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Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – March 13, 2010
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Happy weekend, Zoners! I’m hiding out here in the Zeitgeist Central office to avoid the monsoon that’s been raging outside all day, catching up on some YouTube videos, watching the Mets spring training game from Florida (they won, yay), and generally being useless to anyone but myself. It’s been a good day. So now, in the effort to accomplish at least one useful thing today, I give you the latest Colbert news floating around the tubes of the Interweb.
Last gasp from Vancouver
- In what I think might be the very last bit of news to come out of Stephen’s visit to Vancouver, True/Slant included this little tidbit in a round-up of celebrity sightings around the city: “Stephen Colbert enjoyed moule frites at Chambar Restaurant and also dinner at Yaletown’s Blue Water Cafe (where fellow diners sang along with the comedian to O Canada).”
TCR guests
- As I mentioned in the last zeitgeist, Colbert Report chaplain and three-time guest Father James Martin has a new book out, just released this past Tuesday. A couple of recent articles about Father Jim both mention his position as Colbert Report chaplain. From Time magazine: “Father Jim Martin did not seek the title of Stephen Colbert’s TV priest. All he was doing was waiting in the wings for his third appearance on the comedian’s show… Then the priest suddenly heard his host direct the audience to welcome “The Colbert Report chaplain.” “I remember being surprised and delighted,” says Martin.”
- And Irish American newspaper The Irish Echo has a nice profile of Father Jim that relates these thoughts on Stephen: “‘He’s a great guy,’ Martin said of host Stephen Colbert. ‘He’s Catholic, so that helps us get along. He’s extremely bright,’ he added. ‘So I know his character is going to ask me good questions.’”
- Last Wednesday’s TCR guest Sean Carroll has a blog post up at Discover describing his experience at the show. I love his comment that the questions were more subtle and sophisticated than he was anticipating. I guess you don’t expect that when you’ve been warned that you’ll be doing the interview with an “idiot.”
Hulu
- For those of you, like me, who are missing the Report on Hulu, the future is not entirely bleak. Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, commenting at a media conference, stated that both TCR and TDS could return to Hulu if their business model changes. “On the current economic model for Hulu there’s just not much in it for us to continue at this time.” (via BusinessWeek)
Viacom vs. Google
- CNET has an update on the Viacom vs. Google copyright fight, with the judge in the case ordering the two companies to figure out which information is too sensitive to release to the public within ten days. The rest of the documents in the case will be available to the public. This could get very interesting as some of the information that might become public is whether or not YouTube employees or Viacom employees uploaded any videos themselves.
Hosting the Oscars
- I know Stephen often gets mentioned as someone who would be a good choice to host an awards show, and here Salon.com makes a case for him to host the Oscars: “Who else could fill [Hugh] Jackman’s shoes? Dare I suggest Stephen Colbert? Check out his Christmas special for some serious song-and-dance-man cred. Unlike Jon Stewart, Colbert has the ability to pull off postmodern humor in such a way that an older audience doesn’t notice he’s being postmodern.”
Picture of the day
- From Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic, a picture with a caption that’ll make you smile: an Army chaplain at a combat outpost in southern Afghanistan, surrounded by darkness, reading I Am America (And So Can You!) by the light of his red-filtered head lamp.
(h/t Ms I, Jennie, and Katt)
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Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – March 3, 2010
Posted by: | CommentsHey, gang! I hope everyone is having a great week-after-the-Olympics. I’m feeling a little lost without the Olympics to watch, but with The Pluto Files and the final episode of Faces of America both airing this week, it’s not like there’s nothing good on TV. Just as there’s been a wealth of Colbert goodness on TV, we’ve got plenty happening in the news this week, too. Today’s zeitgeist includes a few last gasps from Vancouver and the Olympics, a look at the late night landscape now that The Guy Who Used to Host The Tonight Show is back at The Tonight Show, and a bridge I’d like to sell you. It’s in Hungary. Read on!
Vancouverage: the final word, maybe
- NBC’s Olympics website posted a poll to vote for the favorite personality of the Games. I call your attention to #10: Stephen Colbert, speed skating: “The ‘Assistant Sports Psychologist’ of the U.S. speed skating team, Colbert was everywhere during his run in Vancouver. He rode a moose. He climbed into a fire. He dressed up as a Canadian Mountie. And above all else, he introduced an unexpected and entertaining wild card onto the landscape of the Olympic Winter Games.” (I’d tell you all to go vote for him because he’s only at fourth place, but it looks like the voting might have closed. Boo.)
