EPISODE NUMBER: 6107 (August 23, 2010)
GUESTS: Leslie Kean
SEGMENTS: Stephen and his writers win an Emmy, The WØRD – Losing His Religion, Aqua ThreatDown
VIDEOS: Monday, August 23, 2010
Greetings, gang! I’m pinch-hitting for DB today, and I’ve never been happier to do an episode guide. I was at the taping last night and as usual had a fantastic time. I’ll add my “taping reporT” in the comments, but for now I’ll just concentrate on the show in this post. I will make this observation: any time I go to a taping and then watch the show once I get home later, the jokes are still hilarious the second time around. That’s every time, without fail, and that’s one of the reasons I love the Report.
The celebration of the show’s latest Emmy award was hilariously perfect, and I’m glad the writers got a little camera time as an acknowledgement of their well-deserved win. They work insanely hard to turn out a gem of a comedy show four nights a week, and I’m especially happy that the award was for the first show from Iraq.
The WØRD was a strong one with some pretty sharp commentary as well as the laughs. I don’t comprehend how so many people can believe that the president is a Muslim (secret or otherwise), when it’s been clear all along that he’s a Christian. He’s shown more public support for Muslims than any previous president, but I don’t know how you translate that into actually being a Muslim. Clearly some people will believe what they want to, regardless of what the facts say.
Who knew that oysters were such sluts? Between Stephen’s obsession with shrimp taint last week, and the slutty oysters this week, I get the feeling he’s developing a shellfish fetish. The “squid-roll” computer virus has such a wtf? quality to it, that I’m finding it hard to even believe that it’s true. The story about the Jordan River made me think ewww but it was worth it for that “holy sh*t” joke.
The interview fascinated me. I’m fairly skeptical about UFOs, but at the same time, I know there have been incidents that have not been explained sufficiently. The ol’ “weather balloon” story just won’t cut it sometimes. I’m not sure that Stephen was buying what Ms. Kean had to say, but I do appreciate the fact that he let her say it without going off on too many tangents. I love the funny interviews, but the occasional informative interview can be just as enjoyable to watch.
So what did you guys think of the show? I’ll add my taping reporT in a bit, after I’ve had a desperately-needed second dose of caffeine, but until then give us your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to vote in the poll!
- The blanks are all empty in my teleprompter Mad Libs!
- I have supped on the flesh of mine enemies, and drunk the heady wine of victory! A legion of angels will anoint my naked body with fragrant unguents and tonight– tonight, there shall be tacos!
- Just like when Mitch McConnell says he’s not a human-turtle hybrid, I take him at his word. And it’s not easy. I have a strong desire to feed this man lettuce and raw hamburger.
- God-damn I miss that guy [Rev. Wright]. [Don't worry, he'll be back in 2012]
- Whether the president is a Christian or not — which again, he is — does not matter. What matters is whether we feel he’s a Christian. [A certain "Je ne sais Christ"]
- The president has no one to blame but himself. [C'mon, Biden's right there]
- He needs to go to church harder. Maybe twitter from the pew. ["OMG! Totes worshipping MG!"]
- Or at least carry a Bible wherever he goes. Like Jesus says in Matthew 5:47, “Pray big or go home.”
- Just go the full monty and let your enemies crucify you. And when you say, forgive them Father, they know not what they do, you’ll be really accurate.
- This could be the most devastating shellfish STD since clam-mydia.
- But folks, that’s ignoring the obvious question — who’s f#%king our oysters?
- Oysters, stop seducing bivalve-curious humans by fluttering your filters at any guy looking to shuck you all night long.
- Nation, the Internet is being squid-rolled!
- A major aqua-crisis at the Jordan River, a site holy to all Christians because it’s where St. John baptized Jesus, as immortalized in Mel Gibson’s classic movie, “The Splashin’ of the Christ.”
- [Voiceover lady:] “Environmentalists claim the biblical river is polluted with high levels of coliform bacteria, caused by raw sewage…” Stephen: That’s right. Holy sh*t.
