Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – July 19, 2009

Hey gang! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. It was glorious here in the New York/New Jersey area, so I’m sad to see that Monday morning is not too far off (boo). On the upside, that does mean a new show tomorrow night, so I can deal with it. Here to start you off for the brand new week ahead is your zeitgeist for July 19th. (Today’s zeitgeist includes a spoiler alert, so I’ll put that after the break.)

• USO: It’s not your father’s entertainment anymore – CNN.com: This story showed up on CNN back on July 4th, but it slipped through the cracks when I was doing the last zeitgeist. I didn’t want to neglect it, though, because the USO does so many great things to help our men and women in uniform when they’re away from home. The article includes some background info on the production of Operation Iraqi Stephen, which required six months of planning and a staff that included, in addition to Team Colbert, several USO employees and 150 volunteers. There’s also some very nice eye candy.
• Stephen Colbert Laughs Off His Gubernatorial E-mail – New York Times Media Decoder blog: Through his spokeswoman, Mr. Colbert cheekily responded to questions about his e-mail message to the governor. “I have a comment, but I am sending it to Mark Sanford’s office, so you can get it through the Freedom of Information Act,” he said. (Hahahahaha….)
• Colbert gives thumbs up to science fiction novel he didn’t write – TampaBay.com, “Critics Circle” blog: I am totally jealous of the jacket blurb on TV writer Michael Rubens’ debut novel, The Sheriff of Yrnameer, which arrived in the mail today. If I ever write a book, no matter what kind, I want this blurb on my jacket: “A science fiction book your grandmother will love — if she’s a lustful, violent lady.” –Stephen Colbert.

  Okay, based on that blurb, I think I need to read this book. The publication date is August 4th; check it out on Amazon. Stephen’s blurb is there under Editorial Reviews.

• The MountainWorld Blog: Mountain climber and photographer Jake Norton has a little piece posted on his blog about the photo he took of Ed Viesturs holding the Colbert Nation flag at the summit of Mt. Everest.

SPOILER ALERT!

• The Colbert Report interested in Des Moines Social Club and 2 a.m. dance ordinance – DesMoinesRegister.com: Des Moines Social Club executive director Zach Mannheimer received an e-mail from a “Colbert Report” producer interested in shooting a segment in Des Moines about the city’s ban against dancing after 2 a.m. and the Social Club’s ties to the ordinance, according to Des Moines Social Club marketing director Jessica Miller. The Des Moines Social Club got caught in the spotlight when it tried to host a dance that was planned to go beyond 2 a.m. The event got cancelled.

  A couple of updates on the Des Moines Social Club’s Facebook page confirms that this is in the works:

  • Status update: The producer of the “Colbert Report” just called us and wants to talk!
  • From the comments: UPDATE: Setting up a time for the Colbert Report to come film here, interview Zach and then they can make fun of him (and Des Moines) on national TV! I can’t wait!

  For a little more on the background of this story, you can check out this article from the Associated Press, via cbs4denver.com.

  (h/t Ms I)