The Daily Show

[janetcatbird]

Just wanted to see what people thought--the only show besides CI that I make it a point to watch regularly. Smart and a sense of humor? Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are working their way up the ranks of Catbird's personal Monkey Men, as a religious studies minor I especially love the "This Week in God" segments.

According to the website on COmedy Central: www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/thedailyshowwithjonstewart/

"In this year's 16th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) will present a Special Recognition award to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for its "smart, incisive, devastatingly funny coverage of gay and lesbian civil rights issues, and its hilarious skewering of the religious right's anti-gay agenda." Congratulations! "

I just think that's neat--and since Serena raised the issue this past week...I also thought it cool that proceeds from their last reading went to an organization to help foster kids' creative writing and artistic expression.

Anyone else enjoy this?

[Marie]

Hi there!

I LOVE The Daily Show! It's smart, cheeky, irreverent, and just like Det. Goren - equally unrelentling in its pursuit of evil; aka: The Bush Administration. ;D

Jon Stewart cracks me up - so too, the rest of the cast, who week after week manage to hit the nail on the head with unapologetic glee, as they poke and skewer those badly in need of it; a public service really, as no one should be stuck that far-up their own ass. Chuckle! And as a Canadian, I embrace the inherent subversity of everything they do on The Daily Show. They shine a light on social and political ignorance while proving that not everyone in America is clueless.

And to learn that they actively support worthy causes and charities simply serves to endear the folks over at the Daily Show to me, all that much more.

They make it a little easier to bear the thought of the next four years. At least we can laugh a bit inbetween the bouts of swearing, eh? Chuckle!

[trisha]

ITA Plus, Jon Stewart called Tucker Carlson a dick-- to his face, on live television. If just for that, he's won my heart forever

[Marie]

trisha said:

ITA Plus, Jon Stewart called Tucker Carlson a dick-- to his face, on live television. If just for that, he's won my heart forever

Yeah! LOL! I saw that too! Classic Jon Stewart moment. Oh, hey.. we can say dick on this forum and it's not cencored out?? Wow; this place really is for grown-ups.

[Criminal Mastermind]

Marie said:

we can say dick on this forum and it's not cencored out?? Wow; this place really is for grown-ups.

We currently have nothing on our censored words list, so you can swear if you want to ... just not excessively, and not at each other. After all, as you said, this place is for grown ups

[Marie]

Criminal said:

We currently have nothing on our censored words list, so you can swear if you want to ... just not excessively, and not at each other. After all, as you said, this place is for grown ups

Chuckle! Over on the Buffyworld Forum, words like Dick for example - which can be someone's name after all, were blocked. So it was that rigid a policy.

Mind you, younger viewers posted on that forum, so I understood. Moreover, repetative swearing illustrates a lack of creative thinking and a limited vocabulary.

I think an occational swear word, well placed and used in context, to add particular emphasis to a point or feeling being expressed, is otherwise harmless when done in moderation. Even so, I'll always write "f*ck" with the asterix.

Feels sneakier doing it that way, somehow. More subversive. Like you're getting away with something.

Marie - ex-Catholic school girl. Smile.

[janetcatbird]

Well, they did have a token conservative guest on there Monday night, sorry I blanked on the name. So they had some fun with it, the guy said something along the lines of "Even a liberal like you, Jon--" and Stewart looked aorund with a confused face "I'm a liberal?"

Jon Stewart, you can tell if he disagrees with something but he's always polite. I just get a bit frustrated if he cuts them off, but I think part of that is due to the time constraints of five last minutes. THere have been times, though, where he seems to struggle with being funny and having conversation; he'd make a smart comment that, while funny, seemed to be taking time away. Oh well, you do what you can. I'm just annoyed that there are no shows to go to during my trip to NY in March.

Oh my gosh, international "Let's Go: Bomb Iran!" had some brilliant moments. "Making the area hugely susceptible to either reactionary Islam, or MTV. A US invasion could tip the balance...either way!" ANd then after Cheney said that we don't want a war in the Middle East? Stewart (stage whisper): "Mr. Vice President? We already have war int he Middle East--that we started!"

Did anyone see "It's the Great Gatsby, Charlie Brown!"? Hee hee, the music was great, and you gotta love his questions about St. Paul at the end of the segment. (I was expecting it to go to the hwan-hwan of Charlie Brown adults.) I hate it when people re-interpret Marcie and Peppermint Patty, for crying out loud, people, they're 8 year old kids! But I tend to get really protective/clingy of the things I grew up with--my nursery was Peanuts, and y'all have heard me mention Sesame Street before--and that last show got a shout-out from "These are the people in your neighborhood!". Overall, I thought it was a nice segment that made its point without being ugly.

Later all,
Catbird#nosmileys#nosmileys

[trisha]

I haven't caught the show in whole since the one after the inauguration.

"The final score, Freedom 27, Liberty 16." ;D

The bit about Liberty being handicapped by the Patriot Act was pretty funny, too.

I don't recall the name of the guest you're referencing, but I did see that segment. The man wrote a book about how conservatives have used snail mail propaganda to brainwash the hicks and gomers in rural and suburban America, and accused the "Liberals" (like Jon) of fumbling and failing when it came to the use of such ingenious tactics.

I don't know why Jon didn't counter in the Liberals defense by saying, "We would have tried that, but we didn't know they could read!"

[MelTex]

Yea I saw Jon telling the Vice Pres. we already had a war in the middle east. Classic hilarious.

And I cheer every time he nails one of thsoe pompus asses from Washington, tells them exactly what they are and where they can stick it!

Nearly wet my pants when he called Carlson a dick.

Has he ever nailed Bush to the floor, or did I miss that show?

