The outfit was an homage to Paul McCartney, who originally sang “The Girl Is Mine” with Michael Jackson. Thank you, Colboarder Sadie07, for digging up this pic of Paul in that outfit.
Also, Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatch blog had some great thoughts about the video:
Is Stephen Colbert the new Paul McCartney?
Mar 7, 2008, 06:04 PM | by Simon Vozick-LevinsonThoughts after seeing Stephen Colbert and John Legend compete for Lady Liberty’s affections by duetting on "The Girl Is Mine" last night:
1) Why couldn’t Michael Jackson have gotten these guys for his 25th-anniversary Thriller reissue, instead of those sad, sad will.i.am/Akon/Kanye remixes?
2) John Legend is much funnier than I would have expected — he’s got enough sardonic facial expressions to launch a sitcom.
3) Likewise, Colby really oughta consider a serious singing career. Dude nails those harmony parts in the last few choruses. (Not that that should come as a surprise.)
4) Lady Liberty is one lucky gal.
All in all, a genius moment — and proof that Colbert is definitively back. Wouldn’t you say?
If (more like when) John Legend makes another appearance on the Report, they should do a rendition of “Say Say Say” as a follow-up.
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Thank you so much for posting that picture. The second I saw Colbert in that outfit I knew the audience was supposed to recognized it, but I had no idea what he was going for. Looks like he basically nailed it, as usual.
And my love for John Legend grew big-time last night.
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That Popwatch column is from Entertainment Weekly, not USA Today – but it was great!
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I’m on the mailing list for CREDO Action/ Working Assets, and their most recent email was about Stephen’s Word about telecom immunity and the Protect America Act. Of course, they praised him like they should and were quite jealous that they hadn’t written it themselves. So all of their subscribers got a nice little taste of Stephen tonight.
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Gah. I feel so young. I had no idea they sang that song.
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Well, I’m old enough to have recognized the “I’m a lover, not a fighter” quote for the original McCartney/Jackson duet, but had never seen the album cover! (Yea, it wasn’t part of my collection – lol.)
Singing in Korean has been my favorite musical bit from TCR… but this one just might replace it.
Emmy, please!
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Nice piece.
It was a great segment, and they’re right about John Legend’s sardonic facial expressions – they way he looks at Stephen after he says he will kick his prom king ass then sings ‘Don’t waste your time’… absolutely perfect.
I look forward to his next album/tour/whatever he’s involved in that needs promoting, because he should go back on the show. He’s the perfect guest – he gets what the show and ‘Stephen’ is about, he doesn’t try too hard to out-funny Stephen, he’s sharp enough to nail him too (‘I was Prom King’), and that voice is sublime and gives Stephen the chance to stretch that particular artistic muscle…
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@TraceyUK
that long beat and look before “Don’t waste your time” is quite possibly my favorite moment in the whole piece. And that’s saying a lot.
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I just can not stop watching this clip. I LOVE it. “Singing in Korean” has a contender for the place of my favorite Colbert Report clip ever. They’re just going to have to duke it out until the next wondrous moment comes along.
To beat those two moments it’s gonna have to be EPIC.
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How endearing were the Converse sneakers? I do appreciate the attention to detail in Stephen’s costume for this, and it’s *definitely* up there…though, it’s hard to surpass the Harlem Gospel Choir and “Go Down Moses”. I think that will forever be my favorite. But I echo Jennie’s sentiments: *grabby hand* Emmy Please!!!
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@TraceyUK and Catholic Colbert:
I said the exact same thing about “the moment” in the episode comments, before I read yours here.
It was something special.
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Stephen looked so adorable in that outfit. :-D
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I’m glad the album cover was posted but now I’ve had “Say Say Say” and it’s awful video going through my head all day! It’s almost as bad as the song that shall not be named from SWC–but worth it for the origin of the outfit.
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Going off-topic slightly, does anyone notice how weird that album cover looks: Paul looks human, but Michael has this weird unnatural pose like a Michael Jackson doll or something. I can’t really tell from the image, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that were two different photos put together. But anyway…
I love that duet! I haven’t heard “The Girl is Mine” since I was a kid, so I never realized how incredibly cheesy that song was until now. But John and Stephen did a great job with it! They’re both great singers and John is a total it-getter if I ever saw one. Plus, I love the circa-1983 McCartney outfit. I like how Stephen’s shirt had several buttons unbuttoned. Rrrowr! ;)
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