What were some of your favorite ‘Colbert Report’ moments of 2008?
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From the Writer’s Strike to the Christmas special, there have been some amazing moments in ‘Colbert Report’ history in 2008. Since the news cycle is still painfully slow, let’s get together with a cup of leftover eggnog (generously topped with nutmeg, of course) and reminisce about 2008.
What were some of the moments that really stood out to you in 2008? Was it the amazing Strike Show, or possibly the Rain stand-off? Was there a moment that really touched you? Was there an Urgent Fangirl Bulletin that rocked your socks off? Did Indecision 2008 leave you dreading the end of the election cycle? Please sound off and chat in the comments.
We’re going to take some of the best comments and the episodes with the most “votes” and feature them in our Klassic Kolbert series next week. I can’t wait to hear from all of you!
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31 Comments
December 27th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
well, obviously ther was meeting him, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole Rain saga, definitely. Indecision 2008 was definitely amazing!! especially Philadelphia. that was particularly cool. and Election night! my god was that great!! And of course, the Christmas special. :)
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December 27th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Meeting and dancing with Stephen made my entire year. I agree with colbertican, but would have to add the “Who Made Mike Huckabee” thing, too. I know there are other great moments, but I’ll have to mull it over and post again.
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December 27th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
how did you dance with stephen? sorry to make you repeat that info.
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December 28th, 2008 at 1:25 am
You can read a bit about it here:
http://www.nofactzone.net/?p=6816#comment-330289
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December 30th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I love the who made Huckabee part as well. One of my favorite moments of the year. Definately in my top five. I don’t have to post the rest of my list. Vigwig did it for me below.
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December 27th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
The top moments in order of what stands out off the top of my head…
1. The entire strike show w/ hospital worker’s documentary, Andrew Young & choir
2. The Conan/Huckabee feud & “fight”
3. Jon’s calling of Obama’s win
4. Stephen singing to Michelle Obama in Philly
5. The Glorious Christmas special (esp. the live studio viewing w/ the creators and Stephen sitting 3 ft from me mouthing the lyrics!).
6. John Legend “McCartney” duet
7. The “Portrait of Stephen” bit
8. Stephen talks to OMG Space!
9. Stephen’s parody of Bill O’Reilly youtube temper fit. “F*@k it, We’ll do it live!!” “This IS live” :)
10. The trashing of Cantons USA
11. Everything else! “The Formidable Opponent” explanation of the Banking crisis, the Peabody, Emmy wins, the Prescott Pharma side effects etc etc. etc.
Thank you Stephen and all the staff for such a great year! And to NFZ for covering it all!
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December 27th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
the strike show w/ Andrew Young. I got chills when they did the “reveal” that the hospital administrator was Stephen’s father.
who made Huckabee, the final 3-part installment w/ the Brawl in the Hall
the shows from Philly, esp. the one w/ Hillary, Obama, and the EdWords.
Election night
Christmas special!
“OMG Space!” was pretty amazing! seeing the wriststrong bracelet spin in zero-g was so cool, and Stephen’s glee was even better.
The John Legend duet melts my heart.
Spider naming
the saga of Stephen’s portrait
wow, looking back, it has been a momentous year for the show!
I’m sure there are more I will remember as others post. And overall … I am just impressed with how consistently the show is just so damn funny, across the entire scale from silly to insightful to cutting, and it makes me feel good to watch Stephen having such a gleeful good time day in and day out.
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December 30th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Add these to my previous list. In no particular order.
1. The Philly shows
2 Election night
3 OMG space
4 John Legend
Stephen was singing to me in this one. I was his girl.
5 Spider naming
Reading this list really helps.
And the rest is everything they do on the show. Every show is a winner to me.
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December 27th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Everything everyone has said was truly amazing, but one thing that stands out in my mind is: “Who the f@#k is Sarah Palin?”
I got into the show last summer, and that’s when I knew I couldn’t miss a show for the rest of my life.
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December 27th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
That’d have to be the Saga of Sweetness. GONNA GET US SOME BANANA PUDDING, MOTHAF@CKA!
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December 27th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I wouldn’t want him to go through that again, but the strike shows were very exciting to watch. And of course the Rain thing was epic, and the Clinton, Edwards, Obama show.