- Mediabistro’s TVNewser has posted their choices for the top 10 images from the Winter Olympics coverage. They’re not posted in any particular order, but halfway down in the right column, you’ll see a familiar Canadian Mountie sitting in front of a stuffed moose in NBC’s studios.
- NESN.com offers its list of Top 10 lessons to take away from the Vancouver Games. Lesson #10: Having fun has its rewards – “Heckling may not have been invented in the USA, but Americans perfected it. Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report, a right-wing parody of a TV show airing on Comedy Central, made waves for his lambasting of Canadians as ’syrup suckers’ and ‘ice holes.’ The attention he and his show brought to the Games, however, certainly assuaged any hurt feelings Canadians might have had.”
- In a more somber reflection on the Olympics, The Washington Post looks at the troubles confronting US Speedskating as they face a very uncertain financial future with the end of the Colbert Nation sponsorship. Sports Illustrated is featuring a similar story focusing on the long-track speedskaters.
Hungarian bridge
- Remember the bridge in Hungary that Stephen tried to have named after himself? The bridge shows up on Google Maps with the legend “Colbert híd,” which translates to “Colbert Bridge” according to a quick Hungarian-to-English online dictionary search. As the article explains, the name is from user-contributed information, and isn’t officially part of Google Maps. But if you want a giggle, go over to Google Maps and do a search on “Megyeri Bridge, Budapest, Hungary.”
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up
- …and you can tell because items like this are starting to show up. IrishCentral.com has published their list of the Top 10 funniest Irish celebrities for St. Patrick’s Day, and look who’s at number 1: Stephen Tyrone Colbert. “Subtle, understated, brilliant. Just came back from a gig at the Vancouver Olympics where he killed them with an Irish stand up routine at the Irish House. Despite the humor, takes his Irish heritage seriously.” Among the other Irish folks he beat out for the honor of being #1: Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien, and Denis Leary.
Late night TV
- With Jay Leno returning to The Tonight Show this week, it raises the question of whether the late night talk show format is still relevant. Two TV media experts disagree on the answer, but both conclude that future success might depend on becoming more “edgy and controversial” like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. (Via the Lincoln (NE) Journal Star)
Random acts of news
- MTV’s Splash Page has an interview with Mad Men star Jon Hamm discussing the possibility of playing various superheroes in upcoming films. But Hamm has his own suggestion for casting the role of Captain America: “I think that Captain America should be played by Stephen Colbert,” he laughed. “I think that would be perfect.”
- Eric Zorn in the Chicago Tribune airs one of his pet TV peeves: the wild applause from studio audiences that suck up valuable air time. He accuses Jay Leno and Stephen Colbert specifically of allowing all that yelling and screaming to go on and on and on, to the detriment of the show. You’ll want to read the comments at the end of the column for a response from DB about the genuine enthusiasm of TCR audiences.
- I’m going to indulge myself for a minute here and point out a nice article in THE USA Today on Father James Martin, S.J., the official Colbert Report chaplain and one of my favorite TCR guests. He has a new book coming out next week, The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: the Spirituality of Real Life. The article includes a sidebar on Father Jim’s three appearances on TCR, and quotes Stephen as saying, “Jim is a Jesuit priest and a funny guy. I’m grateful to know both of him.” (Pardon me for a sec while I go add this book to my reading list…)
Gratuitous name dropping
- Economic news out of South Carolina: a state politician recently introduced legislation that would put South Carolina back on the gold standard, replacing U.S. dollars with gold and silver coins. The reaction? “I’m thinking of a Stephen Colbert half dollar, aren’t you?” (Via Bankrate.com)
(h/t DB, Ms I, Jennie, and Katt)
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Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – Vancouverage Wrap-up
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It’s hard to believe, but the week of Stephen’s exclusive Vancouverage of the 2010 Quadrennial Winter Athletic Competition is over, and what a wild week it was. So many great moments to enjoy, some incredibly entertaining interviews, and most of all, proof that if you do good — like supporting a cash-strapped speedskating team by helping them to raise essential funds — the rewards will be amazing. I love it that Stephen and Team Colbert can create great memories at the same time they create great comedy, and we are the beneficiaries of their talents. I’m a little sad that the Vancouver games are almost over, but already I’m thinking ahead to what might be next. The regular zeitgeist of Colbert goodness will resume soon to help ease us back into the usual TCR routine, but for now, here’s a round-up of a few more Vancouver stories.
