Good afternoon, Zoners! Is everyone having a magnificently wonderful weekend yet? With highs only scheduled to be in the low 90′s today here in Dallas, I feel like I should be busting out my parka. The hubby and I are going to the new Hard Rock Cafe in Victory Arts Center here in Dallas tonight, then margaritas by the rooftop infinity pool here at the Mosaic lofts, so brunch this morning is a modest offering – eggs, a biscuit, and some sausage.
I’d like to do a little bit of horn tooting, and mention that yesterday was No Fact Zone’s third anniversary! I started this blog on July 16, 2006, with little fanfare and the hope that I could build the site that I wanted to find when I first started watching the show. Now, we truly are the #1 Stephen Colbert Fan Site on the web. Seriously. Try this – go to Google, type in: Stephen Colbert fan site, and then click the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. Cool, huh?
Here’s some stats of our little blog over the course of our three years:
- UNIQUE VISITORS – 2,168,138 (914,501 in the past year)
PAGE VIEWS – 3,999,578 (1,604,538 in the past year)
POSTS – 4,900
COMMENTS – 38,605
It looks like we’re going to hit our 4 millionth page view at some point today! That’s a fantastic feeling, I have to say. When I started this thing three years ago, I could never have imagined how huge this site would become. Thanks to Jen from Draknet and her wonderful mad hosting skills, and all of your donations, we’re now on our own dedicated server, and able to withstand even more growth as we continue on to the next year.
Of course, this site wouldn’t be nearly the wonderful site that it has become without our wonderful Completists. MsInterpreted and Jennie have lead the pack for years, but this year, we’ve gained a whole new crew – Cole doing the calendar and re-starting the Fantasy Colbert League posts, verbaltypo doing the Fangirl Suit Reports, wren doing the outstanding Apopcalypse posts, Tiger helping us with Six Degrees of ‘The Daily Show’, LadyNocturne bringing us weekly Klassic Kolbert, nerdygirl doing the toss recaps, and last but not least Ann G. doing the zeitgeist posts. We’ve also had some special support from Val, Kinasthesia, FurElise, Porter, bananerehe, JennywithaY, and of course all of you Zoners who contribute daily in the comments and who send us tips that make our blogging life much easier.
We’ve also had some memorable moments this year, such as the Philadelphia and Iraq shows, the Christmas special, and at least for me, the October 20th show. Good times!
So here’s my question for all of you Zoners to get the talking started:
What has been some of your most memorable moments at No Fact Zone and in the Colbert fandom this year?
This could be anything from your visit to the show, to a particularly great comment thread here, or a link to your favorite piece of eye candy from the past year. Do share, and do tell! Here’s my favorite piece of eye candy from the past year – this delicious shot from the Thunderbirds flight Stephen made for a segment for the Iraq trip.
Sweet baby Jesus, that's hot
And one last thing – I sincerely thank you all for being active, spirited members of the community we have built here at No Fact Zone. We’ve got lots of things to bring to the table for next year – more interviews, more contests, and of course, the great daily news coverage about Stephen Colbert, ‘The Colbert Report’, and our favorite bits from ‘Daily Show’, Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello, and other related fandom goodies. We do this because we find it so much fun to share, and to celebrate Stephen Colbert together, praise and glory to his name, peace be upon him. Thanks for taking this journey with us.
Fave moment? That one’s easy: getting chosen to ask a question at the October 20 taping, and trying to teach Stephen a tap time step. Also, sort of getting to meet DB, and whoever was with you. I still haven’t figured it out! Was it Ms. I? Kinesthesia?
My TCR taping was the Best. Day. Ever.
Congratulations on three wonderful blog years, DB and all the Completists!
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Did you write up a taping report? That sounds fantastic! I’d love to hear more about it!!!
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I did, and it’s on this page. Scroll down about half way.
http://www.nofactzone.net/?p=6816
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Thank you! Great report!!! I love tap dancing but I’ve never learned how. I’m a huge Fred Astaire fan. That must have been really something!!!!
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Actually, MsI and Kina were both with me that day. And my husband. :)
I still feel bad that I didn’t come over and actually shake your hand, but I was so freaked out I wasn’t much good to anyone. As you might imagine.
