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The Colbert Report
The Colbert Report logo
GenreComedy, Satire
Created byStephen Colbert
Ben Karlin
Jon Stewart
StarringStephen Colbert
Country of originU.S.
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes327 (as of October 18, 2007) (list of episodes)
Production
Running time22 minutes
Original release
NetworkComedy Central
ReleaseOctober 17, 2005 –
Present
Related
The Daily Show

The Colbert Report (IPA /kolˈbɛɹ rɪˈpɔɹ/) is an American satirical television program that airs from 11:30 p.m. to 12:00 midnight Eastern Time Zone (North America) each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States and on both The Comedy Network and CTV in Canada. It stars political humorist Stephen Colbert, a former correspondent for The Daily Show.

The Colbert Report is a spin-off and counterpart of The Daily Show which, like The Daily Show, critiques politics and the media. It satirizes personality-driven political pundit programs, particularly Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor.[1][2] The show focuses on Stephen Colbert, a fictional anchorman character played by Colbert. The character, a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", is a caricature of televised political pundits.[3][4]

The Colbert Report has received award nominations from several organizations; it was nominated for four Emmys in both 2006 and 2007, two Television Critics Association Awards, two Satellite Awards, and was given a Special Recognition award at the 2007 GLAAD Media Awards. It has been presented as non-satirical journalism in several instances, by the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Trust, and following Robert Wexler's interview on the program. The Report received considerable media coverage and following its debut on October 17, 2005, for Colbert's coining of the term "truthiness", which dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster named its 2006 "Word of the Year."

The Report has had cultural influence in a number of ways. In 2006, after Colbert encouraged viewers to vote online to name a Hungarian bridge after him, he won the first round of voting with 17,231,724 votes.[5] The Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary presented Mr. Colbert with a declaration certifying him as the winner of the second and final round of voting, though it was later announced that the bridge would be named the Megyeri Bridge. In 2007, the Democratic Caucus chair instructed incoming freshmen not to do appearances on the show in response to the 'Better Know a District' segment.[6] The Report has also coined several neologisms, such as "freem" and "wikiality".

Production

File:Thecolbertgang.jpg
Colbert on "The Colbert Gang"

In 2004, The Daily Show was highly successful at the Emmy Awards, and Comedy Central wanted to expand the franchise.[7] Stephen Colbert had been a correspondent on, and co-writer for, The Daily Show for six seasons. Jon Stewart and Ben Karlin (The Daily Show's executive producer) supposedly came up with the idea for The Colbert Report after watching coverage of the sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Bill O'Reilly. Jon Stewart's production company, Busboy Productions, developed The Report. Colbert, Stewart, and Karlin pitched the idea of the show (reportedly with one phrase: "our version of The O'Reilly Factor with Stephen Colbert") to Comedy Central chief Doug Herzog, who agreed to run the show for eight weeks without creating a pilot.[8]

The Colbert Report first appeared in the form of three commercials for itself which aired several times on The Daily Show, although the themes that form the basis for The Report can be seen in the reports of Colbert's correspondent character on The Daily Show. The show debuted October 17, 2005, with an initial contract for an eight-week run. On November 2, 2005 based on the strong ratings for the show's first two weeks, Comedy Central and Colbert announced they had signed for an additional year, through the end of 2006.[9]

Program format

Typically, Colbert starts each episode with teasers regarding the show's topics and guest, followed by a verbal metaphor that promotes the show — for example, "Go out ten yards and button-hook to the left. I'm going to hit you with a perfect spiral of the truth. This is The Colbert Report." The show's opening title sequence begins with images of flag waving, Colbert striking poses and words describing Colbert flying by. Originally, the last word was grippy, but it has changed to megamerican, Lincolnish, superstantial, freem, eneagled, flagaphile, good, and as of September 10, 2007, gutly. The sequence ends with a computer-generated shrieking eagle swooping toward the foreground.