- We’ve got another excellent audience report from Stephen’s second taping at Creekside Park along with some great photos. Love the comment that Stephen should win his own medal for “bringing Canadian and U.S. psyches and spirits together through laughter.” (Thanks to Heather C. for sending us the link!)
- This great story from the North Shore News explains the story behind the Olympic torch Stephen borrowed from an audience member at the Creekside Park taping. Torchbearer Mary-Sue Atkinson got the idea to have 2,010 people touch the torch she used in the relay, and decided Stephen would be the perfect person for the final touch, which you can see in the photo at the beginning of this post.
- Thanks to both mrtigger001 and Ms I for pointing out this photo collection of the best signs in the crowd at the TCR tapings in Creekside Park. My favorite is the homemade banner of Stephen on the medal podium that wound up on the stage (#15 and #18), and #10 made me giggle: “Where’s Jon?”
- The Globe and Mail, via CTV, has a story about how the small city of Richmond, home to the Olympic Oval and the long-track speedskating events, became such an important focus for the games. Credit for the greatest amount of pre-Olympic publicity goes to Stephen Colbert and his smackdown of the “iceholes” and “syrup suckers” who restricted access to the Olympic Oval for speedskating training.
- This is pretty hilarious, and gives a whole new meaning to “syrup suckers.” From News1130.com in Vancouver: “Maybe Stephen Colbert is right — maybe we are all just a bunch of syrup suckers after all. Members of Canada’s ski-jumping team made a bet with their American counterparts based on whoever finished lower in the standings during yesterday’s competition. The wager is called the “Syrup Slam” because the losers have to chug a significant amount of mapley goodness. The U.S. ended up placing 11th out of 12 teams and Canada came in dead last. In other words… start sucking!”
- Ice dancing silver medalist Charlie White tweeted his reaction to his mention on Tuesday’s episode of TCR. Yes, you’ve made it when Stephen Colbert makes fun of you!
- From Yahoo! Sports: Visionary doctor helps athletes see Olympic dreams: In a true example of generosity and the Olympic spirit, Dr. Cary Silverman, a Lasik eye surgeon, offered to do the procedure for free to Team USA members. Katherine Reutter has been the biggest beneficiary of the offer, and believes her greatly improved eyesight gives her an edge in competition.
(h/t DB and Ms I)
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Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – Vancouver Super Spoiler Edition
Posted by: | CommentsGreetings, Zoners! I hope you’ve all enjoyed the massive outpouring of awesomeness that was Stephen’s visit to Vancouver this week. As a fan, I was overwhelmed with glee at all the fun activities we’ve been able to glimpse the past few days. But I’ll admit, as an NFZ completist, I was overwhelmed, period. There was too much out there to keep track of it all, and by Thursday afternoon I had to admit defeat. So I just sat back and enjoyed the fun when I could (I hate it when work interferes with my fangirling), and spent my evenings going back and forth between watching the Olympics and dashing around the Interwebs to find the latest Colbert news/photos/video. I spent today going through everything I’d missed, and seriously, words cannot express how much I would’ve liked to be in Vancouver this week!
It’s been impossible to avoid spoilers, but in the interest of keeping at least a few surprises for next week, I’m going to put the majority of this zeitgeist behind the cut so that if you have the strength to resist temptation, you won’t have the whole week completely spoiled for you. With the overwhelming amount of info floating around the Interwebs from Stephen’s trip, it’s inevitable that we’re going to miss something. I think I’ve rounded up the best highlights here, but if you see anything good out there that we didn’t put up on the blog, pass it along to us!
The first item isn’t a spoiler at all, but I thought I’d throw in a link to Stephen’s completely delightful appearance on NBC last night, which happened during the late night telecast. He looks fantastic in the Mountie uniform, don’t you think? (Click on the picture to go to the video.) (h/t to justine marie for originally posting the link in a comment to Ms. I’s earlier post)
Stephen Colbert: The Full Mountie. And the Moose Formerly Known as Ebersol.
