Welcome to No Fact Zone’s weekly roundup of cultural references on The Colbert Report. From Darcy to Danger Mouse, String Theory to Shakespeare, we’ve got the keys to this week’s obscure, oddball, and occasionally obscene cultural shout-outs (hey!).
Hey Zoners! We’re off for break a good long while now, but it’s hard to feel sad after such a great week. Even though it was a day short, I don’t feel cheated at all, there was so much to enjoy! The return of the pinstripe hoodie, top notch musical performances, a simultaneously creepy and adorable take on The Shining. Oh, and my favorite geek-joke of the week: A! u! What were your favorite bits this week? And don’t forget to take the Better Know A Stephen Quiz – post your scores in the comments!
Monday: Intro & Stephen Challenges Shani Davis
“Obama angers our allies. I say he deserves the Nobel Prize about as much as the guy who invented dynamite.”
Ok, completely off topic here, but someday I would really like to hear Stephen say “Dy-no-mite!”. In the mid 19th century, construction relied primarily on the use of gunpowder to blast rock. Nitroglycerin showed promise as a more powerful alternative, but was exceedingly dangerous. Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel sought to create a powerful but safe explosive; his invention, dynamite (essentially nitroglycerin in paste form), revolutionized construction, and earned Nobel his fortune. Perhaps seeking to balance his legacy (an obituary mistakenly published during his life condemned him as “the merchant of death”), Nobel left the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace, to recognize those who “have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.”
Tuesday: Intro & Gold
“Christmas is coming, the goose’s cholesterol count is through the roof.”
Sing along with me, kids – Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat… (sung here by Harry Belafonte), a traditional nursery rhyme & carol in the UK and US (how about where you live?).
“It’s rich with gold! Gold!”
Oh, Yukon Cornelius as a right wing talk show host? I don’t know, he seems too sensible. From the 1964 stop-motion animation classic Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, narrated by the great Burl Ives.
Wednesday: Opening & Better Know A Stephen
“Merry Christmas, you beautiful old building and loan!“
[You'll only catch this one on the Full Episode, as it's cut off in the video segments] This is at least the second time Stephen has channeled George Bailey, the troubled everyman hero of 1946′s It’s A Wonderful Life. The Frank Capra film follows a discouraged Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) and his guardian angel Clarence, who shows him how the world would be a poorer place had he never been born. A holiday classic, just as A Colbert Christmas is destined to be [Wahoo! It's on Hulu (at 27:30)] Go watch it, you know you want to…“Dear Father in heaven, I’m not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way. There’s a bear outside, and I don’t have any nutmeg. I’m at the end of my rope. Show me the way”).
Of all the great segments this week, I think my favorite has to be Stephen’s flashback to the hallway scene from The Shining. Absolutely brilliant, expertly done (plus I love getting little glimpses backstage). The 1980 film, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson, was based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel – it still stands as one of the most
terrifying films I’ve ever seen.
And now, the Better Know A Stephen Quiz:
How many Stephens can you name?? Take the quiz, then check against the key below. 1 point for every correct answer, 2 points if you get it without Google! [Answer key is printed in white - highlight the empty space to see the text]. Which Stephens would you most like to see Better Known?
1. Stephen Baldwin 2. Stephen Chow 3. Stephen Collins 4. Stephen Crane 5. Stephen Foster 6. Stephen Fry 7.Stephen Jay Gould 8. Stephen Harper 9. Stephen Hawking 10. Stephen King 11. Stephen Malkmus 12. Stephen Merchant 13. Saint Stephen 14. Stephen Sondheim
Great quiz, wren!!! I was wondering about all the pictures! I only knew about half- if that.
Thanks for doing the work of stopping the replay and looking them all up. Fun!
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I will have a prolonged geekgasm if Stephen gets Stephen Hawking on the show. It’ll just be a big room full of awe.
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That would be fantastic, wouldn’t it? Apart from being Grade A genius in a cosmically interesting subject, he’s also pretty funny.
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Oh, he’s hilarious! Generally, whenever I’m reading his work, I’m snickering and outright laughing at various points, which invariably leads to people looking at me strangely, likely wondering what the heck is so funny about physics. Stephen Hawking, that’s what! ^_^
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Stephen DID say Dy-No-MITE! Episode 2050 – http://www.nofactzone.net/?p=1764
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Oh, fabulous!! I can’t believe I forgot this. Though, in my head, he says it with the full Jimmy Walker spirit :)
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While a Stephen Hawking interview would be epic, I squealed when I saw Stephen Merchant.
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For me, Stephen Sondheim and Stephen Colbert would be epic. Perhaps they could do a rendition of “Finishing the Hat.”
I wondered who all the Stephens were – thanks so much for identifying them!
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Stephen Hawking would be amazing!! And isn’t Stephen Merchant the co-creator of the UK version of “The Office”? That’d be pretty neat! :)
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Yes he is. :) He also co-wrote/co-starred in “Extras,” and does HILARIOUS podcasts with Ricky Gervais.
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Awesome! That’d be so fun! :)
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Personally, I’d lobby for Stephen Fry. He’s just about the sharpest, wittiest intellectual out there, with a wicked (and sometimes dirty) sense of humor. I suspect he’d be one of the few who could really give “Stephen” a run for his money. What a rolicking interview that would be!
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A comedic sparring of the greats! We’d definitely need a longer-than-usual interview slot for that one. Sarcasm is already dripping down my computer screen at just the idea.
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Me too. An interview with Stephen Fry would be absolutely fantastic.
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Stephen Fry vs. “Stephen” would be so massive! Fry would definitely play along with Stephen’s ridonkulous questions…I’m giddy just *thinking* about the possibility of an interview between those two.
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ABSOLUTELY AGREE with all of these comments about Stephen Fry. Please let it happen.
P.S Has anyone read his lovely book, “The Ode Less Travelled”?
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I’ve read through about half of it! I have to admit I’m one of those kids in school who wasn’t very interested in doing poetry (and the like) but he’s totally convinced me! I love it.
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Stephens Fry and Merchant would lead my list of Stephens I’d rather better know. Both are extraordinarily witty and talented men.
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I am very pleased everyone wants to see Stephen Fry because he would be my vote SO MUCH…in large part because because I think Stephen F’s comments would really amuse Stephen C, and Stephen C’s interviews where he’s amused are always such joys.
also probably people who follow me on Twitter are aware of my general Stephen F devotion. pretty sure wrens or something here directed me to read his blog on some NFZ a way long time ago and, all his novels later, I’ve read *plenty*. :)
anyway I am so pleased to see all the other Stephens identified, because I was looking at them all and feeling sorry I didn’t know more!
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Gah! I just re-read this post, and totally forgot to comment on the “A! u!” joke. That was definitely one of the biggest geek-jokes I’ve ever heard. And I loved it so, SO much. And I appreciate the joke so much more after reading ThngWhtSqks’s recap and learning the story behind his “that’s a chin-scratcher” response afterward, ha. :]
reCAPTCHA: “deep Loyalist”….to the Colbert Nation. :P
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i noticed stephen fry during the broadcast & i got a bit excited over the idea of that interview, but…
…if he interviews stephen malkmus (formerly of the band pavement), that will blow my indie-rock-lovin’ MIND.
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Fry and Sondheim, definitely!
A! u! keeps making me chuckle when I see anything gold colored – and that’s a lot during the Christmas season
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Oh Pleaseeeee Stephen Fry.That would be a dream coming true.
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