Archive for Guest Report
‘Fat Shame’ and a Fat Baby
Posted by: | CommentsDuring a badly needed break at work today, I decided to take a peek at which Colbert Report was shown on the rerun last night, and I saw that it was the one featuring Amy Farrell and the discussion Stephen and Amy had on weightism. I’m glad I did, because I forgot to post it at the time, but there was actually a follow up Q&A with Prof. Farrell in the Sentinel Online (h/t Jennie), and there’s some fun stuff in it:
5 Questions: Dickinson professor talks interview on ‘Colbert Report’
By Naomi Creason, Sentinel Reporter, October 16, 2009When Amy Farrell contributed to “The Fat Studies Reader,” she didn’t anticipate showing up on prime-time television to talk about national issues.
. . .
Question: What question were you not expecting?
Farrell: “I wasn’t expecting what he started off with — ‘Let’s get our cards down on the table. I’m fat, you’re fat.’ I wasn’t expecting it at all. I just started laughing. You just never know where he’s going to go.
“That day, I don’t think I’ve ever been more insulted in my life. But it was very fun to be there.”
. . .
I quite liked that Colbert Report interview for two reasons. First, I liked it because it acknowledged the weight problem that America is struggling with, but it also talked about a person’s overall health as being more than just a measure of weight.
The second reason I liked it was that it made me think of this Exit 57 sketch, in which a hilariously cruel Stephen proves that he can be quite the fierce defender of at least one “little butterball”:
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Josh Marshall posts behind-the-scenes ‘Colbert Report’ photos at Talking Points Memo
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the fun things about bloggers going on The Colbert Report is that they usually do a follow up post about the experience. Since he got some behind the scenes footage last time he was there, I figured Josh Marshall would come through with some memento of his visit. He isn’t saying too much, but he’s posted a photo gallery from his trip to Stephen Colbert’s studios last night. Click here or on the photos to go to Talking Points Memo:
Here’s the interview again, in case you missed Josh’s Colbert-esque prediction that TPM would one beat The New York Times down.
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
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John Sturm: Better Know a Lobbyist (even better)
Posted by: | CommentsEditor & Publisher has some follow up from NAA’s John Sturm on his segment with The Colbert Report:
John Sturm on Why He Went on The Colbert Report
April 03, 2009. . .
Sturm said there were loads of things that didn’t make the cut. During the portion of the segment where Colbert challenged him to find certain things in the newspaper, like stock quotes, while Colbert did the same on his mobile, Sturm tried his hand at this zinger: “He got out his iPhone and said ‘I’m getting stock stuff right now.’ I said back to him immediately, ‘you may have the quotes but I know why it’s happening!’ It didn’t make the show.”
“Not that I was trying to one-up this guy. He’s very professional, very talented and very nice,” Sturm said who has a background in broadcast. “I’ve been to the county fair, I know what the game was!”
. . .
I’m actually kind of glad to read that, because I did wonder a bit about Sturm’s apparent passivity. I put it down the edits for the show, but it’s always nice to get to read some of the “behind the scenes” circumstances to give us an idea of the context. Regardless, I salute him for accepting the invitation to appear on the show and thank him for setting up some laughs. Bravo, sir!
Here’s the segment, for those of you who missed Stephen’s suggestion that online newspapers start offering porn and other “helpful” tips:
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Better Know a Lobby – Newspaper Lobby | ||||
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Is it just me or have we been gifted with a lot of behind-the-scenes blogging from it-getting Report guests lately? Whatever it is, keep it coming! Wednesday’s guest, author Juan Cole, has posted a report from his visit to the set. Check out his post for the full report plus photos.
Informed Comment: Blogging Colbert
Thursday, March 19, 2009…the Colbert crew kindly gave me a tour of the studio (I like studios, and sort of collect visits to them). I impudently asked if I could sit at Mr. Colbert’s anchor desk, and the staff kindly said yes… As I was getting behind the desk I almost tripped on something, and looked down to find a . . . pitchfork. Gee, I thought, this will be a tough interview.