- It’s not like there wasn’t raw sewage in the water is Jesus’ day. Newsflash: John the Baptist didn’t have a port-a-potty. And how do you think Jesus walked on the water? It was just that thick.
- “Oh no, the Lord can’t reveal himself as a burning bush! That might release too much CO2.” God has to appear as a compact fluorescent bulb.
- If I choose to cleanse myself of original sin by taking a dip in factory run-off, that’s my right as a God-fearing and mildly radioactive Christian.
- Maybe it’s a secret government aircraft, and you’re blowing the lid off the latest technology that’s gonna help us beat the Russians.
what a great show to start the week! i was watching the episode in my dad’s office while he was working and it was seriously difficult to hold back my laughter.
i think the “holy sh–” joke should’ve gotten a baloon fall of its own. speaking of which those “i did it” baloon falls are getting as frequent as stephen eating on the show!!
cant wait to read ur “taping reporT”
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
I love that Stephen got all of the writers out to show off their Emmys on the air, that was really cool. It was great that they did it in a way that both Stephen and “Stephen” could honor that much-deserved win. And the teleprompter bit that led up to it was hilarious. “I was so different anger word that I broke my expensive rich guy thing!” HA!
I really enjoyed the Aqua ThreatDown, too – that was a nice variation of such a great segment. And Stephen added in a couple more wonderfully bad puns with “Clamydia” and “Holy s#!t.” :P
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
I attended the taping yesterday with fellow Zoner Lilimich and her hubby, and my friend Brigid, who’s now been to several of these things with me. As promised, here are a few details–
This was my first time in the new(-ish) studio, and I was surprised to see how large the audience section is now. It seemed huge compared to what it used to be. We sat way over on the far right (as you’re looking toward Stephen’s desk) in the third row, and for the first time ever at a taping, my view of Stephen was never blocked by a camera. Not once. It was awesome.
Some of the questions from the audience– from Lilimich’s hubby: “Other than this one, what is your favorite TV show?” Answer: Mythbusters. Another question: “What Shakespeare character would you be?” Answer: Hamlet (he told the story of how he wanted to be Hamlet, not just play the part, when he was younger. Another character he mentioned was Prospero. There was also a Dungeons & Dragons question, but I’m not gonna lie to you, kids, it went straight over my head since I don’t speak D&D. One of the audience members was a friend of Stephen’s from their D&D-playing days, so there was a little bit of D&D conversation, at which point Stephen said he had just alienated 90% of the audience.
The taping itself went pretty smoothly. There were three character breaks/screw-ups, and after the first one Stephen said “that’s never happened before, I don’t make mistakes.” After one of the later ones he admitted that he might have had a little too much champagne when they were celebrating the Emmy win. That glass of champagne he was sipping at the beginning of the show, during the balloon drop? Yeah, that was gone by the end of the show. Heh.
I really did enjoy the interview. I don’t necessarily believe in UFOs, but at the same time I’m intrigued by those 5% of cases that can’t be explained. I liked the way Leslie Kean presented her case. I may pick up her book the next time I’m looking for reading material.
And the “good night” at the end of the show, when Stephen was playing with that balloon? He started doing that during the break and just kept going when the camera rolled again.
It looked like they were planning to do a toss last night, because I could see Jon’s introduction in the prompter on one of the cameras before they got started. But after awhile that disappeared and was replaced with Stephen’s usual “welcome to the Report” opening line. I was slightly disappointed at that, because I wanted to see Stephen brag to Jon about the Emmy win.
And Paul Dinello was there last night to consult with Stephen and the producers during the breaks. He was looking adorably dorky in the biggest, ugliest glasses I’ve ever seen on anyone. I can’t say enough how pleased I am that he’s working with Stephen again.
Difference makers:
+24
Yay, awesome reporT!
