Section 1: Dow Drop, Democratic Debate
Desk Guest: Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker
Section 2: Charleston hospital worker’s strike
Section 3: Andrew Young, Civil Rights leader
In closing: Who knows how long the strike will go on, I hope it ends soon, but one thing I’ve learned from studying the civil rights movement is the undeniable power of song. So tonight, to close the show, I’m going to dedicate this song to everyone involved in the WGA strike. But especially my writers. (Stephen Colbert) “When Israel was in Egypt land” (Andrew Young) “Let my people go” (Stephen Colbert) “Oppressed so hard they could not stand” (Malcolm Gladwell) “Let my people go”
(Harlem Gospel Choir sings, as Writers’ faces scroll over)
NOTABLE MOMENTS
- All of it.
- Wow.
- Seriously, there are no words. That was the most intense thing I have ever seen on the show.
- Sh*t, that was heavy. I’m so blown away I’m just … damn. That is all.
- Transcript of Andrew Young video can be found on the Colboards.
Fangirl Suit Report: Black suit, light blue suit, purple/blue tie with light blue dots.
In light of the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America, we have not been posting links to Comedy Central videos until the issues regarding internet-based ad revenues are resolved. But in this one case, I’m making an exception. Because this has to be seen to be understood.
i don’t feel comfortable contacting you directly. i don’t want my name to be known, just as the people who are writing the show don’t want their names to be known. i worry about losing relationships with people on the staff. i really admire all that your website is doing to help the cause, and the more i explored the site, the more i conflicted i felt about what i wrote. that being said, it is really true. stephen is performing struck work. that show is written. you don’t have to be a genius to know that when he makes a joke and a graphic or chyron appears afterwards, it was scripted – not just produced, but also scripted.
you can say that the guild screwed him over, b/c they didn’t give him a waiver. 1) two wrongs don’t make a right and 2) it’s fairly clear why the guild could not give him a waiver.
i understand that stephen had to go back on the air, what dismays me is that he is doing the SAME show. losing “the word” does not mean that it is no longer scripted.
i understand that by writing to you anonymously, i am putting you at a disadvantage. i also understand that you on this site are doing as much as you can for the writers. if you feel you cannot in good conscience post my comment, i will understand. i do, however, think it is food for thought. i also think you should know that many writers are upset at how written colbert and the daily show are.
you could always post the comment, respond to it, and call me a wimp for posting anonymously. i would understand that, too.
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@Striking Writer:
We are willing to post pro-writer views, and were hoping to contact you directly to get something we could “pop out” into its own post.
One thing that we try to do here at the blog is to focus our anger and frustration on the AMPTP, not on Stephen. And yes, most of that is bias due to our Xtreme fandom here. No, the show running writerless is not ideal. But we would rather do our best to focus our energy into getting the word out on how to end the strike, not to attack Stephen, Jon and the other shows who were forced contractually to come back to work or force dozens of other people out of jobs as well.
Please be assured that if you were to contact us, we would treat you with the upmost respect and confidentiality. We want more writer views, we really do. We do want this strike to end.
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@striking writer
I hope you and the other writers know that there are a lot of fans out here who support you and wish you a fair settlement. Stay strong!!!
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i appreciate the lengths that you are going to both to protect my anonymity and to advocate on the behalf of writers. i have to say in many ways you have defused my anger. that being said, i still feel that i need to preserve my anonymity, so i cannot contact you directly. while i agree that the corporations forced these guys back on the air, it is possible to go back on and not rely on writers and not do the same show. i think conan is doing an admirable job of that.
thank you for your consideration and your advocacy.
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i would like to add one more thing. it is precisely because you and the other fans of the colbert report are so great – intelligent, politically aware, sensitive to the plight of others- that i was moved to write you in the first place. ultimately, i think that stephen and the people who are scabbing for him do not intend to hurt the guild by doing what they are doing. that being said, they are hurting us. and, as we walk the picket line day in and day out, it is very hard to watch a show (regardless of its intention or public posture) perform struck work.
i also think it is demeaning to his writers to do the same show without them. whatever his words may be, his actions are saying to america that he does not need his writers.
the other reason that i was motivated to write was because there seems to be some confusion about whether or not his show is written. it IS written. the only way to coordinate the various aspects of the show – sound effects, graphics, camera angles – is through the use of a written script. it is naive and self-deceiving to claim that he is not performing written material.
n.b.
if you want to bust this out as side post, you still can. you know the fake email address that i’m using, so you know if the comment is coming from me.
if you DO post this, please emphasize that i’m really grateful to you and to the other fans for the support they show the writes. i’m not asking them to stop watching colbert or to turn against the show. i am hoping that someone on the show reads the post and thinks, “hmm, maybe we shouldn’t be performing struck work. maybe we’re actually scabbing, as good as our intentions are.”
for some reason people want to give stephen and jon a pass. that is naive. i’m not saying they should be held to higher standards than everyone else, but i do think they should be held to the same standards.
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i swear this is the last thing:
i think you should post my first comment. you are starting the thread with your response, but not with what you are responding to. just a thought.
thank you for posting what you’ve posted.
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@ striking writer,
I respect your point of view and think a lot of the fans are ambivalent (to say the least) about the shows’ being back on the air, and in the form they’ve taken. I know that I have given myself more than a fair share of headaches trying to figure out what the hosts are and are not allowed to do and, ultimately, I figure that’s a decision the guild will be making behind the scenes. I’m trying not to agonize about it, but it has been hard to ignore.
I appreciate that you’re weighing in and keeping the discourse as civil as possible (although the “scab” label is one that many people, myself included, find problematic). I’ve explained elsewhere why I’m still watching, but I know you all are fighting a good fight and am anxiously awaiting the day when you get your rightful due. If you can think of a way to contact us that will still maintain the anonymity you desire, feel free to do so. And if there are other ways of assisting you (aside from the many we’ve been advocating/attempting thus far), we’re open to suggestion.
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thank you once again for posting my comments. i think i’m done posting. i don’t want to make too big a deal of this and one problem i think the guild has had is the notion that there is internal dissent.
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@ striking writer,
No problem. And I agree, the perception that the guild is roiled with internal dissent is problematic … the AMPTP/Fabiani & Lehane trolls to UnitedHollywood, etc., have done their jobs well. Ugh.
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no words…this is what makes this show truly awesome. go Stephen
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This was an incredible episode, Stephen. Now, you should expand this a little bit, then make this story into a DVD for all high school American history classes. Include the interview with Ambassador Young as well.
This was a great historic moment.
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@ Striking Writer… although you may no longer be posting, perhaps you’ll still read this… know that we miss all of the writers terribly and are behind you 100%. Good luck, we wish you all the best.
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this still makes me cry, haha :\
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