Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist: the Grammy Awards edition

Greetings, Zoners! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m still basking in the reflected glow from Stephen’s win last night at the Grammy Awards. It was the first time in many years that I’d watched the awards for more than a few minutes, and honestly, only Stephen’s presence could induce me to sit through something that normally makes me want to poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick. But totally worth it this year, don’t you think? Not just for the award itself, but to see Stephen open the show and present an award. And he got his iPad, even if it was his for only a few minutes. I’ve got a roundup of news items for you, including backstage gossip, more interviews, and a couple more videos. Here, in some kind of vaguely logical order, are highlights from the Grammy coverage featuring our favorite faux pundit.

Liveblogging the Grammys

• Gawker’s Grammy liveblog: 8:11 PM: Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue is solid, but the kicker: he busted out a f#&king iPad, teasing Jay-Z: “What, you didn’t get one of these in your gift bag?” His daughter, like the rest of America, is totally unimpressed. Also, Stephen Colbert’s daughter is totally playing along with Dad’s routine to a tee. Likable celebrity daughters! They exist.

  9:09 PM: …But Colbert and his daughter just shared a high-five when he won. More of them, less of everyone else.

• MTV’s live blog of the Grammy Awards Red Carpet – 6:51 More comedy nominees! Stephen Colbert is the guy when you think of Grammy Awards. He’s got his standard issue on, but apparently it will turn into wings! Jokes!

Backstage gossip

• Backstage Report: Stephen Colbert Down With Lady Gaga – E! Online – Best Comedy Album winner Stephen Colbert was “born for the Grammys.” So what else is new? How about him breaking into Barbra Streisand?” “Don’t tell me how to live…!” he offers in his lovely singing voice… Et tu, Colbert? Yup, the faux right-winger has been seduced by Lady Gaga. “She’s fantastic,” he says. They’re going to spray her with glue, and send her through a Build-a-Bear Workshop”… Even more surprising, the faux right-winger’s gone soft on John Edwards. “I’d love to have the senator on,” Colbert says of his Comedy Central show. “I’m sure he could use a laugh.”
• Colbert: ‘Canada’s being very un-Canadian’ – Brandon Sun – With his trip north of the border fast approaching, Stephen Colbert was still poking fun at Canada after winning his first Grammy Award on Sunday. Backstage at the show, Colbert was asked why he’d given Canadians such a rough ride on his comedy show, “The Colbert Report,” where he’s labelled Canadians “syrup suckers” and “ice-holes.” “Because Canada’s being very un-Canadian,” he responded. “This time they want to win. That’s very unpolite.”
• Overheard backstage at the Grammys – Variety – Reflecting on his ongoing gags about his awards show losses, Colbert said, “This is better. I can make just as many jokes about being a winner as I can being a loser. I’m ready to shift.” Colbert introduced the show, and its graphic motif, by pulling Apple’s just introduced iPad out of his jacket (which was custom-tailored to hold the device). “I held it for about five minutes,” he said of the hitherto unseen gizmo.
• Grammy Press Room: Stephen Colbert Wants to Sing For You – BuzzSugar – Some great quotes from Stephen in here! My favorites: On his music guilty pleasure: “Randy Travis, ‘Forever and Ever Amen.’ That song, my wife won’t be around me when I listen to it, because I start crying. I cry easily.” On if he’ll sing for an album: “Hell, yeah! If somebody will put up with me singing, you bet, because I’m a big fan of me.”

General news

• Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy bash – Rolling Stone – Stephen attended Clive Davis’ traditional pre-Grammy party: “When Stephen Colbert’s name was announced, he leapt to his feet and fist-bumped tablemates Jon Bon Jovi (who brought his 16-year-old daughter) and Sheryl Crow.” (Hah, this Jersey Girl loves the image of Stephen and Jon Bon Jovi sitting together.)
• Colbert hosts Grammys, wins 1: From the Associated Press (via the Seattle Times), a pretty stripped down summary of Stephen’s evening. More than a few articles mistakenly said that Stephen was the host of the show.
• Best and worst moments of the Grammys – Television Without Pity – Best: Everything Stephen Colbert Said: From taunting Jay-Z with his iPad, to describing Jeff Beck as having the highest score ever on Guitar Hero — without even playing — to telling his teenage daughter to “Stay away from Katy Perry,” Stephen Colbert is so brilliant that even we aren’t sick of his schtick yet.

iPad envy

• Gawker comments on Stephen’s iPad moment: The Grammys are a superslick celebration of America’s soulless musical-industrial complex, so what’s a little shill for Apple? Onstage tonight, Grammy host (nooooo, he wasn’t the host!) Stephen Colbert became one of the select few humans who have touched an iPad.
• Colbert starts iPad campaign at the Grammys – CNET – In case you were wondering how Apple intended to advertise the iPad, the answer night just be “very well.” At Sunday’s Grammys, Stephen Colbert approached the deeply onerous task of reading out the nominees for Song of the Year with singular glee. Because just as he looked lost, trying to remember where the list of niminees was, he whipped out an iPad from inside his jacket pocket. It was real. It was on. When he turned it, the screen went from vertical to landscape. And you see how portable it is, people? You can slip one inside your dinner jacket. Even a rented dinner jacket.

More videos

• Gawker Grammy videos – If the video DB posted earlier of Stephen’s opening monologue is blocked where you are, you can try viewing it here. It’s in there with many other video highlights of the evening.
• Stephen Colbert at the Grammy Press Room: Part 1 and Part 2. The questions are almost impossible to hear, but Stephen’s answers have been quoted either here or in articles that I’ve linked to, so you’ll already have some idea of what he’s talking about.

(h/t DB, Ms I, Roseha, Katt, and an especially big tip o’ the hat to Jennie, who came up with most of these links)

• Comedy Central Vancouverage exclusive: Stephen Colbert sings “The Rocky Road to Dublin” on stage at Ireland House
• Daily Show Toss Recap – Klassic
• Because you know you’ve been singing this all day
• Reasons why it sucks that Hulu is dropping Comedy Central programming