Following the opening sequence, Colbert proceeds a run-through of the day's headlines, similar to that of The Daily Show but with a pseudo-right-wing spin. The program proper then begins with Colbert addressing a specific topic. That topic will usually lead into a "The Wørd" segment, which juxtaposes Colbert's commentary with ironic bullet points on-screen, a satirical take on The O'Reilly Factor "Talking Points Memo;"[10] though on occasion he will conduct a short interview with someone having to do with the topic. The format of the middle segment varies, but it is normally a visual presentation or skit. Often, these skits are parts of recurring segments, which include:

  • "Better Know a District", where Colbert interviews a member of Congress from a certain district of the United States.
  • "Tip of the Hat / Wag of the Finger", where Colbert "Tips his hat off" to things he approves of and "Wags his finger" at things he disapproves of.
  • "Stephen Colbert's Formidable Opponent", where Colbert interviews the only person he can trust on a certain subject - himself.
  • "Cheating Death with Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A.", a health segment presented by Colbert ever since he was given an honorary doctorate, despite the fact it was in fine arts. All of the products he advertises are from "Prescott Pharmaceuticals", and have horrible side effects.
  • "The Threatdown", where he lists the five biggest threats to America, although the number one threat normally tends to be bears or robots, as Colbert has a phobia of both.
  • "Colbert Platinum", covering stories relating to expensive, high-profile items. Colbert often reminds his viewers that this segment is for "Platinum Members of Colbert Nation Only", and instructs poorer people not to watch the segment.
  • "Alpha Dog of the Week", reviewing the story of someone that displayed leadership over the week. Despite the name of the segment, it does not happen every week.

The third segment is always an interview with a celebrity guest, often an author or government official.[11] The interview is, unlike The Daily Show, conducted at a different table on the set. Viewers watch Colbert jog (in an attention-seeking sort of way) from his desk to the more comfortable setting where the guest is waiting for him. Afterwards, Colbert ends the show by giving some parting words to the audience.

File:Colbert report.jpg
Colbert on the set of The Colbert Report. Note the three instances of the show's title (four counting the desk).

Set

The studio in which The Colbert Report is taped was used for The Daily Show until July 2005. The set for The Colbert Report is called "The Eagle's Nest" and reflects and facilitates Colbert's self-aggrandizing style.[12] The set has two main areas: the desk, from which Colbert hosts most of the show, and the guest interview area to camera right, where his guest for the evening is interviewed. On one wall, above an artificial fireplace, is a portrait of Colbert; it originally showed Colbert standing in front of the same mantel with another portrait of himself. On the show's first anniversary, the portrait was replaced by one of Colbert standing in front of the mantel with the first portrait above it; the original was auctioned off at a charity event[13] and currently hangs in the Sticky Fingers restaurant in Colbert's native Charleston.[14] Colbert claimed that the portrait will be changed every year to add another level of depth. On October 17th 2007, the portrait was removed and replaced with a new one that followed an identical pattern, but changed Colbert's placement in the foreground.

The graphics used throughout the show and the studio itself are saturated with American flags, Bald Eagles, and other patriotic imagery.[15] The set contains many references to Colbert, and on the show's first episode he pointed out several examples: his name, initials and the name of the show appear on the desk's plasma screen, on the rafters above the desk, and the desk itself is shaped like a giant "C".[12] In an interview with The A.V. Club, Colbert explained that much of the design for the set was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. "All the architecture of that room points at Jesus' head, the entire room is a halo", Colbert said. "On the set, I'd like the lines of the set to converge on my head. And so if you look at the design, it all does, it all points at my head...there's a sort of sun-god burst quality about the set around me."[16] On the floor to the front stage right of his desk is a tape outline of where he injured his wrist, akin to those seen at murder scenes.

