Archive for Operation Iraqi Stephen
MSNBC highlights Stephen Colbert in USO story
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve heard several times since his return that taping The Colbert Report’s Iraq episodes left a huge impression on Stephen. It’s not so surprising, when we consider all of his work supporting the troops before his visit and how patriotic he is (in the best sense of the word), and it was clear in watching the Operation Iraqi Stephen episodes how sincerely he respected the soldiers serving there and how eager he was to show them a good time.
Given all that, I was pleased to read this article covering the USO today, which characterizes Stephen’s shows as “one of the most popular in recent years”. I hope he and his team of writers and crewpeople take pride in what they were able to accomplish there. From MSNBC:
USO feeds troops starved for entertainment
In tradition dating back to 1941, celebs aim to bring slice of home overseas
By Michael VentreOne of the harsher truths about life overseas for United States military personnel is that they rarely have all they need.
It isn’t just about enough weapons and ammo, bulletproof vests, Humvees or other equipment to help them thrive in combat. There are always shortages of letters and packages from home, of recreational opportunities and furloughs and of general contact with the free world outside of military bases.
There is also a dire need for entertainment.
. . .
One of the most popular [shows] in recent years occurred in June, when Colbert took his “Comedy Central” show to Baghdad for a week. The event featured the faux firebrand having his head shaved military style and prancing around in a tailor-made camouflage business suit.
“It was absolutely fabulous,” Pray said. “At the end of all the major tours, we put together a book, a compilation of events. To look at the photos of the venue he was working in, and then to see the smiling faces of all the troops … oh my gosh.”
Colbert said he was thrilled to be there, even if the logistics of staging his regular production were somewhat daunting for him and his entire production crew.
“I’m honored that we went to do the show in Iraq and in the end we still all liked each other,” he cracked. “When you put pressure on a system like that, things can rattle off and go wrong. It was sort of a painful process to go through, but we got back way more than we put in. I was grateful for that experience.
“The gratitude and appreciation from the people there was startling to me.”
. . .
I had to laugh at myself when I saw the top photo of Stephen featured on the slideshow, because it looked so familiar to me. (I think it was taken during one of the rehearsal sessions that was captured in these adorable videos, with Stephen laughing at his Army Basic Training exploits.) Anyway, here’s a brief clip of a Q&A featuring Stephen while he was in Iraq, from the MSNBC story:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I remain terribly impressed with the people involved with the show for what they were able to accomplish at Camp Victory; the caliber of the shows and the guests was really incredible, and I think the response to the shows is a testament to that. Here’s hoping even more entertainers follow in Stephen’s footsteps, as the article makes it clear that the men and women in theater are always grateful for the shows.
Related posts
VIDEO: Stephen Colbert talks Iraq, Obama and Olympics on Letterman
Posted by: | CommentsCrooksandLiars.com is first out of the gate with the full video of Stephen’s appearance on Late Show with David Letterman last night. The interview jumped around quite a bit (and I felt like CBS had the longest commercial breaks ever), but it’s always nice to see Stephen out of character and supporting his various causes. Here’s the video, via The Political Carnival:
Related posts
Outtakes: More care in those packages from Stephen Colbert and Tom Hanks
Posted by: | CommentsHeh, the good folks over at ColbertNation are really helping us out by continuing to post outtakes from the Operation Iraqi Stephen shows. I really kind of love these. Check out Stephen Colbert and Tom Hanks in some more of the clips we missed out on during the original airings:
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Outtake – Tom Hanks Pt. 1 | ||||
|
||||
More after the jump — enjoy!
Read More→
Related posts
Outtakes: Stephen Colbert does Basic Training
Posted by: | CommentsColbertNation has posted a few more outtakes from Operation Iraqi Stephen (yay!). They’ve posted three brief clips, but this one is my favorite:
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Outtake – Basic Training Pt. 3 | ||||
|
||||
Love that little heel click!
Watch the other outtakes after the fold:
Related posts
Outtake: Stephen Colbert flying with the Thunderbirds
Posted by: | CommentsInteresting! Just days after we hear Stephen Colbert telling Pete Dominick that he has “yet to feel like it was a good idea to have done that [flown with the Thunderbirds],” ColbertNation posts a bit of unseen footage from Stephen’s flight with the Thunderbirds Thundercats:
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Outtake – Air Force Thunderbirds | ||||
|
||||
Considering how airsick we know he got, I’ve got to tell you, I’m impressed by his lucidity in that above clip. Watch Stephen’s original segment on his flight here:
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Operation Iraqi Stephen – Fallback Position – Air Force Thunderbirds | ||||
|
||||
And don’t forget to watch some of the other outtakes from Operation Iraqi Stephen here.