How the heck he did a Christmas special in the middle of all that I do not know!
What on earth is going to do next year? I can’t imagine a year better than this one!
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December 27th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
hmmm there were so many good ones
1) starbucks threatdown, for being totally absurd and unexpected (I was like “awww kinda lame” when he originally announced the #1 threat). the guest for that show is Tony Snow.
2) Andrew Young in January, with the strike segment and all that. so touching and very special.
3) portrait saga, eventually getting it to be national treasure, and previously being in the portrait gallery
4) feud with Conan, bringing Jon along. although the final fight did not play out on TCR, still a good moment for the show.
5) McCain green screen challenge, because the nation is so talented! my favorite was the Madonna one!
6) The City of Brotherly Crunch! that was so cool. loved the EdWords (or however it was spelled) and Clinton fixing the screen. plus Gov Ed Rendell was a fun interview. also, everyone could have fun buying those chips!
7) Stephen being caught in a Spitzer sandwich!!
8) The Peabody award-winning stickers to place onto Dorito bags.
9) having Rush on US TV for the first time in a long time (and then, thought it wasn’t apparent on the show, making Rush fans really really angry!)
10) the Christmas special! was soooo amusing. I have watched it numerous times since then. great music especially.
I probably have forgotten some great moments. now I will read what you have all written…I did not want to be influenced!
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December 27th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Rush fans got angry?
captcha: entitled BUTLER (Ha! Wodehouse shoutout)
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December 27th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Jon announcing the winner of the presidential race, and Stephen wiping a tear (?) away.
The Andrew Young episode.
Rain dance off.
The Ellen-style Sexyback dance.
The three Democratic candidates appearing on the show in Philadelphia.
There are so many great moments…I sometimes forget which were from 2007 and which were from 2008, though.
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December 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
In no particular order:
1. Stephen Colbert personally singing
“L-O-V-E” to me during the Q&A session before his taping on 9/2/08 (ok, this really is #1 for me….I’ll never forget it…thank you Stephen)
2. Andrew Young episode during the strike–incredibly personal and touching
3. Interview with Dr. Oz
4. Interview with George Johnson (electrical malfunction;)
5. Starbucks
6. Interview with Sherman Alexie
7. International Spy Museum (two parts)
8. Portrait of Stephen (3 parts)
9. Philly
10. Stephen talking about weatherizing in a very seductive manner with a rose (fangirl moment!)
11. Stephen’s Town Hall (another fangirl moment!)
12. Banana pudding
13. OMG Space! (loved his reaction when he saw his WristStrong bracelet twirling in space)
14. “The Girl is Mine” with John Legend (another fangirl moment!)
15. Vote Abstinence
16. The Vetting (2 parts)
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December 27th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
-the first minute back from the strike (ovation)
-andrew young
-sexy back dance
- volvo mayonaise festival (from around feb. 5 during the strike)
-the mr. darcy threatdown thing (about jane austen)
-the joy down
ugh, i am going to think of more
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December 27th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
the neil degrasse tyson tour at the air and space museum
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December 30th, 2008 at 10:15 am
oh, I forgot about that one. That was fabulous! I loved watching him teach the kids at the very end of the segment.
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December 27th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
the moment obama was announced president by jon.
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December 28th, 2008 at 12:30 am
10. Formidable Opponent — Business Syphillis
9. The Wørd: Acid Flashback
8. Interview with Phillip Zombardo (“I teach Sunday school, motherf@#$r!”)
7. The Philadelphia shows (especially John “Prom King” Legend & Stephen doing ♫ The Girl is Mine ♫)
6. Interview with Alan Rabinowitz, author of Life in the Valley Of Death (Stephen being moved by Alan’s story of how he became inspired to help animals is sweet and quite moving itself, and this book is really, really good. I checked it out of the library because of this interview and can’t recommend it highly enough)
5. ♫ Teach Your Children Well ♫ as sung by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Colbert