Stephen Colbert character

Main article: Stephen Colbert (character)
File:Colbertreport.jpg
Stephen Colbert as the fictional Stephen Colbert

The Stephen Colbert character is a semi-fictional character portrayed by comedian and actor Stephen Colbert. The character is a caricature of news pundits such as Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Geraldo Rivera, whose shows focus on "bluster and personality". (Although Colbert himself has said that Bill O'Reilly was the primary inspiration for his character, some reviewers have commented that the Colbert character seems much closer to Sean Hannity, largely due the Colbert character's utter disbelief in global warming, his down-right hatred of anyone not a conservative, and the Colbert character possessing a similarly huge ego.)[8][4] Colbert's character, a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", is right-wing, egomaniacal, fact-averse, God-fearing, and super-patriotic. He claims to be an independent who is often mistaken for a Republican, but uniformly despises liberals and generally agrees with the actions and decisions of George W. Bush and the Republican Party. This is evidenced by one of the questions that he asks of many of his guests: "George W. Bush: great President, or the greatest President?"[17]

The character's self-aggrandizing style includes frequent promotion of an extensive range of fictional merchandising and products, including perfumes, sci-fi novels, medications, his own "man seed", and other products, all of which are either produced or endorsed by Colbert. Colbert has also convinced his viewers, whom he addresses as "the Colbert Nation", to vote for him in various public naming polls: a bridge in Hungary and the mascot of the Saginaw Spirit, an Ontario Hockey League team have been named after him.[7][18]

Colbert's character has been described as a "caustic right-wing bully".[7] On the interview segment of the show, Colbert frequently attempts to "nail" his guest by using various rhetorical devices, and often logical fallacies, to prove them wrong.[19] Despite his bluster, Colbert's character suffers from arctophobia, the fear of bears, which he refers to as "godless killing machines with no soul."[20] This bear phobia was inspired by Colbert's real-life fear of bears as a child.[19] Colbert refers to Bill O'Reilly as "Papa Bear", a title with a double meaning, considering Colbert's hatred of bears.[21] Referring to Bill O'Reilly as "Papa Bear" would also constitute a gay reference. Colbert displays fear and suspicion of nearly any animal and is quick to declare they are "training" to attack humanity. He is also highly distrustful of technology, particularly robots.[22] Over the months of May and July in 2007, Colbert begged Apple to give him a free iPhone, and finally received one in July. Once he received it, however, he claimed the phone knew so much about him that he had become virtually dependent on it, and that the iPhone itself was a threat.[22] Colbert also despises the liberal media, the New York Times in particular, but applauds conservative media such as Fox News on a regular basis.[23]

Recurring themes

The Colbert Report presents various recurring themes that help define the show.

Truthiness

File:Colbert-truthiness.jpg
Stephen Colbert announces that "The Wørd" of the night is truthiness, during the premiere episode of The Colbert Report.
Main article: Truthiness

In "The Wørd" segment of the first episode of the Report, Colbert featured the term truthiness, defined as "the quality by which one purports to know something emotionally or instinctively, without regard to evidence or intellectual examination." Colbert said that, "I don't trust books, they're all fact, no heart. And that's exactly what's pulling our country apart today. Let's face it folks, we are a divided nation… between those who think with their head and those who know with their heart."[24] In December 2005, the New York Times selected truthiness as one of nine words that captured the zeitgeist of the year, and in January 2006, the American Dialect Society announced that truthiness was selected as its 2005 Word of the Year.[25]

Colbert has made frequent reference to the spread of the word truthiness since he introduced it, while carping on media accounts of truthiness that neglect to identify him as its source.[23] Truthiness has since been discussed, sometimes repeatedly, in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, MSNBC, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Editor & Publisher, Salon, The Huffington Post, ABC NewsRadio's Word Watch with Kel Richards and Chicago Reader, and on ABC's Nightline, CBS' 60 Minutes, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. In January 2006, truthiness was featured as a Word of the Week by the website of the Macmillan English Dictionary.[26] In December of the same year, Merriam-Webster announced that "truthiness" had been voted by visitors to its website to be the #1 Word of the Year for 2006.[27] On August 27, 2006, the Global Language Monitor named truthiness and wikiality — both coined by Colbert on The Colbert Report — as the top television buzzwords of 2006.[28][29]

Relation to The O'Reilly Factor

File:Colbertoreilly.jpg
Stephen Colbert appears as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor. January 18, 2007.