Related posts
How’d they do that? Technical challenges to ‘The Colbert Report’ in Iraq
Posted by: | CommentsWhile doing my usual morning skim of Colbert-related news, I clicked on this story thinking it would just be another summary of the impressive “Operation Iraqi Stephen” shows. Boy, was I wrong! This article goes into great detail over the technical and production aspects of the shows and even managed to give me, a complete idiot where this stuff is concerned, a sense of the behind-the-scenes efforts. From TV Technology:
Colbert Goes Commando in Iraq
by Claudia Kienzle, 08.12.2009. . .
While USO productions typically involve transporting two or three palettes [sic] of gear and a few people, “The Colbert Report” needed to transport a 30-member crew and over 13 palletes [sic] of gear, done over three separate trips. This meant filling the interiors of C130 and C17 military cargo planes with people in helmets and flak jackets—including editors, camera operators, and writers—and production elements such as sets, props, theatrical lighting, editing systems, and audio gear, not to mention office equipment. The military dedicated over 200 troops to assist in construction and setup of the facility, as well as logistical support and housing for the crew.
“Given the opportunity, we would have pre-fabricated a high-end production control room or even a flypack in New York and moved it over to Iraq ready to go. But we didn’t have the luxury to ship such large cargo,” said Jeremy Tchaban, production manager for “The Colbert Report.” “As a result, we had to supplement our equipment complement with video cameras, production switchers, and monitors from a local source, Coaxial, a Kuwaiti event production company; and this meant we would have to work in PAL, the native format in that part of the world.”
. . .
For example, the most complex, blue screen effect was created live for “Formidable Opponent,” a segment where Colbert appears live in both sides of a split-screen simultaneously and debates himself about a controversial issue; this time the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. While this live split-screen effect is no problem at all for the big Sony switcher back home, Pretnar said that, for the Iraq shows, he needed to use two of the small switchers at once.
. . .
“Pretnar was punching up buttons on the three switchers as if he were playing three pianos at once,” Tchaban said, “so the gags would be staged with the full live effects to capture the natural laughs we wanted from the troops.”
. . .
I’d strongly recommend that you read the full story; it was an extremely interesting look at a lot of things that normally fly under the radar for us watching from home.
And again, thanks to everyone at the USO, in the military, and with the show who put in such fantastic efforts!
Related posts
Stephen Colbert reflects on Iraq
Posted by: | CommentsThis is a sweet little item from Variety:
Stephen Colbert
Host, ‘The Colbert Report’
By MICHAEL VENTRE. . .
[W]hat Colbert remembers most from his week of shows inside the combat zone — titled “Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando” — was the connection he made with that live audience that had little to do with shear lunacy.
“As friends of mine had told me who had done this kind of work before, there was an immediate and startling affection from the men and women over there,” he said shortly after his return to the States. “They’re grateful to you. That immediately gives you a purpose beyond just the purpose to make them laugh. It becomes to make them laugh, and to show your appreciation to them.
“The response was deeply emotional and not intellectual. It was a very beautiful feeling and one that will take me a while to (assess) and extricate from the tangle of my present exhaustion.”
. . .
Speaking just for myself, I think that emotion was evident in the shows that were broadcast back here. Thanks again, Stephen and crew, for doing such an amazing job and giving those troops such wonderful shows!
Related posts
Update on the petition to make Stephen Colbert an honorary veteran
Posted by: | CommentsHey, y’all! Just wanted to give you this update on the status of Paul Rieckhoff’s challenge to the Nation. As of a few minutes ago, there were 12,412 signatures (out of the required 25,000) on the IAVA petition to make Stephen an honorary veteran. This post from yesterday’s New York Daily News sums up the campaign, for those of you who missed it (internal links omitted):
Fans voting for Stephen Colbert to be honorary war vet
by Cristina Everett
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, July 15th 2009, 2:51 PMWhen Stephen Colbert paid a June visit to the troops in Iraq, the “Colbert Report” host made quite the impression!
Colbert, 45, was a hit with the men and women of the armed services, particularly Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff, who was a guest on Monday night’s episode.
. . .
Since the comedian’s trip to Iraq was successful, Rieckhoff posed the question: If Colbert made it to Iraq and back in one piece, would he deserve to be an honorary IAVA Member?
A petition has been created to collect the 25,000 signatures needed in order to honor the host. Over 10,000 people have given their vote for Colbert thus far.
. . .
The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Stephen Gets His Hair Cut
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum
C’mon, everyone, you know it would be a good thing to get Stephen this honor. And, if any of you are on the fence about whether he deserves this recognition, consider this: the military has, on occasion, honored “civilians” in the past. For example, the following “people” have been named honorary Marines: Bugs Bunny, Lon Chaney (Sr.) and Chuck Norris.
Related posts