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Stephen Colbert visits Irish House pavilion in Vancouver
Posted by: | CommentsOh, this is one I wish I could’ve witnessed! It’s possibly rather spoilery, so I’m going to put it after the jump for the few die-hards among you who don’t want to know every single detail of Stephen’s Vancouver adventures before they’re shown on the Report. But if you’re weak (like me), click through for more details!
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Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – February 15, 2010
Posted by: | CommentsGreetings, Zoners, and happy President’s Day! I hope most of you are having a relaxing day off. Everyone’s been watching the Olympics, right? I’ve been enjoying them a lot so far, and since the Colbert Nation is sponsoring the U.S. speedskating team, I’m much more excited about these games than I was the last time around. This is going to be a tough week for watching TV, with the Olympics on every night, and then Stephen competing against himself on Wednesday with his appearance on NBC and the next episode of Faces of America airing at the same time. I think the Olympics will win out, and I’ll just have to watch Faces of America online the next day. There’s been a lot going on in the newsoblogosphere, so it’s time to catch up on some Colbert news items. Today we have a few articles related to the Olympics, more on Faces of America, a final word on the Grammys, and a few odds and ends.
Vancouver ‘010
- Speedskating’s Olympic Rewards Fail to Pay the Bills – New York Times – This article discussing the financial difficulties that Olympic speedskaters often face gives some real perspective on just how much it meant to them to have Stephen step in with the Colbert Nation sponsorship: “[Stephen Colbert] said he could relate to the speedskaters’ circumstances. ‘Believe me, I spent 20 years racking up huge debts pursuing comedy,’ Colbert wrote in an e-mail message… With the exception of Davis, who initially took umbrage with Colbert’s barbs at Canadians, speedskaters have seemed delighted to have Colbert in their corner. They are grateful for the spotlight he has trained on their sport, and for a subsequent deal U.S. Speedskating signed with Verizon Wireless, a sponsor of Colbert’s show.”
- Stephen Colbert has a rapport with the games – Los Angeles Times – “Stephen Colbert, whose deadpan punditry on Comedy Central has become a force of nature, has an honest appreciation for speedskating. No joke… But he is truly intrigued by curling too… This fascination with speedskating and curling, Colbert said, is evidence of his abiding love of the Winter Games. ‘Maybe because you can comprehend the scope of the Winter Games,’ he said. ‘The summer is so enormous, but in the winter you have a pretty good shot of following everything.’”
- Olympic Parents – NBC15.com (Madison, Wisconsin) – A brief article about Tucker Fredricks’ parents: “Not too long ago, it was Tucker’s mom Shawn that was in the spotlight. She wasn’t going for gold, but she was taking on Stephen Colbert… She says, ‘I was so nervous that my legs were kind of shaking. The adrenaline was pumping.’ Shawn didn’t get a medal for her victory. But Dan says it was still great watching her beat Colbert.”
- Dosanjh to appear on Canadian taping of Colbert Report – CTV News British Columbia – “Vancouver Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh is going to be a guest on Stephen Colbert’s comedy show later this month as part of Colbert’s coverage of the Olympics. Dosanjh will appear in a segment called ‘Better Know a Riding,’ based on Colbert’s interviews with American politicians from different constituencies.”
Faces of America
- ‘Faces of America’ reveals family ties – Los Angeles Times – There’s nothing specifically about Stephen in this article, but it gives some fascinating background on the Faces of America series, and it includes a nice picture of Stephen with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
- ‘Faces of America’ with Henry Louis Gates Jr. – NY Daily News – A review of the series, with another picture of Stephen and Professor Gates.
- Stephen Colbert’s truthiness: we Irish hate the English – IrishCentral.com – “Colbert and Gates talked about the effect of British colonialism in Ireland, with Colbert saying that the Irish in America will never forget the British driving their ancestors off their land. ‘Part of being Irish even to this day is not liking the English,’ said Colbert with a laugh. ‘Absolutely no doubt.’