[Patcat]

I also posted this link in the thread for THE SAINT, but hope no one minds the duplication:

Stephen Colbert was interviewed on National Public Radio's FRESH AIR program this past Monday (January 24, 2005). You can listen to it at www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prDate=24-Jan-2005

Patcat

[trisha]

Has he ever nailed Bush to the floor, or did I miss that show?

Only every day! Unless you mean in person, then no. Bush's publicity people would never let Jon Stewart anywhere near him for fear of the fodder W would end up sputtering out all over the place.

But in all fairness, Bush's publicity people aren't the only ones keeping their clients away from certain members of the press, or the press as a whole in some circumstances. I mean, the whole reason Tucker Carlson and Jon really got into it was because Tucker accused Jon of squandering a great opportunity when John Kerry agreed to appear on The Daily Show. It was Tucker's opinion that Jon should have asked Kerry some real political questions, and Jon's opinion that Tucker has no room to critique because The Daily Show is more politically responsible than Crossfire -- and they present the news as a joke. I happen to agree on that point, but I understand the frustration that other "journalists" must have felt at seeing Kerry interviewed and not being asked any "real" questions. But, how often does Jon ask anyone real questions? And if he did, would the show be as funny? Like Jon noted, the show that airs before his is puppets playing prank phone calls. Crossfire, I believe, is (or was) proceeded by CNN Headline News. It really sort of ironic that Carlson would compare The Daily Show to Crossfire when Jon's entire point revolved around how irresponsible, and unabashedly biassed that political reporting and interviewing is today. Really, Crossfire was a sham news program, just like The Daily Show.

[janetcatbird]

No, Bush has never appeared on the show--maybe that's a good thing, since I don't know if the cast or audience would be able to restrain themselves for the required length of time. That's what I was talking about earlier, it seems like Jon Stewart feels constrained--you can almost see him fighting the urge to ask a real question but then remembering "We're on Comedy Central". Le sigh, best I can tell is even if they can't go into in-depth discussion, at least they're putting these issues out there for the audience to hear about and look into.

I didn't see the interview with Carlson, but I did hear aobut it and I remember all the jokes getting made afterwards. What I did read was that one of the hosts started whining to Stewart "You're not being funny!" to which Stewart replied "I won't be your monkey." I almost wish I had seen it, but normally I don't watch the news talks--I mean, when I'm home I'll sit with Dad during the PBS Friday night stuff, but on my own I don't think to.

Bill O'Reilly, I think, handled it well. Remember that big stink when Stewart was on his show and BIll O'Reilly made a crack about the audience being a bunch of stoned slackers? O'Reilly and Stewart both thought it was a joke, laughed, and moved on, but Comedy Central freaked out. Good lord, the stuff they put on and advertize and yet they felt the need to publish statistics about how well-informed viewers of the Daily Show were...anyways, when O'Reilly came on DS some time later Stewart was teasing him "Don't you have something to say to our audience?"
"Hi"
"Eh, no, don't you owe them an apology for certain things--"
"Oh come on Jon, you know I was stoned when I said that." Of course the audience went bananas, Jon Stewart cracked up (it's so funny to watch when he gets tickled, he's not that good at keeping a straight face), and they went on. Later on O'Reilly said something about "That's because you're a pinhead!", but at least they were both poking fun at themselves.

Besides, every interview I've seen points out that they're there to make people laugh, they are not trying to truly inform the public. What's the tagline--"The only news organization with no credibility to lose". And the correspondants all seem a little--amusedly dismayed when they hear people get the news fromt he show. (Ya gotta like Rob Corddry's quote: "It's only fair--I get most of my comedy from Fox News".)

And Patcat, thank you so much for that interview link! Though some of Colbert's comments seemed familiar from other interviews, it was so neat to actually hear him talk and go into depth, especially about his own role as an American Catholic--who does the material he does. Like I said, Religious Studies minor and a great deal of personal interest, even without the coursework, so I love hearing bits like that. Especially with his daughter's First Communion--is Catechist a sort of mentor, anyone know? (Also, if you type Stephen Colbert in the search area for NPR's website you can also listen to a "Talk of the Nation" from last March during the Democratic primaries, very similar to the "Fresh Air" interview but it's more about the process than the individual, plus you get live callers.)

Speaking of This Week In God, was that not a great recovery last night? "I'm too fast for you old man!"--he even managed to stay straight after a couple of snorts. Not a big John Leguizamo fan, but there were some good moments in the earlier segments. "as opposed to the filth that's been airing on Nickelodion!" "The worst case of entertainment industry nepotism since Scrappy Doo."

Hoo boy, how much longer can I postpone my reading for Archaeology? Later all,

Catbird

#nosmileys

[trisha]

Oh Catbird, I can't believe it! This is a must see (or read) for any Daily Show fan. There is a transcript here. Enjoy!

[Patcat]

A Catechist is someone studying the Catholic faith. It's usually applied to someone who is studying to enter the Catholic Church, but it can also apply to children who are preparing for their First Communion, First Sacrament of Reconciliation, and Confirmation, and their instructors.

As a Catholic, and one who, apparently like Mr. Colbert, is not always in line with the official line, I found that aspect of the interview fascinating. I think it's also interesting that he was cast in THE SAINT episode of LOCI. And I thought he was excellent in the role.

Patcat

[MelTex]

Oh My GOD! If Bush WAS on the Daily Show, well, I guess an even greater audience would get to see what an utter moron the man is when he opens his mouth.

Thanks for the links guys, I needed to catch up on some Daily Show news and scripts! ;D

WOW I never made the connection to the SAINT and Stephen Colbert and Daily Show, guess I need to watch that DVD again.