Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – May 24, 2009

Howdy, Zoners! With Stephen and the TCR staff taking a well-deserved break, this seems like a good time to catch up on some of the Colbert news from around the Internets. Here’s your zeitgeist for May 24th, the holiday weekend edition.

In honor of graduation season, the Huffington Post is running a poll of the ten best famous commencement speeches, and Stephen’s Knox College speech is included in the bunch. The poll is still open as I write this, so you know what to do, Nation — vote early, and vote often. Currently, Stephen has a significant lead with 27% of the vote, Jon Stewart is in second place at 15%, followed by Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey.

• Ten Best Commencement Speeches: See a list, take the poll – Huffington Post

  “The speeches were chosen for the intensity of their messages, humor and historical significances. It’s a mixed bag! Let us know which one you like the most in this poll.”

Last Monday’s TCR appearance by Meghan McCain resulted in a different kind of Colbert “bump” — a significantly large number of online viewings. Apparently a lot of people were interested in what she had to say.

• No Meghan McCain Ratings Bump for Stephen Colbert, But Huge Online Spike – Politics Daily

  “Meghan looked great, and even managed to throw Stephen Colbert momentarily out of characer, a first as far as I know (Um, no…), with her declaration that she is a pro-sex woman. I also have to give Meg props for resisting the enticing temptation to lick Colbert’s face.

  “This got me thinking, Colbert is famous for taking credit when politicians receive a bump from going on his show. So I wondered if Colbert would get a similar bump from having the fabulous Meghan on his show. I contacted Nielsen Media Research and this is what they told me: Tommy, last night’s airing of Colbert Report averaged 1.1 million viewers (people 2 yrs or older), which is on par with the program’s average over the last 4 weeks.

  “These are, of course, only the preliminary overnight ratings, and I would expect that a show with the bi-partisan appeal of the Colbert Report would have a built-in audience for Meghan McCain. (I’m sorry, what?)

  “The good news is that Meghan’s clip is going gangbusters online, with over 48,000 views on The Colbert Report’s website, making it the 3rd most watched clip this month after only a few hours.” (The number of views is up over 100,000 now, which appears to be a lot more than the average. But just for additional perspective, the clip of Green Day’s appearance has about 21,000 views, while the Colbert Coalition’s Giant Gay Storm ad has more than 400,000 views.)

Ever been curious about what Stephen, Jr., sounds like? Now you can find out, and make him your ringtone.

• Stephen Colbert, Jr., World’s Most Famous Bald Eagle, Debuts on Free Endangered Species Ringtone Site – Center for Biological Diversity press release

  “Tucson, Ariz. — Today the Center for Biological Diversity added the cry of Stephen Colbert, Jr. to its free, educational endangered species ringtone site www.RareEarthtones.org…

  “The Colbert, Jr. audio recording featured as a ringtone on the site is the world’s only known recording of the celebrity raptor’s voice, which most say is at least as distinctive as that of his father, Colbert, Sr. Many listeners even detect a note of sarcasm — or at least irony — in Colbert, Jr.’s high-pitched cry.”

If you enjoyed Monsters vs Aliens, this little news snippet might interest you. The movie may be making the transition to TV, although there’s no word if Stephen would be involved in any way.

• Monsters vs Aliens set for small screen outing – Contactmusic.com

  “Children’s TV channel Nickelodeon has commissioned a TV pilot based on the hit movie MONSTERS VS ALIENS, according to the DreamWorks chief executive officer Jeffrey Katzenberg.”

Finally, UGO.com is currently running a feature on the 50 hottest sci-fi women, and Jane Fonda made the list for Barbarella. But what made me grin was the mention of Stephen at the end. (Emphasis added.)

• Top 50 hottest sci-fi girls – UGO.com

  “#5 Barbarella – What makes her hot: Never has a spacesuit seemed more erotic than when it’s peeled off in zero gravity by Jane Fonda….

  “What we want her to do next: Make out with Stephen Colbert again, because really other than that, we’re not sure we want to see Jane Fonda do much of anything.” (*snicker*)

(h/t Jennie, bipolypesca, Katt, and Ms. I)