…
It was a wonderful experience to be on the Colbert Report. Unlike some academics, I watch a lot of television, and don’t think you can understand American society if you don’t. I really think that the Comedy Bloc from 11-12 ET on Comedy Central, of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, is a little space of sanity and reality in American public life. Comedy, satire and parody allow these two very intelligent and perceptive gentlemen to be brutally frank about the foibles of American society. To any extent I could join in that enterprise, it was my privilege.
(Fortunately, said pitchfork was for another segment and not for the interview.) I’m glad you had an enjoyable visit, Mr. Cole, and thank you for sharing it with us!
Juan Cole, author of ‘Engaging the Muslim World’:
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
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Tip of the hat to pixleslie for the link!
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Guest report: Neil Gaiman on the suit, Tom Bombadil and ‘The Colbert Report’
Posted by: | CommentsHurrah! I’ve been watching Neil’s blog all day to see when he would blog about his trip to The Report, and the wait is finally over. From Neil Gaiman’s Journal:
Monday, Colbert, and tabs galore
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Posted by Neil at 3:16 PM. . .
I love The Colbert Report. It gets Tivoed in my house and it gets watched.
Originally, I didn’t. Caught the first few when it spun off from the Daily Show, and wasn’t impressed – didn’t like it, didn’t get it. It was the fact it became my son Mike’s favourite TV programme that drew me back. And when I came back, I loved it.
I found myself fascinated by the multiple layers of the Colbert persona (the character of Colbert is an idiot, but a really smart idiot, played by a very clever man) and the way that the persona is allowed to say the unsayable. (The “rearranging the deckchairs on the Hindenberg” line, for example.)
Had no idea whether I’d work on it, or enjoy it when I was actually on it, mind you.
I think I worked and I really did enjoy it — I loved having no idea where things were going to go (no, it was not rehearsed, no, I had no idea that mentioning Tom Bombadil would produce that result).
. . .
I had to smile at the thought of Neil mentioning his Art Spiegelman recommendation when the two had dinner later (read the rest of Neil’s post!). That said, I think my favorite bit about Neil’s interview was the Lord of the Rings silliness. Neil mentioned it a couple of times on Twitter, too:
The most FA’d Q about last night on Colbert is was anything scripted or rehearsed? Nope. The conversation went there and he Bombadilloed.
And cut from the interview is our favourite LOTR characters. Mine Gandalf. His, Faramir.
I’m honestly not sure who my favorite character was — it depends on my mood — but Faramir, Gandalf and probably Éomer and Galadriel would all be contenders (I loved that a Westron could be as “kingly” as Éomer was and Galadriel had a strangely morally ambiguous history that I found intriguing). Anyhow, it’s always fun for me to watch the “grown-ups” geek out.
Watch it again below:
Re-live some other Klassic Kolbert Lord of the Rings geekery here
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Guest report: Carl Wilson blogs about his fruit plate, Ogre Milk and his ‘Colbert Bump’
Posted by: | CommentsI’m a couple days late to the party on this one, but Stephen’s guest from March 4th, Carl Wilson, has his account of the Colbert experience posted over on Zoilus. From his post (emphasis in original):
A Big Steaming Mug of Ogre Milk
. . .
A lot of folks have been asking me about the experience, and it’s difficult to sum up, except to say that it was very positive. The show did a pre-interview with me by phone the day before and I almost wish that one could have been televised instead: The producer started by saying that she was going to ask me a bunch of serious questions, “which tomorrow will be turned into jokes – but answer them then the same way you answer me now,” and proceeded to ask some of the most intelligent, well-thought-out questions I’ve had from any interviewer, all speaking directly to the themes of the book and seldom harping on the Celine angle. Everyone I met at the Colbert show seemed to be smart, relaxed and really enjoying their job, which is frankly a contrast to the stressed-out, often grumpy crews I’ve met on a lot of Canadian TV shows – no doubt that’s a function of having more adequate resources to work with, but I think it must also reflect the strength of vision and sense of purpose on the show itself.
