Colbert and Stewart take over Washington DC this Saturday. Have you bought your Amtrak ticket? Found a Hotel? Packed your tent? Started bumming rides from creepy truck drivers on the NJ Turnpike? If not, you better get started. The 'Rally to Restore Sanity' and the 'March to Keep Fear Alive'will be swarming the National Mall in Washington this Saturday. If you can't be there, just fire up your TV to Comedy Central from 12noon - 3pm and make the choice to find sanity or be afraid of the world. It's your choice, people.
On another note, President Barack O'Bama was on the The Daily Show last night. At last, on the (sort of) eve of the big rally in Washington, the President took time out of his busy schedule while Stewart was in town to discuss what's been happening and why people are mad. It was an amazing moment. However, I fell asleep in the middle of the interview, so here's how it went down.
Despite having already posted Colbert and Daily Show musing a few times this week, I couldn't resist putting this up. Carell and Colbert together again. It's a comedy so pretty that you just want to put it on your wall and stare at it all day.
Stephen Colbert kicked off his USO tour of duty last night with the first Colbert Report taped live for the American troops in Iraq. It's sobering to see the men and women of our country pay service and sacrifice their lives for freedom in a hot, dry desert so far from home. They needed some laughs, and Colbert provided. Beside the hilarious opening monologue, where Stephen donned a camouflage suit and sported a swinging golf club a-la-Bob Hope, the following segment with Commanding General Ray Odierno was a major highlight. It also included special guest Commander in Chief Barack Obama giving orders. This was undoubtedly the best Report ever.
As for General Odierno, it's awesome to have a guy who looks like Klaatu's giant robot friend from The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008) leading our troops. He's so awesome, I bet he shoots ray beams from his eyes. Go troops!
Just doing my job as a citizen of the United States and TV blogger to inform.
After months of methodical logistics planning kept as confidential and mysterious as Dick Cheney's secret dungeon - it's now official. Stephen Colbert has been deployed to Iraq for a USO tour. Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando kicks off next week at an undisclosed locale and will air on Comedy Central. All shows will be available for download at iTunes, and proceeds will be donated to the USO. How cool is that?
When Stephen Colbert was a correspondent on The Daily Show, I was so blinded by the quirky humor of Steve Carell that I hardly gave Little Bear a second thought. Of course "Even Stephven", the hilarious point-counterpoint talking head between the two Stephens remain in my memory (and at Comedy Central) to laugh at until I lose my mind, but I never gave Colbert the attention he was due. Even the past few years The Colbert Report has been slow going for me. His show has been making waves in political circles alongside Jon's Daily satire, but it took me until late last year to finally...finally love Stephen so much I want to day dream about him.
Last night sealed the deal. In the wake of Fox News' Glenn Beck's sanctimonious outcry for keeping his country safe from all the big bad liberals who worship Obama (which I don't buy for a minute - the guy is a comedian - his fake tears on air reveal his bad acting), Colbert lobbed a nice satirical serve in his direction last night. Sign me up for "The 10-31 Project".
Colbert escapes to his happy place after Obama declared winner.
I don't know what I would have done these last two years of election campaign build up without "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report". Their humor decompressed the insanity and anger. The dynamic duo teamed up for special live election coverage, doling out hilarity during a very nervous night. Luckily Obama snagged enough electoral college votes to claim victory just before the show wrapped at 11pm EST, allowing Stewart the spine chilling honor to announce Obama as next the President of the United States. The cheers from the audience were exhilarating.
Well, the NBC promo overlords have provided a summary of tomorrow night's episode. Jim and Pam get bluetooths so they can spend every minute together. Why the hell is she still in New York?
Jim and Dwight freak out over the results of a customer survey, which should bring some long awaited Jim and Dwight interaction that's been sorely missing (along with Pam. Did I mention she's still in New York and no one is telling us why?)
Andy and Angela pick a wedding spot. Like I care. Really, I don't.
Michael is Holly-less.
After my dashed hopes for a splendid season after the sensational "Weight Loss" episode, I'm lukewarm. But I love Jim, and it sounds like a good Halpert episode.
"The Office: Customer Survey" airs Thursday on NBC at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT.
Here's the latest promo that includes some peaks at "30 Rock" where Ms. Winfrey herself will appear. Liz saying "Oprah!" is similar to the way I shout when I see a fresh new batch of cookies.
It's Business Time...
Although HBO has not yet released scheduling information on "Flight of the Conchords", Jemaine Clement and Brett McKenzie have been filming their second series in New York due to air sometime in 2009. As reported by Jezebel, Clement and his wife Miranda Manasiadis have just welcomed a new baby boy named (deep breath) Sophocles Iraia Manasiadis Clement. The world just got cuter!
Photos courtesy of Comedy Central and NBC Universal Media
Bill Maher has been one of my favorite television comedic pundits since his days at Comedy Central. When his show "Politically Incorrect" made its way into the mainstream on ABC TV, he found himself fighting off the foes of liberal minded chatter. Unfortunately, Maher's time with ABC was cut short after September 11th, when he said something about Americans being terrorists, and well, the network didn't take kindly to that remark, so off he went. Thankfully HBO gave Maher another chance with "Real Time" and a platform to speak freely, passion and all.
It's not my intent to write too much about political humor despite the fact my favorite shows are "The Daily Show", "The Colbert Report", and to some extent "Saturday Night Live". The realities of this week's stock market plunge while the nation plows through a heated presidential campaign, rendering hatred from one party to another, has made me cling to the comedy of Jon Stewart and Bill Maher. It's no wonder their ratings have soared in recent months. It's not just because people want their news with a smile. It's due to laughter being the only way to ease the fear and anger that has been stirred by accusations, lies and ignorance. Stewart points out the insanity by showing its absurity through jokes and irony. Colbert pokes fun at the right wing by becoming a characterization of them. Bill Maher creates monologues and bits such as "Exit Strategy" and "New Rules" not just to speak of liberal views, but to peel away layers of bullshit and throw the truth in the face of those who won't listen.
As Stewart, Colbert and Maher continue to make America think intelligently about the ways of politics and the downcast news of the economy, there is always the sense that despite the turbulence, we will prevail. Thank God we have comedy. If it weren't for the laughs, I think I'd ride that hobo train to hell.
SNL Highlights from the past few politically charged weeks:
Colbert and Stewart take over Washington DC this Saturday. Have you bought your Amtrak ticket? Found a Hotel? Packed your tent? Started bumming rides from creepy truck drivers on the NJ Turnpike? If not, you better get started. The 'Rally to Restore Sanity' and the 'March to Keep Fear Alive'will be swarming the National Mall in Washington this Saturday. If you can't be there, just fire up your TV to Comedy Central from 12noon - 3pm and make the choice to find sanity or be afraid of the world. It's your choice, people.
Colbert escapes to his happy place after Obama declared winner.
Well, the NBC promo overlords have provided a summary of tomorrow night's episode. Jim and Pam get bluetooths so they can spend every minute together. Why the hell is she still in New York?
As reported by Jezebel, Clement and his wife Miranda Manasiadis have just welcomed a new baby boy named (deep breath) Sophocles Iraia Manasiadis Clement. The world just got cuter!
