BuzzSugar

Do You Get Your News From The Daily Show/Colbert Report?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:30:18 -0700

As most of you know, I've got my head buried in entertainment news all day and so - I'm not going to lie - sometimes when I turn on Comedy Central at night at watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report I'm definitely looking to learn about the news of the day from comedians.

I felt a little less guilty about this when I read a recent New York Times profile of Jon Stewart that calls his show "a genuine cultural and political force," and notes that in a study about the most admired journalists in America, Jon Stewart came in fourth place.

I find this kinda funny considering neither Stewart nor Colbert is an actual journalist. Do you get your news from Comedy Central's fake news shows?

Source

Stewart, Colbert Ratings Up - Even Without Writers

BuzzSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:30:31 -0800

While most TV shows (even American Idol) aren't drawing the viewers they usually do during this strike-disrupted season, there's news this week of one big exception: Ratings for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report have soared since the two shows returned Jan. 7 without their writers. Both shows are drawing their biggest audiences of this season, and they're also up significantly over last year. They're also the only late-night shows - writers or no - to be performing well.

Some are speculating that Colbert and Stewart are so darn funny on their own that writers are just a bonus, not a necessity. But couldn't their boost be attributed just as easily to election season and all the wonderful fodder for satire that we're getting from the campaign trail every day?

I'm curious what you Daily Show and Colbert fans make of this news. How do you think they've been doing without their writers? Have you found yourself tuning in more? And why do you think their ratings are up?

Photos courtesy of Comedy Central

TV Tonight: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert Return

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:36:11 -0800

Just in time to skewer the New Hampshire Primary, America's fake-news stalwarts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are returning to the air tonight. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will be new for the first time since the writers' strike began in November.

But how will they do it without writers? Colbert and Stewart, themselves both members of the striking Writers Guild of America, are barred from writing anything - and, after Jay Leno was smacked down by the union after writing a monologue last week, the two of them will probably be extra-cautious. Comedy Central hasn't confirmed Colbert's guests yet (though Andrew Sullivan, former editor of The New Republic, says it's him), while Stewart is planning to interview Ronald Seeber, a conflict resolution specialist. Heh.

No matter what else happens, I'm guessing this is going to be one wacky hour of television; as of yesterday, a Comedy Central spokesman was saying Stewart and Colbert were still figuring out what to do on their shows. Will you be watching as these two return to the air? Or are you staying away in support of the strike?

Photos courtesy of Comedy Central

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert Coming Back Jan. 7

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:30:00 -0800

Here's some news for lovers of "news": The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will both return to air Jan. 7. The two hosts issued a statement on Thursday saying: "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."

The striking Writers Guild of America issued a statement accusing Comedy Central of forcing the shows back on the air and said the result will be a lower-quality program. Comedy Central had no comment.

Colbert and Stewart, who are both Writers Guild members, will be improvising their interviews and other content, and it's not clear whether or how they'll produce other taped segments. Most likely, they'll need to rely more on interviews - which is a gray area itself for all the late-night hosts, since many potential guests are wary of crossing picket lines.

Does it bug you that Stewart and Colbert will be coming back despite the strike? Or do you think it's a good move?

Photos courtesy of Comedy Central

Ease Your Late-Night Losses with Colbert on DVD

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

One of the most immediate effects of the Hollywood writers' strike on viewers has been the end to new episodes of late-night shows, including Comedy Central's fake-news combo of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. Thankfully, there are a couple of great ways to fill the void: The Daily Show recently opened its complete archives online, and today, The Colbert Report releases a best-of DVD.

The DVD includes about three hours of footage, including some of the best segments from regular Colbert features such as Better Know a District, The Word, and Threatdown. Also included: Colbert's classic showdown with Bill O'Reilly. I'm not sure if there's any bonus footage from Colbert's Rock and Awe: Countdown to Guitarmageddon challenge with the Decemberists, but they'd be foolish not to include it.

Unsurprisingly, Colbert recorded a very funny promo for the DVD; there's also a handy widget with a few classic Colbert clips. You can check it out if you read more

Source

Stephen Colbert's Presidential Dreams Crash to a Halt

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 12:28:30 -0700

Well, guys, it's official: Stephen Colbert will not be our president. The South Carolina Democratic Party denied his application for the ballot on Thursday, saying he wasn't serious about the race. (No!)

