We blogged the (fabulous!) transcript of this interview yesterday, but the polished article is out now, too. Here’s Philadelphia Daily News‘ Ellen Gray, talking to an out-of-character Stephen Colbert:
Ellen Gray: Late-night Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert to broadcast here starting tonight
By Ellen Gray
Philadelphia Daily News
Posted on Mon, Apr. 14, 2008
Daily News TV Critic
THE COLBERT REPORT. 11:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Comedy Central.
IF STEPHEN Colbert is to be believed – and depending on where he’s doing the talking, that’s a big if – birth order matters.On air, Comedy Central’s Peabody Award-winning late-show host is a charming egotist, self-centered as a 2-year-old but with the slightly more exalted vocabulary of a cable demagogue.
Off air, he’s more like that toddler’s amused but definitely adult father, delighting in his child’s spirit and stubbornness but never losing touch with reality while offering shrewd analysis of the 2-year-old’s world view.
Or so I’m choosing to deduce from a frequently interrupted post-show phone interview last week conducted while Colbert, who’s bringing “The Colbert Report” to the University of Pennsylvania’s Zellerbach Theater starting tonight, was being driven home after a long day.
No wonder the guy warns viewers against reading
The issue of birth order arose as Colbert was trying to explain why his show gets away with the kind of in-your-face product placement that’s led to his trip here being dubbed “The Colbert Report: Doritos’ Spicy Sweet Pennsylvania Primary Coverage from Chili-Delphia – The City of Brotherly Crunch!”
“I don’t think Jon ['Daily Show' host Stewart] could get away with it. He’d be above it,” Colbert said.
“For some reason, my character can get away with a lot. My character reminds me a lot of me in this way, in that I’m the youngest of 11 children. All my brothers and sisters used to say to me, ‘You get away with everything.’ ”
Indeed he does …
There’s also a related article from the Philadelphia Daily News on the show’s recent honors here: “Just who is this guy & why is he here?” Thanks for all the coverage, Philadelphia journalists!
Nicely put together. I really liked being able to read all the direct quotes she got from her phone interview before she wrote the entire piece. Way to go, Philly journalists!
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