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No kidding. You were like the guest of honor! Escorted backstage by our fave Mark Malkoff, etc. And the pre-show room what pretty packed. We did at least wave at each other. Fun memories.
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Congrats and thanks to all on another NFZ milestone, for all the joy and fellowship. I guess my fave moment this year were the Iraq shows and the Election night coverage. My fave all time fandom moment was when Stephen sang my parody lyrics back to me at his IAAASCY book signing, laughed and said, “nicely done!”
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My favorite part of Nation-dom this year was the lead-up to “A Colbert Christmas”, and of course the special itself. I loved the long anticipation of getting tiny bits of info on what the show would entail and all the squeeing and excitement every new bit generated, both individually and on here.
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well I have gone to a taping in the past year, but I gotta say, I thought the Emmys this most recent time was great. I don’t even know why, Stephen lost to RICKLES!! but the win for writing, the introduction of the writers on the Christmas set, all the stuff from afterward, experiencing it online…it was all great! I was sooo excited when they won, I was watching on TV and after I heard I couldn’t keep my fingers still, had to type out my excitement. while I had a great time at the taping, this public moment just tickled me.
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My favorite moment has to be going to the taping June 23rd. It was my first one and an experience I’ll never forget. I was able to accidentally meet Stephen the night before (I’m still pinching myself) and then at the taping, he sang “Fly Me To The Moon” by my request, and then after the show, I met him again and got a picture (and was sang to some more). Not only that, but I was able to share these wonderful moments with my two sisters. Be still my heart…….Oh how I do love you Stephen. ;)
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Wait a minute. How did you accidentally meet Stephen the night before?!
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:D We were in NYC for our first night and after we ate I decided that I just had to get over to the Studio to see it, even though I was going to the show the next day. My excuse was that I didn’t want to get lost and be late. As we walked around taking pictures of everything, I was a ways down when I saw a car come speeding up to the building. There were a few girls around and a security guy (who I met later, SO NICE!) and then……Stephen! My sisters didn’t think it was him but I knew. He signed some books and took a picture with the girls and then turned and shook me and my sisters’ hands. I told him we’d be going to the show the next night and he smiled and said “Good! I’ll see you then!” and left. It was perfect timing, without even trying! We were on cloud 9 after that, not believing what just happened. It was incredibly surreal.
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Wow! How fabulous that you received a double-dose of Stephen…or should I say triple-dose (pre-show, during show, after show)?! Thanks for sharing. I have to say “Be still my heart” to myself everyday. I understand;)
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Happy Anniversary to No Fact Zone!!! You have some awesome stats, wow. I love this site so much. If something Stephen-related has been posted here, then I know I can believe it. I trust you guys and it’s just such a fun site!
So, my favorite fandom moment of the year? I’d have to say the Iraq shows. They were just so amazing and heartwarming and inspiring and hilarious! I’ve only been in the fandom for a year now, so I don’t have much to choose from – haha. Hopefully, one day, I can add my own taping experience to my favorite moments. For now, I loved the Iraq shows. :)
Keep doing what you’re doing guys! I really appreciate this site! :)
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This site rocks! Can I just say that? I’ve been browsing this site since the early days, and it’s always been my go-to source. I seriously don’t know what I would do without it considering I come about 10 times a day!
The Iraq shows are such a highlight of this past year. When I first heard he was going, I wasn’t too excited about the news, but those episodes were so incredible. Seeing how happy Stephen was over there put it over the edge.
On a personal level, talking to Stephen about the crafts I do during the pre-show Q&A was quite a highlight. It is just the most thrilling thing to go to tapings. You wait outside so many hours (and in one case, in about 30 degree weather) for 30 minutes of complete bliss. It’s wonderful.
Can’t wait for the next 3 years!
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Congratulations, everyone! Just when I was about to ask about stats on visitors and page views (I’m very curious about these sorts of things), you guys come in right on time.
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Our Sitemeter stats are open, and there’s a link at the bottom of the page. You’re more than welcome to check them out at any time.
