jazz: “Still, while there was no shortage of the abstruse wailing, guttural noises and high-pitched squeaks that were satirized so memorably in a brief segment on television’s The Colbert Report (the episode covering Zorn’s being awarded the MacArthur Fellowship Grant), hearing these sounds in the context of a complete performance revealed far more substance. Zorn’s Radical Jewish Culture work was there, sometimes subtly, elsewhere more overtly, when he’d briefly find his way to a more mellifluous tone. Equally there was no shortage of humor, with Zorn moving from loud dissonances to quiet harmonic squeals as he placed the bell of his horn against his leg.”
• More Breadcrumbs from Comey – FireDogLake: “Although the sound of crickets loudly chirping when [Comey] was asked to name a single example of an act of good judgment by Gonzales was tons and tons of fun for me–please let Colbert use that !– I really do think it was just the result of being put on the spot.”
• Pugnacious Bill Maher, the real deal – Los Angeles Times: “At those moments, it can recall ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report,’ shows that owe their existence to ‘Politically Incorrect’ and which sometimes split at the seam of humor and sobriety. Respective hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are ever performing, ensuring that their engagements with actual newsmakers are comedic — Maher will never have a moment like last week’s Colbert episode in which Jane Fonda parked herself atop Colbert’s lap for the duration of the interview — but sometimes not particularly illuminating.”
• Almost anything goes into the combo of frozen treats – Green Bay Press-Gazette: “Fink said she recently tried a brand of birthday cake ice cream with sprinkles, and liked it so much, she plans to run a similar custard flavor at Zesty’s. Her locale’s Girl Scout Thin Mint is an example of one specialty flavor that runs only at a certain time of year — O’Brien’s Irish crème at Storheim’s and Hansen’s peppermint stick are other delicious novelties. While if you head down the freezer aisle at a grocery store, the colors, flavors, and heck, celebrities (namely Stephen Colbert’s ‘AmeriCone Dream’ by Ben & Jerry’s) literally reflect the tip of the ice(cream)berg.”
• I’m ashamed I went to the Time 100 dinner – MarketWatch: “But it doesn’t feel right to be bought and sold, even for one night.

  It seems shameful that a magazine could spend so much money on a party after its publisher announced last January that it would be cutting staff by nearly 300 people. Affairs like the Time event are designed to thank advertisers, above all. (That’s what one of Time’s executives did, exhaustively, during the toasts.) The function of the working press at these shindigs is similar to that of little boys and girls at their parents’ dinner party. We’re supposed to look cute. We’re also obliged to write puff pieces.

  No wonder Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert created such a stir at one of Washington’s high-toned media gatherings.”

• Cocktails With The Man Who Killed America (er, Captain America) – SFist.com: “On Saturday, fantastic Hayes Valley comic book store Isotope played host to Ed Brubaker, who’s as hot a writer in the comics industry as anyone. Recently, a story written by Brubaker made headlines nationwide (and Colbert!): the death of Marvel Comics’ icon Captain America. While that erupted in a media storm, Brubaker’s books don’t rely on such hype — he’s just a damned good storyteller with a feel for many different genres, and an excellent command of pacing, humor, and dialogue. His other recent and current titles include Sleeper, Uncanny X-Men, Daredevil, The Immortal Iron Fist (with co-writer Matt Fraction), and his creator-owned book (with art by frequent collaborator Sean Phillips), Criminal.”