Mythbusters!!!!! That’s one of my all-time favorite shows too!!! You think he can’t be more awesome and then he is… *sigh*
The one thing I was wondering was why he walked so slowly and normally over to the interview table… not sure I remember him doing that before. Hope he wasn’t hurt or anything!
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
I thought the same thing when I watched him walk over to the interview table. Like Karenatasha says below- Perhaps he didn’t want to risk another wrist injury after drinking that champagne! :)
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
Awesome Ann! :-) Thanks for the report!
I have to agree with you that it’s really hard to understand how so many people can believe Obama is a Muslim. But what I always wonder is why does the President’s choice of religion even matter? That is waaaaaaaay down the list of things I find important in a President. Actually, it’s not on the list at all.
Fun show last night! I loved the Aqua Threatdown and it was lovely to see the writers get recognition for their well-deserved win.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+4
Awesome reporT! Thanks for sharing all of your details with us! Heehee, I like the detail about his champagne. :P He deserves it, since they won an Emmy! Glad you had a great time! :D
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
Aww, Paul was there? So awesome. If only he were there for another Tad appearance soon. I miss him. ;)
Shout Out (Hey!):
+2
Excellent report, Ann G and thank you for sharing the fun! And what a show to be at -sooooo many good lines and a wonderful delivery by Stephen -just pure, undiluted awesomeness.
I second, third, forth the idea to get the Mythbusters on the show.
And is it just me or is reCaptcha getting really obscure, more than usual that is.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
re: ReCaptcha, just in the past week I’ve gotten Cyrillic, Greek, mathematical symbols, and even upside down writing. Just try typing *that* in the little box!
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
Fantastic Taping ReporT, Ann G!
Ya, too bad about the Toss. Really hoped that would happen on Monday … Hoped Stephen would taught Jon to munch on his Irish ass! … LOL … And to see Paul D. as well … sounds like you had a grand time!
And ya, Stephen never makes mistakes, just births opportunities! YYaaaaa!!!
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
I was one of Ann G’s parters in crime on Monday night, and WOW, did we have a good time at the taping! She pretty much got everything in that happened, but I have a few more tidbits to share:
- For those of you who haven’t been to the studios since they were outfitted for HD and got a new set, they also redid the waiting room inside the studios. The fireplace from the old set is in there now (which I got to touch…so awesome), as is a big poster from the show’s Olympics visit, brand new flat screen TV, AND (the best part) a life-sized decal of Stephen on the wall, with his arm around whoever’s standing there, pointing at them. Obviously, they put it there to keep people occupied and to allow them to take pictures with “Stephen” while we’re waiting. Which I did. : ) They also added a water cooler, though that may have been there all along, but I can’t remember if it was.
- As Ann mentioned, the audience seats have grown in number, and they eliminated the passage way that used to split the sections in half. Stephen now makes his grand entrance from stage left. They’ve also added a drum roll sound effect for when he enters. Very appropriate.
- One of the really great audience questions to Stephen was “If you could pick 3 super powers to have, what would they be?” He debated over it for a few minutes and asked the audience member what she would pick. He ultimately settled on omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent (aka: godlike). Yep, that sounds like a Stephen answer to me!
- A childhood friend of Stephen’s was in the audience that night and actually sat in front of us (I can’t remember his name though). When Stephen was answering the D & D question Ann mentioned, he referred to him to help him remember. They’ve known each other since they were about 14 years old.
- There were several last minute rewrites to the show as we were waiting, and also as Ann mentioned, they had to cut the Toss (I was kinda sad about that). The show’s stage manager and Stephen both explained that if things like the Toss or the TOC are cut, it’s because they have too many good jokes they don’t want to cut. If something’s going to get cut, it’s going to be the TOC. Glad they did, actually — it was a wonderful show!
- As you all may (or may not) know, Pete Dominic, the show’s original warm-up comic is no longer there. His replacement, Julien (I think), has a wonderfully dry sense of humor, and I really enjoyed listening to him. Poor guy was also back from having an emergency appendectomy and a 5-day stay in the hospital. But he didn’t miss a beat.