. . .
My greatest regret, though, is that I didn’t have the wit and timing to echo the super-straight-man Colonel from the segment before me by cutting Colbert off during his recitation of fake “hipster” band names and saying wearily, “Stephen, there’s no such thing as Ogre Milk.”
Although, of course, that would have been fibbing.
. . .
You’re going to want to read the rest of his report, which has a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes factoids. Thanks for the insight, Mr. Wilson!
For those of you who missed it, you can check out the interview here:
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Matt Miller dishes: From ‘The Colbert Report’ Green Room
Posted by: | CommentsWhoo hoo! Interviewee report! It’s been too long since we’ve had one of these. From Matt Miller’s blog:
Backstage with Colbert
1/12/09A number of you have asked what it’s like to do Colbert, does he ever talk to you as his real self offstage, etc. The answer is it was unbelievably fun (I’ve said to a few people it was the most fun I can imagine having in 5 minutes, which invariably leads people to offer other options they think would be better…). The man is a comic genius, and the “real” Stephen also seems like a very decent person.
. . .
One of the funniest parts of the experience was off-air. A few minutes before the taping started, a staffer came by to give a sense of what the writers had brainstormed as potential lines of “questioning” Colbert might take. He might not use these at all, she said (and Colbert didn’t that night – it was all basically improvisational riffs). The idea is to have you not be totally blindsided by the wackiness that might be coming.
Here are the things I recall from what they said he might ask about The Tyranny of Dead Ideas. These totally cracked us up in the green room.
-Why should we get rid of the old ideas, when the new ones suck?
-Even if the old ideas don’t work anymore, shouldn’t we continue them out of respect for tradition?
-You say the economy is creating too many of the “undeserving rich.” But isn’t that the American Dream – to be rich and useless?
-What about undead ideas?
When they put me at the interview desk on the set just before my segment started, I glanced over at Stephen at his anchor desk to have a look. Just before the camera went on he looked over at me and snapped deadpan, “The free ride is over, Miller.” He’s just really funny.
. . .
It’s always a happy thing, having an it-getting guest. Congratulations on your interview, Mr. Miller, and I’m glad you had such fun on your trip to The Colbert Report.
Matt Miller: Matt Miller says the government must make sure we have basic securities like health care and pensions.
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Bob Lutz: “Stephen Colbert is a comic genius”
Posted by: | CommentsWant to know how GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz felt about his experience on The Colbert Report? He’s posted his thoughts over at the GM FastLane blog:
Inside Colbert Nation…
By Bob Lutz
GM Vice ChairmanWhat a week it’s been so far …
First, we had Tuesday’s GMNext centennial celebration and global broadcast, culminating in the reveal of the production Chevrolet Volt, which was a terrific experience. Then Wednesday came an experience I must confess was like no other I’ve had in my career — I was interviewed on The Colbert Report.
I will start off by stating for the record that Stephen Colbert is a comic genius, absolutely manic but absolutely hilarious. He used to do GM Goodwrench TV commercials for us a few years back, FYI. I’d like to thank him and everyone at the show for the opportunity to be a guest. The whole thing was a great time, from the moment we arrived at the studio.
. . .
Once we got going, I think we “connected,” and the time just flew. But “fun challenge” aside, the key facts on Volt came out: 40-mile electric range, great overall range, advanced lithium-ion battery technology and so on. Those facts are now known to the huge Colbert Nation, which consists primarily of millions of educated, successful young people, including many who are not generally predisposed to consider GM cars.
As for Stephen Colbert: totally delightful, charming, funny, sincere off-stage, and obviously brilliant. All in all, an experience as useful as it was unconventional!
Yet another positive review for The Colbert Report’s welcoming atmosphere, and ditto for Stephen’s hosting abilities. Yay!
Watch Bob Lutz’s interview with Stephen below:
And if you’re interested in those old “Mr. Goodwrench” commercials, take a stroll over to our sister site, Colbert University, and look up Stephen’s older work there.
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