Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – February 10, 2011

Greetings, Zoners! It’s been kind of a quiet week with the show on break, but I’ve got some of the latest Colbert news items to help us get through the last few days before Stephen returns with new shows next week. Today we have some reaction to news about a couple of Stephen’s upcoming personal appearances, more info about the show’s return to Hulu, and an interesting if unlikely casting suggestion. Here’s your zeitgeist for Thursday, February 10th.

The Colbert portrait challenge

• Wicked Local in Waltham, Mass. features a brief Q&A with Robert Thibeault, the creator of the Star Wars-themed portrait of Stephen that was displayed on the show last week, discussing how he created the portrait. The Boston Globe also has a brief interview with the artist.

Big Hollywood

• Mediaite took note of the little spat going on between Stephen and the Big Hollywood blog over his wicked skewering of Sarah Palin, and made this observation to help out the folks at Big Hollywood who don’t quite get it: “Here’s another tip for those without a passing familiarity with how comedy works, when you write earnest condemnations of how offensive their material is, you’re basically writing their next material.”

Northwestern graduation

• The Daily Northwestern reported on the response by students to the news that Stephen Colbert would be Northwestern’s graduation speaker: “…[I]t sends a huge message for the graduating class that we get to hear from, if not the most famous, one of the most adored NU alums.” Those Northwestern seniors are very, very lucky, even if they’re not quite sure yet if they’re getting Stephen or “Stephen.”

Company with the New York Philharmonic

• Popwatch seemed a little skeptical of the news that Stephen would be one of the stars of the special staging of Company with the New York Philharmonic in April: “Stephen Colbert? The Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report? Sure, he’s a top-flight comedian, and he’s a talented musician who’s broken into song more than once on national TV. But we never thought we’d see him embrace his inner Gleek with a role in a Sondheim musical.” Really, Popwatch? I don’t think you know him very well.

Hulu

• According to All Things Digital, Hulu is paying a pretty price to get our basic cable boys back on their site. It’s being reported that Hulu “has agreed to a guaranteed payment in the $40 million to $50 million range for Viacom’s programming.” This includes TDS and TCR, which will be available the day after they air, and other shows like Tosh.0 and Jersey Shore on the paid Hulu Plus service.

Social media and the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

• SmartBlog discusses how social media factored into the promotion and organization of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, and how important it was in getting the word out. The article also points out the interesting fact that Facebook turned out to be pretty accurate in predicting the attendance at the Rally.

A casting wish list

• Back to Popwatch again, this time for an article about the new film version of Stephen King’s The Stand that’s in the works. They offer up their own wish list for the casting, and prominent on the list is Stephen Colbert, who they think would be a good choice to play Randall Flagg: “Flagg needs to be persuasive, smooth, and iron-clad in his albeit twisted logic. He doesn’t inspire, but preys on his followers fears. The role needs someone who could rally to keep fear alive. Therefore, the decision is obvious: there is no greater Anti-Christ than Stephen Colbert. He’s good-looking in a clean-cut way, comfortable speaking with authority to powerful people, and casually manipulates public opinion on a nightly basis. Also, have you seen that thing he can do with his ear? Tell me that’s not a little hellspawn-ish.” (Hee!) Setting aside the fact that Stephen’s schedule wouldn’t permit it, I have no idea if this casting would work since I’ve never read The Stand. If you’ve read it, what do you think?

If the Internet was high school…

• Flowtown.com came up with an amusing “high school yearbook” that treats social media sites as high school stereotypes. Reddit is portrayed as “The Reporter,” with a quote by Stephen Colbert: “I can’t prove it, but I can say it.” And for extra credit, Wikileaks is “The Anarchist,” with a quote from Jon Stewart: “I feel your scorn and I accept it.”

(h/t Katt and monogodo)