We’re total stat junkies, and I love to see how people are getting to our site and where they’re coming from. I also run Woopra, which is administration access only, but it’s addictive because it’s live stats, so I can watch people come and go. Don’t worry, there’s no names to the stats, just locations. :)
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I think my favorite part of the past year probably has to be all the buzz around A Colbert Christmas, and then the special itself. (Actually, in this setting I feel free to own up to the fact that I semi-accidentally watched about 1/3 of ACC last night, because Christmas in July is Never Wrong). I’ll be so happy if they win an Emmy or two, especially for the songs.
The Iraq shows would be a close second. And in other news, yet again, I did NOT win the VIP tickets drawing at CN. Grr.
ReCaptcha: “semifinalist screech” Can’t help but think this might be an Emmy preview?
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Happy 3rd anniversary, NFZ!
My personal favorite fandom (hah, I almost typed “fangirl”) moment from the past year was going to a preview screening for the Christmas special while it was still a work in progress. Having Stephen introduce and explain it to us, then getting to hear the songs for the first time, and laughing until my sides hurt made the whole experience so memorable.
The Iraq shows are another great milestone from the past year. I’m still so proud of Team Colbert for pulling it off so successfully.
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By far my fav moments have been being able to contribute links =)
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And you’ve done an awesome job finding those extras for us!
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thanks jentaps. I enjoy Colbert, and consider myself a fanboy because he is a great satirist.
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Happy Birthday No Fact Zone!
When I found this site during the hoopla over the Presidential election last year, specifically around the time when Sarah Palin was tapped to be VP, I knew I was in a very special place.
Thank you to DB, the Completists and all the Zoners! :)
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Congratulations, and happy third anniversary! My favorite moment? May I narrow it down to my top three? Election night & the Inauguration (ok, so my top three-ish!); A Colbert Christmas – I’ve been listening to the songs recently (Yay, Christmas in July!), and they just get funnier the more I listen; The Iraq shows, including the first toss from Jon once Stephen and the crew returned. The links from Roland made me feel as if I had a backstage pass.
Thank you everyone, especially DB – while I have friends who watch the show, my family, closest friends, & co-workers don’t. Thanks for giving me an outlet for my fandom, and for all the links to shows from before I began watching last year.
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Yeah, what is it with family, friends and co-workers? None of mine watch the show either. I wonder sometimes if there are Colbert obsessed fans anywhere around where I live. In the years I’ve been wearing my WristStrong bracelet, only a guy on the train, and two guys at Ikea have noticed it and known what it was. It’s a total ice-breaker for it-getters.
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So true! I often reference the show to friends–especially when topics of conversation have been directly addressed on the show! I guess we can’t all be it getters!
I also check out red rubber wristbands on others to see if it says “wriststrong!” But, my Colbert totebag is a nice ice breaker! I use it while grocery shopping and almost always gets a comment.
Maybe we need some regional clubs?! :)
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I thought I might share a more obscure, yet memorable moment for me on No Fact Zone. It took me awhile to track it down, but I found the posting! The last TCR episode before break last year (12/11/2008) generated an amazing discussion on religion initiated by eirracoes (not sure if she’s here anymore…I hope she is!). The dicussion came from The Word that evening which was “The Unbearable Lightness of Supreme Being.” I just loved how everyone was able to have differing points of view yet still respect each other. Here are the links to the TCR segment and the subsequent posting on NFZ:
1. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/213737/december-11-2008/the-word—the-unbearable-lightness-of-supreme-being
2. http://www.nofactzone.net/?p=8516
Other memorable moments for me this past year:
-continually reading the “How I Became a Fan” postings on NFZ
-Stephen singing “L-O-V-E” to me during the Q&A session at taping
-Iraq shows (especially the Thunderbirds segment!)
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did you request a song?! lol. i wish i was that brilliant. :)
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Yeah. I said “You began singing L-O-V-E to Michelle Obama during the Philadelphia primary, but you were rudley interrupted. I wondered if you could finish it now.” I still can’t believe I said it. True love know no boundaries;)
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I’ve just been watching Stephen for about 6 months, so it’s hard to make a pick. I have a special love for his “birthday” show, though, with all the insane food and drink. But there were so many great threatdowns and tip/wags and interviews, it’s hard to pick – mmm Philippe Petit? The first night in Iraq with the (sob) buzzcut? Daisy the cow?
Thanks so much to DB and all the contributors, this site is so much fun to come to. And thanks to Stephen and crew for such a great show.
