Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – September 19, 2009

Hey, Zoners! Wasn’t it great to have our joy machine back after such a long break? As much as I always love to see Stephen again after a break, this week was a little bittersweet with the farewell to Allison Silverman. I know we’ll miss her, but I’m excited to see what she’ll do in the future. Coming up next: the Emmys. I sure do hope we’re celebrating a big win tomorrow night! Until then, here are the latest gleanings from the Internets, your zeitgeist for September 20th.

EMMY PLEASE!

• Emmy odds: Colbert Report, Simon Baker win? – The Live Feed

  Could Stephen Colbert finally win an Emmy for best variety show? What about Simon Baker winning for “The Mentalist”? A major sports bookmaking site is putting favorable odds on both to take home honors Sunday… Here’s the rundown. The percentages represent the likelihood of each nominee winning their category.

  Emmys Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Series

  • Late Show with David Letterman: +300 (25%)
  • Real Time with Bill Maher: +300 (25%)
  • Saturday Night Live: +140 (42%)
  • The Colbert Report: Even (50%)
  • The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: +140 (42%)

Political humor 101

• The Jay Leno show and the rise of political humor – The Christian Science Monitor (This is a fairly long article, but worth the time to read it. It’s a great analysis of the state of modern political comedy.)

  [Joseph Boskin, history professor emeritus at Boston University] thinks today’s political satire promotes “awareness and engagement.” Some in the industry agree it engenders more than just laughs. “Colbert and Stewart are the most important comics right now,” says veteran comic actor John Lithgow. “They are incredibly important to the body politic. When I think about newspapers failing and important journalists looking for paying work, I think ‘thank God at least Jon Stewart is there.’ Our whole society depends on people having skeptical intelligence.”

New music on ColbertNation.com

• ColbertNation.com Rocks Out! For the First Time Ever The Site Will Stream Full Albums… – Reuters (Comedy Central press release)

  Listen up Nation. For the first time ever, ColbertNation.com will stream full albums from upcoming musical guests appearing on COMEDY CENTRAL’s “The Colbert Report.” The Flaming Lips will become the first performers to debut their new double album “Embryonic” on ColbertNation.com… The Mountain Goats are slated to make their late night television debut on “The Colbert Report” on Tuesday, October 6 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. In concurrence with their performance, ColbertNation.com will stream their upcoming album “The Life of the World to Come.”

Eco-friendly set design

• Green Production Design Gains Momentum as Eco-Friendly Options Increase – LiveDesignOnline.com

  Ellen Waggett, the production designer on A Colbert Christmas, discusses her efforts to go green with the show: When I designed Stephen Colbert’s Christmas Special last year, we built minimally. We rented flats, used recycled doors and windows, and furnished his winter cabin set from local antiques stores. I didn’t have a green mandate for his show but I try to incorporate these principles whenever I can.

Get nailed by Stephen Colbert

• Coke Zero Lets You Score an Interview With Stephen Colbert – Advertising Age

  “The Colbert Nation Interview Simulator,” co-created by Oddcast and “made possible by Coke Zero,” is an interactive application that allows fans to insert themselves into an online interview with Mr. Colbert, edit his questions, and even write and record their own responses… ColbertNation.com will roll out three more Coke-Zero sponsored avatar apps inspired by the show by year-end, including “Better Know Your District” (Oct. 13), “Formidable Opponent” (Nov. 10) and a table-turning chance to virtually interview Colbert (Dec. 8).

(h/t DB and Jennie)