Grammy Awards
- GRAMMY Camp Journalist Nick Arnold – Grammy Week Review – This is pretty cool: a blog by a fifteen-year-old high school journalist who spoke to Stephen during the rehearsal for the awards show and was called on to ask a question in the media room after Stephen won his Grammy. If you scroll down and read his entry for Saturday, January 20, you’ll get the details of the story. His entry for Sunday includes his question for Stephen and the answer: “…Stephen Colbert remembered having met me, so after he won and came back stage and called on me, I asked him if he had been influenced at all by fellow comedy nominees Spinal Tap and Weird Al. He answered, ‘Yeah, sure, absolutely. I’ve listened to them for years. I’ve been listening to Spinal Tap for 25 years. I think March 2 is the anniversary. I’m a little bit of a fan.’”
Random acts of news
- 10 Best New York City TV Shows to Be an Audience Member – NYC10BEST.com – #8. The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert: The hardest show to get tickets right now. (TDS also made the list at #3.)
- Note to politicians: Colbert always gets the last laugh – NJ.com – “…[Harold] Ford’s communication skills were seriously tested on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report last week. Stephen Colbert has been making professionals of all stripes look bad for years… Consider that Colbert is playing a character, but the character actually has impressive research and relevant facts to back up his questions, follow-ups and quips. Colbert is a comedian and writer who is playing a TV talker who’s a lot better informed than most people who do it for real.”
- Will Jerry Seinfeld’s New Reality Show Live Up to the Hype? – Gather.com – Jerry Seinfeld’s wish list of “refs” for his new reality show, The Marriage Ref, includes both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. If he can persuade them to appear, especially on the same episode, I might watch it. Otherwise… eh, probably not.
And finally…
Proof that the Colbert Nation is in the house to watch speedskating! (Via ESPN.com)
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Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist – February 6, 2010
Posted by: | CommentsSo is everybody excited about watching the Super Bowl tomorrow? Yeah, me neither. But hey, the Olympics are less than a week away, the speedskaters are all in Vancouver, and Stephen and Team Colbert should be up to their collective eyebrows in preparation for their own trip to Vancouver. I’m eager to see what kind of silliness they have planned for us! In the meantime, I’ve got the wrap-up of news from the past week or so, including a couple of items related to the upcoming Faces of America series, a few leftover Grammy Award bits, and even a quick visit to the International Space Station.
Faces of America
- Reality isn’t funny for Stephen Colbert; ‘Faces of America’ reveals his family history – NY Daily News – A somewhat spoilerish article about Stephen’s appearance on Faces of America, although some of the information revealed was also discussed during the interview with Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Thursday’s TCR.
- Local knowledge helps track down US satirist Stephen Colbert’s Limerick roots – Limerick (Ireland) Leader – “Local historian Tony Browne and parish priest Fr Donough O’Malley have helped track down the Limerick great-great-grandfather of America’s top satirist Stephen Colbert… [A]fter being contacted by researchers working on a genealogy programme for PBS, Mr Browne helped them find details of Colbert’s ancestors in St Mary’s parish records in the city.” (Fract: There’s a train station in Limerick city called Colbert Station, named after Conn Colbert, one of the executed leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916. Stephen has jokingly claimed to be related to this particular Colbert.)
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Stephen Colbert to appear in “The Pluto Files” on PBS
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s something that looks like fun for all of us space geeks! On March 2nd, PBS is scheduled to air The Pluto Files, hosted by rockstar astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and based on his book of the same name. From the program description on the show’s web site:
The Pluto Files
Premiere broadcast on PBS: March 2, 2010
. . .From Boston to California, Tyson’s spirited journey explores the history of Pluto — from the time of its discovery to its fall from planethood. Along the way, Tyson meets a fascinating cast of characters, from scientists who argue over Pluto’s status to die-hard “Plutophiles” — regardless of where they stand they have one thing in common: strong opinions about Pluto. “The Pluto Files” also includes special appearances by Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Diane Sawyer, and Brian Williams, who share their affection for the former planet. “I’m sorry, I thought planets might be one of the constants in life,” Colbert jests. “But scientists just love change more than anything else. I’m sorry that’s not change I can believe in.”
. . .
There’s a preview of the program posted on PBS’ web site which I can’t embed here, but you can catch a glimpse of Dr. Tyson being interviewed on both The Daily Show and the Report. There’s also a promo video up on YouTube, in which Jon Stewart calls Dr. Tyson a “galactic despot” and Brian Williams gets in a little dig at Stewart and Colbert. This is going to be so entertaining!
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