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Happy Anniversary, NFZ! Thank you for all the phenomenal work that you do everyday. It’s so impressive how you are able to do everything from keeping up with the Stephen media blitzes when they occur to reporting on the most obscure Stephen-relevant facts. I love starting every day by checking to see what NFZ and the Community has to say.
As obscure as this may be, my favorite fandom moment this year was realizing that Stephen’s framed picture was sitting on a table behind Hugh Laurie in a January episode of House. Something about that really made me laugh. I figured no one in a million years would have noticed that except the folks at NFZ. Sure enough, when I went to NFZ the next day, a post was already up!
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I find it almost impossible to nail down one specific moment — there have been so many! I think all the Colbert Christmas coverage was definitely up there, along with the live blogging during election night.
Big, huge thank you to everyone for doing what they do to make this site as truly awesome as it is and has always been. I’m truly grateful for finding a place to engross myself in all things Stephen and even more so for finding a wonderful group of people who love to do the same. : )
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Happy Anniversary, DB and No Fact Zone!
I think my biggest moment in fandom in the last year was being asked to contribute here — I consider it a huge honor and am still tickled that I get to participate.
Some favorite moments from the show: the anticipation leading up to the Iraq shows was almost more than I could bear, and the shows themselves did not disappoint, either. The Christmas special was fantastic.
Also, hearing Stephen mention nofactzone.net during the show that one night was pretty awesome.
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Oh yeah, the Colbert Bump was pretty awesome. That was definitely my #2 coolest moment of the year. I also loved the ColbertNation.com revamp, with the all-access videos, and the permalink on the community page.
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Congrats NFZ!!! I am going to have to cite the taping I attended as a highlight this past year: October 23. I managed to ask a question and Stephen broke out in song and dance and at the end of the show I recieved a handshake/mini hug! A truly wonderful experience (my sister and I reference it more than our family and friends would like, I think ;)!
Though I lurked around this site starting last summer, I don’t think I actually contributed or commented on anything until this past winter. Thanks everyone for making it so easy to voice opinions, thoughtfully reflect and just share favorite moments and laughter. DB, the completists, and the rest of the zoners make this a go to stop everyday. I especially like the “Spoiler Alerts” and up to date info you all magically post to keep me in the know…little bits regarding A Colbert Christmas and the Iraq shows helped build up to and add to all the excitement! Thanks!
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Congratulations on your 3rd anniversary of the site! You Completists work so hard and so very successfully in gathering news and info out there on the web to keep it’s site’s followers the most informed readers about everything Colbert possible. As I’ve said before, one can feel the enthusiasm and excitement behind every posting on this site. It’s truly a fun place to visit. Continued success to you and Stephen way, way, way into the future.
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Now that I’ve found this site, I don’t know what I ever did without it! You guys have done such amazing work! Congratulations on 3 years!!!!
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YAY! congrats on the anniversary. :) i just got home from new york and a live taping of the report. so, july 14th 2009, hands down my favorite personal fandom moment. :D it was so great to finally see how it works, get to experiance first hand how great and good TCR staff are to the fans. and of course, getting to ask stephen a question was my beautiful. i also love the support we all have for each other. though seperated by miles it’s fun how we all keep in contact and meet each other in random ways. i’m greatful for fellow fangirls to swoon with. :D having been introduced to nofactzone this year, the discovery and my taping were great moments. keep up the great work!
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What was your question?! Do you have a taping report?
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i was without internet for an entire week while in nyc (scary i know). i’ve been excited to type one up. :D look for it soon! i’m afraid it wasn’t very original, i had like 5 questions in mind and when he actually called on me it was just the first one to spew out.
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Oh, so awesome! Can’t wait to hear your taping report!
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Thanks, ColbertGirl27. I know I saw that particular Word, but I can’t imagine I didn’t post a response … unless I hadn’t started posting yet. I honestly can’t remember how I found NFZ – but I’m awfully glad to be here.
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I think it was a couple of months before I began posting here, so I can understand. I can’t remember how I found my way to NFZ either, but it’s a great place to be!
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Awesome – you’re so lucky! I can’t wait to read your taping report! :D
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Aw, happy anniversary, NFZ. :)
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