EPISODE NUMBER: 5128 (October 6, 2009)
GUEST: Lara Logan, the Mountain Goats
SEGMENTS: Swine flu vaccine drops, Why did we break up with Afghanistan, Celebrity look-alike sperm
VIDEOS: Tuesday, October 6, 2009
So, tonight’s show was vomit free, which always raises it a notch in my book.
It’s so adorable how Stephen got just a little bit flustered when Lara Logan gave him a kiss on the cheek. I loved the Afghanistan/crazy ex metaphor. I love it when the writers take a metaphor like that and keep going and going with it. When I grow up, I want to be Lara Logan – she’s intelligent, she’s gorgeous, she’s got that sexy accent, and she rocks the hell out of that purple velvet coat with accompanying ruffled shirt.
Actually, come to think of it, this whole episode was made of adorable. How cute was Stephen’s Tom Brokaw impression? And I’d love to see Stephen’s impression of “an iPhone”. I love the little easter eggs he manages to put in scrolls of things like that. My very favorite is the one he always puts in his Google searches: “Tall Women Lifting Heavy Things”. I have to admit, a huge source of personal pride is having Colbert University be the #1 search for Tall Women Lifting Heavy Things.
How did all of you enjoy the episode tonight?
- The swine flu vaccine, or as I call it, H to the N1, shot straight to top of the vaccine charts, blowing away Japanese encephalitis.
- If there’s one thing you can say about my opinion, it’s that I have them. Love me or hate me, love me. I choose to believe you mean that.
- Well, as a conservative, I have one eternal guiding principle – I am against whatever Obama wants. Unless he wants me to be against him, in which case, ooh am I on your side! I am going to agree the hell out of you.
- Why did we ever give up on Afghanistan? It had everything we were looking for in a regional conflict – terrorists, international cooperation, the people who attacked us.
- Then we all know what happened. I went to Iraq, blah blah blah, victory, you’re welcome.
- Then guess what we forgot? She is f@#king crazy! That’s why we left! She is moodier than a drunk hyena, she’s always broke, and she has a serious heroin problem.
- What is the road ahead? Do we buy them a ring, or do we start seeing other countries.
- For years, people have been loving their children for who they are. But think about how much more you’ll love breast-feeding your baby if it looks like Stephen Baldwin. Good luck sleeping tonight
- It’s so much more dignified than downing six Alabama Slammers and going home with bartender you kinda thought looked like Antonio Banderas.
- This is an outrage! I do not look like Bill Gates and Bob Saget. Jimmy, put ‘em up! Now digitally combine them. What?! That looks nothing like me! That guy has a freaky right ear!
- Formula 401: A Star Is Born – Every batch was produced while I was doing celebrity impressions.
- Formula 401 – it’s the right thing to do. Now available in maple and brown sugar.
- You named your band after an animal who has suicidal pride.
- Do you want to talk about it? Who is she, and how did she hurt you?
- So your music is cheerful desolation?
I heart The Mountain Goats and was so elated by their exchange and the fact that Stephen’s a fan and had them on (and had their album streaming a week before anyone else). I loved the way he said he loves The Bible and then Stephen talked about the money changers in the temple. It was just adorable.
Also, “talk to Richard Engel about that – he is a cutie pie”
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I really, really like Lara Logan. Even though it wasn’t the focus of the metaphor, I was totally cringing at the infidelity jokes during her segment because of that highly public affair from about a year or so ago, but I was also a little ashamed of myself that that still came to mind (instead of the work she’s done) so long after the fact. I remember being surprised and impressed with her during her interview on The Daily Show, and that respect hasn’t gone away. And I think she played very well with “Stephen”, accepting the character while still managing to have as substantive an interview as it’s probably possible to have in that brief a span of time.
I haven’t heard much of The Mountain Goats’ music before, but it reminds me a lot of some of the bands I listened to when I was in middle and high school. It’s not as much to my taste now, but I thought the interview was great, and I definitely enjoyed the show overall.
Honestly, my biggest complaint? I find I have less and less patience for the audiences at the beginning of each show now. I understand how the excitement and energy levels in the studio take over, and I can’t imagine not being able to express that if I were there, too. And I know Stephen feeds off of it, and I love that he takes that energy and reflects it back to all of us, both in and out of the studio. But it’s been frustrating me a lot lately, because I also feel like it’s cutting into the show’s time … and also because I often feel like it’s more about the audience’s determination to be heard on TV than it is about them genuinely applauding Stephen. I kind of wish there were a way to cut it down *just* a little; you know, if the audiences would start to tone it down when Stephen starts talking.[/rant over]
(Geez, I didn’t mean for that to go so long or to tie it to last night’s show, in particular; I guess that’s just been building up in me for a while.)
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Agreed on Lara Logan msi. when she said “I’m only suggesting/advocating (forgot word) infidelity in our relationships with nations”, that fact about her marriage came to mind. But she is still a kickass ballsy journalist, and shes totally hot.
At the QA at the beginning of the show, someone asked Stephen how he gets through challenges, he said music and mentioned one of the songs by the Mountain Goats. A song that he later sang with the band, it was awesome. “I’m gonna make it through this year if it kills me” (encore!)