4. The Wørd: Oh The Places You’ll Stay
3. The Greatest Gift of All (♥Elvis Costello♥)
2. Indecision 2008, of course!
1. The Writer’s Strike episodes, especially the Andrew Young interview; ♫ Let My People Go ♫ montage and performance with Young, Malcolm Gladwell, The Harlem Gospel Choir and Stephen; and The Late Night Fight with Conan and Jon
Honorable Mention: Nas interview and performance, George Carlin’s Wørd Tribute, OMG! Space! w/Garrett Reisman, Dan Savage on Prop 8 and Saddleback, Jackson Browne♪Going Down to Cuba (also Yo-Yo Ma, Feist, R.E.M. and Apples in Stereo), Rain, Green Screen Challenges, Jane Austen English Baseball, and Shakespearean Candidates
Alas, compiling this list made me realize that the videos of Nas’ performance, John Legend and Stephen’s duet of “The Girl is Mine” (!!!), Teach Your Children Well ft. Colbert singing with Crosby, Stills and Nash have been taking off of Colbert Nation. :-( Unless I’m missing them somehow?
Bonus Top 5 Tosses of 2008:
5. Merry New Year
4. Horror Show
3. Just a Quickie
2. Endangered Fish and Tiger Cub Warehouse
1. Alphabet Game
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December 30th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
You are not missing the songs, they are in fact gone. I’m guessing they disappeared so ComedyCentral would not have to pay royalties to the songwriters.
If anyone copied these clips, please keep them somewhere safe and share them (quietly) with the nation.
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December 30th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Thanks for confirming FGC, and I second the last bit.
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December 28th, 2008 at 1:44 am
I’m going to have to go with the show with Andrew Young episode. That was really cool. Second, I’ll have to say was the Colbert/Stewart/O’Brien showdown fight over Huckabee.
Awesome year for them, indeed.
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December 28th, 2008 at 3:57 am
The “Who made Huckabee” battle between Stephen Jon and Conan by Far!
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December 28th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I suppose I’m a little late to the party, but I think everyone’s covered pretty much everything except BKAD (NY’s 14th) with Carolyn Maloney (aka: the breast pump). I needed oxygen after laughing so hard at that.
I think I’d also add “The Word – The Unbearable Lightness of Supreme Being”, which initiated, I think, some of the best discussions here in the comments that we’ve ever had.
I can’t wait to see what DB has in store for us!
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December 28th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Yes, for me, meeting him (Twice…!) and ofcourse the “let my people go” moment…
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December 28th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
The accession of Stephen Colbert’s portrait into the Treasures of American History exhibit at the National Museum of American History.
Indecision 2008; Colbert’s joining the Republican ranks by endorsing Obama.
Colbert performing with the legendary Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
Wilco the song.
Because everything’s better with Colbert.
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December 29th, 2008 at 3:49 am
I am a relative newcomer to the “Report” and the wonderful world of Colbert. I don’t know the exact date that TCR first aired in Australia but I’ve been watching since July this year.
One night, in the first week of some bemused viewing, Colbert signed off sarcastically with,”If you learned anything about yourself during tonight’s show then you’re wasting my time – because IT’S ALL ABOUT ME”. Kapow! I was hooked. The irony was so delicious because I had indeed been “learning something about myself”.
I’ve loved just about every show over the last 6 mths. My favorite bits were:
1. Wilco’s earnest, heartfelt, “You rock, Stephen.” He said it so sweetly and sincerely. It came across as a declaration of love, albeit it a platonic one. Stephen looked genuinely abashed.
2. Stephen putting his foot through his portrait. Hmmm??
3. The touching, but never soppy, rendition of “Teach Your Children”.
4. Stephen “tripping” in the fire place. A magical, surreal and strangely insightful moment.
5.The truly revolting chocolate cake he baked for his mother’s birthday. (Mmmm, moist!)
6. ALL of his interviews. He works so hard at them. Brilliant!
Thanks America, for letting Colbert go Global. And thanks to eveyone at the NFZ. This is a really great site.
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December 29th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Welcome to the Nation, Kate! Glad you made it our way. And it’s always fun to remember the moment that the show “hooked” you.
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December 29th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
@Kate: Welcome! You should read and/or add to the “How I Became a Fan” section of the Colbert Nation category on the sidebar.
recaptcha: minimize not
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December 29th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
[...] DB indicated in an earlier post, we are going to be highlighting some of your favorite 2008 ‘Colbert Report’ moments [...]