I *think* that’s all — if I missed anything, I’ll update my post. : ) Thanks again to Ann for allowing me and hubby to come along. We had a WONDERFUL time!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
“Other than this one, what is your favorite TV show? Answer: Mythbusters.”
Yes! This is just another reason why Adam and Jamie need to go on TCR! :)
Thanks for the awesome reporT Ann! So glad you had a great time. And if I’m not mistaken, you sat in the same spot I did when I was at the Kevin Kline taping, and you’re totally right – the view is completely unobstructed and it’s fabulous. And I’m glad you got to see Paul Dinello as well. :D
PS – this was totally supposed to be a reply to your post, Ann. My bad. :P
Shout Out (Hey!):
+4
Ah, from what Ann says I think not hurt—but a little champagne- unsteady on his feet! I’m glad he decided not to run when tipsy. I have no desire for the existence of an anklestrong bracelet!
Loved the show, particularly the “Holy S#*t!!” joke and all that went with it–and it really went well with the Word and its religious focus. (As a Jew, I particularly relished the last line about the crucifixion and how that would make him seem Jewish! A fun end to the segment.)
I enjoyed the interview. It was one of the few sane discussions of UFOs I’ve heard. Mind you, the technology “we don’t have on Earth” could still be advanced secret military technology getting quietly tested. But who knows? And by the way, as a former “X-Phile,” I delighted in Stephen referencing the show.
Of course, I also was so happy he gave the writers their moment in the sun, since they were so cruelly deprived of it by the Emmys. Very nicely and humorously done.
Appropriate recaptcha: CELEBRATION orcbolo. (Or arcbolo?) Hmm, I’d better copy this before I send! [I did copy...and it's lucky. Got it wrong.]
Difference makers:
+6
I think my favorite part was when the camera first panned on the desk and there was Stephen, straightening his tie, winking into the camera and totally unable to hide his own enthusiasm. I bet he couldn’t wait to get those writers out there and show off that pretty, shiny Emmy! Well done TCR writers!!! Hope this is indicative of good things to come this Sunday!
Second favorite part: Stephen’s 3-part inflection of “I don’t know.”
Third: Stephen’s recognition of the fish on the set during the Aquatic Threatdown.
Difference makers:
+8
“Third: Stephen’s recognition of the fish on the set during the Aquatic Threatdown.
Totally agree with you! He was so genuinely pleased, it was too cute. :)
Shout Out (Hey!):
+4
“Second favorite part: Stephen’s 3-part inflection of ‘I don’t know.’”
Ha! Yeah, that cracked me up. Also, that his “expensive rich guy thing” turned out to be a faberge omelet.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I still haven’t seen the entire show, but as for the sauntering before the interview, it’s rumored that Stephen injured himself last weekend in a waterskiing accident. And we’re going to have a *very* unique taping report from this show in the next day or two, so stay tuned!
Difference makers:
+12
Oh my…where did you hear that? That’s awful. :(
Can’t wait for the unique taping report, though. :D
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Ah, I didn’t want to mention anything about Stephen’s lack of running last night, but a waterskiing accident would explain it. He didn’t run around when he first came out, either, and grimaced a bit when he got up from the interview table, as though he was in some pain. Poor guy, I hope he’s feeling better soon.
And I’m really looking forward to that unique taping report!!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Thanks for the awesome Taping Report Ann. And I’m also looking forward to reading that unique taping report.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
Superb show! What a great “Word!” It’s just amazing how consistently strong those have be over the years. And this was one of the best.
Did anyone else think upon seeing the writers: “I bet Stephen divides his writers into Tall people and tiny people.” No? Yeah, me either. ;P
Also I loved the balloon bouncing at the end. It reminded me a little of the Charlie Chaplin/Hitler bit in “The Great Dictator.”
Great to have the show back again! :)
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
“I loved the balloon bouncing at the end. It reminded me a little of the Charlie Chaplin/Hitler bit in ‘The Great Dictator.’
