zeitgeist2Greetings, Zoners! The end of the year is mere hours away, so it’s time to wrap up 2009 and prepare for the onslaught of 2010 as we wait for the Report to return in its new and improved HD version next week. For the final zeitgeist of the year we’ve got another speedskating update, some more “best of” lists, and a few odds and ends that have been kicking around my inbox for a few weeks.

US Speedskating update

The final events of the national long track championships happened today out in Salt Lake City, and a few more skaters earned places on the Olympic team. Here’s a quick rundown of the results:

  • Nick Pearson won the men’s 1000m with a time of 1:09.05.
  • Rebekah Bradford won the ladies’ 1000m with a time of 1:16.36
  • Maria Lamb won the ladies’ 5000m with a time of 7:09.62, a new personal best for her.
  • Ryan Bedford won the 10,000m with a time of 13:20.47

And here’s the final 2010 U.S. Olympic team for long track speedskating:

  • Men: Shani Davis, Chad Hedrick, Trevor Marsicano, Nick Pearson, Brian Hansen, Tucker Fredricks, Mitchell Whitmore, Ryan Bedford, Jonathan Kuck
  • Ladies: Jilleanne Rookard, Jen Rodriguez, Heather Richardson, Elli Ochowicz, Catherine Raney Norman, Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jr., Lauren Cholewinski, Rebekah Bradford, Maria Lamb

Congratulations to all! The Colbert Nation will be cheering you on in Vancouver! Many thanks to US Speedskating (on both Facebook and Twitter) for updates throughout the day.

More “Best of” lists

  • Best TV Musical Collaborations of 2009 – Hulu Blog: 1) Stephen Colbert/Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind (Part II)”: We already knew Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert could sing (see his 2008 Christmas special for proof) but we were absolutely delighted to learn that the political satirist can rap, too.

  • 26 Classic Holiday TV Episodes – EW.com: 26. A COLBERT CHRISTMAS: Yes, Stephen Colbert puts current events into proper perspective on his Emmy-winning Colbert Report, but the dude can also sing. On this new classic special, he gets into tune with the holiday spirit with help from Willie Nelson, John Legend, Feist, and — a Christmas miracle! — Jon Stewart.

  • The Top 10 Series of the 21st Century’s First Decade – TV Historian: 3) The Colbert Report (2006-present): Spinning off a correspondent from The Daily Show to spoof Bill O’Reilly pompous nightly commentary show on Fox News seemed a limited possibility at first, but Stephen Colbert took the challenge to heights unimagined… There are more laughs per show here than almost all other comedies currently in production.

  • The Best of the 00′s: Television shows – Televised Revolution: 5. The Colbert Report… The Colbert Report is one of the finest studio-based TV shows the medium has ever produced. Despite the pure absurdity of the character and situations built around him, the show manages to highlight fundamental truths that exist within a changing US culture.

  • The 9 Top Spaceflight Stories of 2009 – SPACE.com : 9. Stephen Colbert Reaches Space (sort of): Early in 2009, NASA faced a surprising, if hilarious, challenger this year in the form of comedian Stephen Colbert… Colbert urged his online fandom to use a write-in option for a NASA naming contest involving a new International Space Station module. He amassed 230,000 votes… and won. The exercise in Web 2.0 democracy thrust the space station back into the public limelight, and showed how NASA could engage new audiences in the thrills of space exploration.

Odds ‘n’ ends

(h/t Ms I and Katt)

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