EPISODE NUMBER: 7007 (January 12, 2011)
GUESTS: Bernard-Henri Levy
SEGMENTS: 50 Cent Makes Money on Twitter, The Word – Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Angriness
VIDEOS: Wednesday, January 12, 2011
O hai! Still deciding how we’re going to do the open thread/episode guide discussions, but please pardon the dust as I do a bit more scrambling to get the content back on track.
I watched this episode today on my lunch hour, and it had everything I love about the ‘Colbert Report’ – completely unrelated news that Stephen makes all about himself, a magnificently biting WØRD, and an amazing guest. It was just flat out entertaining to watch the back-and-forth with Bernard-Henri Levy and Stephen during the interview. There was such a great balance between the real and the silly, the character and peeks of the real Stephen. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
So what did all of you think of the episode?
I found this episode to be the most enjoyable and entertaining , i think perhaps since i started watching in April. Like you said DB, it had everything. The Word was just superb, spot on and hilarious. I loved the final line about having the right to be angry being more important than the right not to live in fear.
The interview! AAAAAAAAAAAAAMAZING! You could tell Stephen was just having a ball. I am soooo grateful they split it into two parts!! How many times have I wished an interview could go for longer, finally it has been granted! And when Bernard said to Stephen, you are a kind of public intellectual, i just cheered! And Stephen looked almost a bit embarrassed LOL and then said, You shut up! That was adorable. Wow i am on such a high from this episode.
Also, I live in Australia and until recently (before it got permanently taken off free-to-air tv) watched TCR on ABC2. For the past couple weeks I’ve been watching the vids on colbert nation but my download limit is so low that i can’t keep this up. Pretty soon i will be over and everything will download at an unbearable snail’s pace. I don;t know what i;m going to do. I watch the daily show on tv, and still, when it finishes i get this flutter of excitement and move to the edge of my seat as usual until i remember TCR is no longer Coming Up Next and i just feel so sad :(
Difference makers:
+6
TDS is being taken off air at the end of january too.. :(
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
That “Word” was fantastic. So much that needed to be said, and I was happy that he used that segment to say it. I only wish it could be sent out to the people who needed to hear it. And the 50 Cent bit was funny, too-I particularly loved the 10 c and 40 c thing, and Stephen rattling off all the rappers.
And the interview…god, I love it when TV gets all brainy like this. Stephen looked genuinely excited to be discussing such a topic, he and Bernard had a great conversation (the book sounds quite interesting, I may have to seek it out), it was wonderful.
To say nothing of hearing Stephen speak in French. Ooh, la, la…:D.
Yeah. Great episode.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+3
The Word was excellent! I really enjoyed the interview and wish it could have gone on even longer.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+2
Great Word, fun, charming and interesting guest, Stephen speaking French -it was great!
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
Loved it and found myself laughing and applauding (would that be claughter?) when Mr. Levy said that Texas was not the most democratic state. As someone who lives in the Lone Star State, allow me to say, Oh how right he is!
As always, the WØRD was incredibly biting and spot-on! I always feel a little guilty because it is my favorite segment, but so difficult to construct. I believe the quote from Paul was that it was akin to, “…ripping your spine out.” or something like that. Just another example of how much the writers and Stephen give of themselves to entertain us.
Stephen speaking French? Is there nothing this man cannot do?? Seriously, I’m beginning to wonder if he doesn’t have a cape on under those gorgeous suits. Maybe his ties are a source of his super-powers. God knows, I love em! (yes, I have developed a bit of a tie-fetish. Please don’t judge me!!) ;D
Difference makers:
+8
I believe Stephen once said that pulling together a WØRD segment “sucked the marrow from their bones.” I don’t for a second wish the writers any pain, but I certainly appreciate their braving the verbally creative gauntlet to give us that particular pleasure on a regular basis.
Difference makers:
+6
yes, I have developed a bit of a tie-fetish. Please don’t judge me!!
Have we not met? :P And his ties being a source of his super-powers would actually explain a lot of things, lol.
Difference makers:
+6
Hahaha! Yes, his ties giving him other-worldly powers would indeed explain alot. Like, ALOT-alot!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I’m glad to see everyone loved this show as much a I did! I think it was truly one of the best all-around shows they have ever done.
The comments above detail a lot of what I liked about last night’s show, so I just want to give a little shout-out to Stephen’s “early days as a wrestler” bit. Particular his miming of wrestling moves & his declaring “I’ve still got it” afterwards. It was just a little (and possibly throwaway) bit but his & the audience enjoyment of it just pleased me to no end.
Oh yeah. One more thing: “Old, Dirty Bernanke.” I’ll never think of him any other way!
Difference makers:
+5
Ooh, yeah, that was fun, too :D. I liked the smile on his face when he did the moves a second time after the crowd started cheering that.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
“Awesome, awesome, awesome” is the perfect way to describe this episode, DB! Last night’s show felt really complete. Though I could have listened to Levy and Stephen talk for hours, by the end of the episode, I felt incredibly satisfied.
The Word was brilliant! I was hoping they would put together a Word to talk about all of the blame being thrown about by Democrats and Republicans after the tragedy in Arizona, and they did not disappoint. “My right to be angry is more important than anyone else’s right to not live in fear.” I don’t really know how to describe to you how fantastic that closing line was.
How on earth have I gone this long without knowing who Bernard-Henri Levy was? That interview was delightful, with Stephen slipping in and out of character, and Levy was wonderful. I’m not knocking the audience, but I kind of love that he told the audience to listen instead of applauding for him saying he loves America. It made me think of the interview with Garret Keizer about noise, for some reason. And Stephen speaking French? YES PLEASE.
Difference makers:
+6
Can someone translate the final bit of French that he and Dr Philosopher Hank had?
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Someone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe at the end of the interview Stephen said, “I think no.” and Levy replied with, “I think yes.” so Stephen then said thank you. And no, I’m not a French scholar, I googled it right after the episode. ;)
Shout Out (Hey!):
+4
I think you’re right, I’m a spanish student and it sounded a lot like the spanish word for “think. I don’t think it’d be going out on a limb to say the words are similar in both languages..
Shout Out (Hey!):
+1
The WORD segment last night was phenomenal! Anything that has me laughing that much has to be amazing. And the interview was great…can we please have more of Stephen speaking French? :D
Difference makers:
+5
Yes, I have been watching about 2 years now and I’d put that in the top two or three WORDs that I’ve seen. It was so powerful.
And the two – part interview with M. Levy was delightful. Stephen the intellectual! (or “brainiac!)
Difference makers:
+6
A W0RD right from the top shelf, there.
Delicious interview, funny and smart. This guy was a wonderful match for Stephen. It’s good to see that Belloq actually escaped from that nasty stuff with the Ark of the Covenant, changed his name to Bernard-Henri Levy and got into the philosophy business. ;)
“Stephen ” may “Je pense non” (excuse my terrible French), but he sure does “Je me sens”.
Plus Stephen makes the fangirls ~~feel~~ things when he speaks French.
Shout Out (Hey!):
+4
Is there an award for Best TCR Interview, because I’m putting this on my short list! Great show all around, fantastic WORD, but wow, the energy and effervescence in that interview, not to mention the actual substance of it, was just wonderful. So very glad they devoted half the show to it!
Shout Out (Hey!):
+4