"The council really agonized over this because they really like him, they love his show, and everyone thinks it’s wonderful that he cares about us," said Carol Fowler, chairwoman of the state's Democratic Party. But in the end, voting members smacked down Colbert's quest by a vote of 13-3.

Well, it was probably bound to happen; the party would have had to pay $20,000 to list Colbert's name, and that's a whole lot of money to sustain a joke. I hope those who were so excited about Colbert's candidacy can find a real candidate to back; if not, it certainly says something about our political system. Meanwhile, to watch a clip of Colbert getting the bad news - complete with sober balloon drop, a sad trombone player, and the dismantling of all his plans for the country - just read more

Photo courtesy of Comedy Central

Do You Prefer Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Together, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert put together one of the funniest hours on television - but what if you could only watch one of them? Would you go with Stewart's cheerful one-liners or Colbert's faux punditry?

Photo courtesy of Comedy Central

Stephen Colbert Is Running for President

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:38:19 -0700

And I'm not even kidding! This announcement is as serious as anything can be in Colbert's world of baby eagles, bridges and Ben & Jerry's: Colbert has thrown his hat into the ring into the race for president - or, at least, the primary election in his home state of South Carolina. He hedged on the announcement early last night on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but after careful consideration, he decided to make his run official on "a more prestigious show" - his own.

It's hard not to notice that Colbert has devoted these past few weeks to the traditional path of a presidential candidate: releasing a high-profile book, writing an op-ed for the New York Times, and even hinting to Larry King that he might want the nomination. And lucky for us, he's promised not to give up his day job.

Hey, if anyone's going to make a mockery of our political system, it might as well be this guy. To watch Colbert's announcement - in which he's showered by red, white, and blue balloons while text proclaiming "I'm Doing It!" flashes on the screen - as well as his hedging earlier in the night on The Daily Show, just read more

Photo courtesy of Comedy Central

Colbert Moves Even Closer to World Domination

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:30:27 -0700

Stephen Colbert, the truthiest TV personality out there, is having a pretty big week. For one thing, his book, I Am America (And So Can You) has been released. And for another, Comedy Central has decided to take Colbert's late-night show global.

Yes, viewers all over the world will soon get to experience the wit and wisdom of Colbert for themselves. "The Colbert Report Global Edition" will be customized for our friends abroad with special segments on international issues. It follows the successful launch of "The Daily Show Global Edition," which is already seen in Canada and France and will soon move into several countries in the Middle East.

As for the book, Colbert claims that just looking at I Am America (And So Can You) will make you 25 percent more patriotic, so imagine what happens if you actually read it. And for those of you longtime fans who remember Colbert's early rants against books, never fear: Colbert didn't actually write this thing, because that would be evil. He simply dictated it into a tape recorder and then organized his ranting into chapter form.

But don't take it from me. On last night's "Colbert Report," the erstwhile host took it upon himself to interview ... um, himself. To watch the clip, just read more

Source

Colbert, in Comic Book Form

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:42:17 -0700

In case the thick glasses and serious fear of bears weren't enough to convince you that Stephen Colbert is a geek, here's more proof: Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen, a comic book series based on the fake newsman's sci fi hero, is about to hit the shelves.

Entertainment Weekly has a great sneak peek of the series, including seven pages from its first issue, which includes a story hilariously titled "Horn Like Me." The central character, of course, is Tek Jansen, star of Colbert's (self-published, undistributed) novel, Stephen Colbert's Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure as well as occasional animated spots on "The Colbert Report." Conveniently, even when rendered in comic form, the hero happens to look curiously like Colbert himself. (Jansen is also somewhat of a Casanova of the sci-fi world, wooing a series of girlfriends and, apparently, even ending up naked for a few pages in the first issue.)

The main story in the five-issue series follows a war Tek sets off when he refuses an offer to make the world a better place. Something tells me he'll end up the revered ruler of all the galaxies, but until we know for sure, you can check out all of "Horn Like Me" and read an interview with one of the series writers at EW.com. Or, to watch the first animated Tek Jansen spot, read more

Source