I’ve had the same thought before about the audience, but as I’ve known for a long time, and as the staff told us at the taping, the audience is a character in the show and so we needed to be loud, i guess. I dunno, i think its fun, and more in line with the nature of the show. I know its definitely a super smart show, but I think biting and satirical comments fit more with tds, with its more news-like presentation. *shrug* i dont think i understand what I’m trying to say.
and yeah, it was an awesome taping
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Yeah, I definitely know about the energy in-studio (and the encouragement to maintain it). I guess it’s just grated a bit lately because I feel like it used to be that people would go crazy when the show started, but they’d settle down relatively quickly when Stephen started talking. Anyhow, I really did mean it as a general comment, not so much something that was specific to last night’s show.
Glad you had such a good time. The Village Voice had someone in the audience last night, too, and I’m going to try to get it blogged at some point. (Sigh) I wish my day job didn’t interfere so much with my hobby! :)
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just realized that most times when the crowd is going on and on are episodes where he doesn’t do the “tonight!” intro … i don’t understand why he doesn’t do that every night.
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I agree with you, Ms. I. Although we know Stephen feeds off the audience love, it’s become (to me) overwhelming — an introductory minute+ of hysterical applause several times a week is too much for TV.
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oh i love that song “This Year” i am so jealous. maybe they’ll post it online.
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I think the applause can be measured in a minute or less. And do you really think they’d cut out good jokes just to keep in the cheering?
I *love* the cheering. I’d like to think its genuine and shows the love of the audience for the show.
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Lara Logan’s interview was very interesting and enjoyable and I loved the dating metaphors about Iraq/Afghanistan. The Mountain Goat’s lyrics were intriguing and the interview was fun but I would have liked a better voice on the lead singer. Best of all were Stephen’s bad celebrity impressions, that was hysterical.
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Yeah, the lead singer’s voice wasn’t the greatest…he may be a great musician and lyricist, but I don’t know about great singer:( He seemed very nice though so I feel rather bad saying so. I know things can sound different on the show.
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Hmm…it’s not letting me save my edits. Here it is!
Yeah, the lead singer’s voice wasn’t the greatest…he may be a great musician and lyricist, but I don’t know about great singer:( He seemed very nice though so I feel rather bad saying so. I know things can sound different on the show.
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A really fun episode, I enjoyed every bit of it.
I don’t often listen to the musical guests all of the way through, really… but for some reason I was really digging last night’s guest. Their knack for tonal change, figuratively speaking, in their music, was pretty clever and I’m considering digging around to learn more about the band.
For about a month or so now I’ve wondered if the excessive cheering at the beginning of the show was cutting into the show’s air time as well… Every once in a while, I’ll look at the clock above my TV set and average out the time Stephen usually finishes the a-block, or see at what time he gets to the interview piece, his last segment, and see how much time he “has left” in the show to complete the interview. The cheering doesn’t last long at all, but it does get on my nerves from time to time.
In the end though, I sort of let it slide. In conversation with others quite a few years go, one friend commented to me “Why do audiences always laugh so much at Stewart’s jokes? Not all of them are that funny…” To which another friend responded, “Well, keep in mind that a lot of those fans in studio probably waited months to finally get a chance to see him in person; they’re an excited, primed audience.”
Also, personally, I think that all newborn babies should look exactly like Stephen Baldwin. That way, co-workers will no longer feel pride in parading their children around the office…
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Enjoyed the Afghanistan crazy relationships metaphor, but I don’t believe that it was written purposely to lead into Lara Logan’s personal life. But it was funny. Funnier still, was the look on Stephen’s face when she kissed him on the cheek. She’s European and that’s very natural over there. But he looked like “Oh, my God is this going to be another Jane Fonda?”
Any “401″ bit makes me giggly. I don’t know how he can do it with a straight face.
Not a fan of the Mountain Goats but I do think its cool that he’s supporting emerging artists by streaming their music on his website.
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Isn’t she South African? Either way, it seemed a sweet enough greeting …
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As much as I enjoyed the Afghanistan/Iraq bit and the interview with Lara Logan I was giggling like a 12 year old over the Formula 401 celebrity impersonations. That was so funny! I hadn’t heard the Mountain Goats before and I liked them. I’ll have to check out their CDs.
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LOL. Those impressions were gold yesterday. I loved his Tom Brokaw. I was LMAO-ing.
I didn’t really like The Mountain Goats’ performance. The singer, John, sounded like he was trying to rush all the lyrics into that song. I like the drum part, though.
Yet, I’m a percussionist, so of course a drum part would catch my attention. :P
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I loved the segment on Afghanistan/Iraq – to hear Stephen relate Afghanistan as a crazy ex-girlfriend was brilliant. :)
I did really like the interview with the lead singer of The Mountain Goats (listening to them on colbertnation.com right now actually ha); I just love that he got Stephen to give a hearty laugh when he talked about his sometimes-depressing lyrics. That was just adorable.
I’m definitely digging The Mountain Goat’s music as well and very much enjoyed their performance…I was actually hoping that was the song they’d play; it’s like they read my mind lol. I truly love when Stephen has musical guests on the show – it’s nice to get a glimpse of the type of music he likes. And the great thing is that the music I’ve heard on TCR totally fit Stephen’s personality, which I see as very mellow, but also fun and positive and upbeat. Does anyone else see that? Maybe I’m just rambling. :P
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Well, I was totally against celebrity look alike sperm until I found out you can have a boy that looks like Stephen…and then I was against it again because I don’t want my SON looking like Stephen. That would be wrong:)
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