Ohhh you are so right! If only it had been a globe balloon. The Great Dictator is one of my favorite movies, by the by. That scene where he dances with the globe is a thing of beauty. :)
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
I’ve spent most of my life being made to stand in the front row for group photos and choirs, so I immediately sympathized with the front-row (i.e., short, excuse me, vertically challenged!) writers. ;)
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
Oh, yeah. And I’m glad the writers’ Emmy win meant they got tacos last night!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Great report Ann! It really was a fun show. For me the best part was the Emmy celebration with the writers coming out (“those are the worst writers on television”. Hee.)
However I did enjoy the interview as well – the subject of UFOs is certainly a mystery whatever the truth is and it’s interesting that it can’t be so easily explained.
I read elsewhere about Stephen hurting himself as DB mentions – hope he’s feeling better! I couldn’t help but notice how slowly he walked over to the interview table, though the interview itself was a lively as usual. The guest did a fine job and Stephen kept it entertaining.
And yes, Stephen is a Mythbusters fan! He has to have them on!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Hello, Zoners!
I was one of Ann G’s parters in crime on Monday night, and WOW, did we have a good time at the taping! She pretty much got everything in that happened, but I have a few more tidbits to share:
- For those of you who haven’t been to the studios since they were outfitted for HD and got a new set, they also redid the waiting room inside the studios. The fireplace from the old set is in there now (which I got to touch…so awesome), as is a big poster from the show’s Olympics visit, brand new flat screen TV, AND (the best part) a life-sized decal of Stephen on the wall, with his arm around whoever’s standing there, pointing at them. Obviously, they put it there to keep people occupied and to allow them to take pictures with “Stephen” while we’re waiting. Which I did. : ) They also added a water cooler, though that may have been there all along, but I can’t remember if it was.
- As Ann mentioned, the audience seats have grown in number, and they eliminated the passage way that used to split the sections in half. Stephen now makes his grand entrance from stage left. They’ve also added a drum roll sound effect for when he enters. Very appropriate.
- One of the really great audience questions to Stephen was “If you could pick 3 super powers to have, what would they be?” He debated over it for a few minutes and asked the audience member what she would pick. He ultimately settled on omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent (aka: godlike). Yep, that sounds like a Stephen answer to me!
- A childhood friend of Stephen’s was in the audience that night and actually sat in front of us (I can’t remember his name though). When Stephen was answering the D & D question Ann mentioned, he referred to him to help him remember. They’ve known each other since they were about 14 years old.
- There were several last minute rewrites to the show as we were waiting, and also as Ann mentioned, they had to cut the Toss (I was kinda sad about that). The show’s stage manager and Stephen both explained that if things like the Toss or the TOC are cut, it’s because they have too many good jokes they don’t want to cut. If something’s going to get cut, it’s going to be the TOC. Glad they did, actually — it was a wonderful show!
- As you all may (or may not) know, Pete Dominic, the show’s original warm-up comic is no longer there. His replacement, Julien (I think), has a wonderfully dry sense of humor, and I really enjoyed listening to him. Poor guy was also back from having an emergency appendectomy and a 5-day stay in the hospital. But he didn’t miss a beat.
I *think* that’s all — if I missed anything, I’ll update my post. : ) Thanks again to Ann for allowing me and hubby to come along. We had a WONDERFUL time!
Difference makers:
+9
Thanks for the reporT Lilimich! I think you actually sat on the opposite side of the room from where I did – it’s still the same row though, which is an awesome seat. I love that audience question about what superpowers Stephen would want. And don’t worry, when I was in the waiting room, I totally took a picture with Wall Stephen too. :)
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
Thanks for that! I always love to hear his answers to audience questions ;)
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
What a great show :)
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Also, hands-down, best joke of the show was, “That’s right. Holy sh*t.”
Watching it air later is one thing, but getting to see him do that joke live, without the bleeping is pure, true, and unadulterated love.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0