The Stephen Colbert character and The Colbert Report are generally parodies of Bill O'Reilly and The O'Reilly Factor. New episodes of The Colbert Report are scheduled in the same time slot as rebroadcasts of The O'Reilly Factor, while Colbert rebroadcasts are scheduled during new O'Reilly shows.[30] When O'Reilly appeared on The Daily Show before the second episode of The Colbert Report aired, he commented, "Before we get started, somebody told me walking in here, you got some French guy on after you making fun of me?", and made several references in the following interview to 'the French Guy'.[31][32] In a subsequent Newsweek interview, O'Reilly said that he "feels it's a compliment" to have Colbert parody him because Colbert "isn't mean-spirited" and does not "use [his] platform to injure people." Later, Colbert replied on-air, "I like you too. In fact, if it wasn't for you, this show wouldn't exist."[4]

The Colbert Report features a commentary segment called "The Wørd", similar to O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo". Like the "Memo", "The Wørd" features the commentator asserting a political point of view with a text screen graphic next to him. However, while O'Reilly's text serves to emphasize his points, Colbert's text generally serves to provide an ironic counterpoint to his character's position. Other segments that can be juxtaposed with The O'Reilly Factor are The Colbert Report's Inbox (compared to O'Reilly's "Factor Mail"); Stephen Colbert's Balls for Kidz which, unlike The Factor's "Children at Risk", tends to portray messages and lessons typically considered unsuitable for children; and That's The Craziest F#?king Thing I've Ever Heard, which is comparable to O'Reilly's "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day". Additionally, Colbert parodies O'Reilly's references to his program as the "no spin zone" by inviting viewers of his show to "take a spin in the no fact zone."[33] O'Reilly and Colbert each appeared as a guest on the other's show on January 18, 2007. O'Reilly seemed to regret this "crossover" before his time on The Colbert Report was through, stating as the audience reacted badly to him that it was "a huge mistake, me coming on here."[20] (As a souvenir, Colbert "stole" a microwave from the O'Reilly green room—in fact, he informed O'Reilly of his intention to take the microwave beforehand—later displaying it on his own show. He later sent over a replacement microwave, emblazoned with the Colbert Report logo.)

Greenscreen challenges

On the August 10, 2006 episode, Stephen Colbert was shown wielding a lightsaber in front of a greenscreen, a parody of the Star Wars Kid internet phenomenon.[34] This was done as part of the "Better Know A District" segment, when Colbert visited California's 6th congressional district, the home of Star Wars creator George Lucas. The greenscreen footage was subsequently edited by fans and their results were posted on the Internet, primarily the website YouTube.[35] Colbert featured some of these clips on the August 21 episode and issued the "Greenscreen Challenge" to the public — a contest to create the best video from footage shown in the August 10 episode. Lucas himself made an appearance on the October 11 episode to showcase his entry.[13]

When indie rock band The Decemberists shot a music video for their single "O Valencia!" in front of a green screen and asked fans to complete the video, Colbert accused them of copying his idea, and started his second green screen challenge, which called for fans to edit Stephen Colbert into The Decemberists unfinished music video. In response, The Decemberists challenged Colbert to a guitar solo challenge.[36] For a few weeks, the upcoming contest, which Colbert titled "Rock and Awe: Countdown to Guitarmageddon" ("The I-Rock War: Cut and Strum" and "The Axeman Cometh: Mourning Becomes Electric" were announced as alternate titles; Colbert added that he would find and fire the English major on his staff who created the latter title), became a focus of the show. On December 20, 2006, Chris Funk, lead guitarist for The Decemberists, came on the show for the guitar solo challenge. Once Funk finished playing, Colbert arrived on stage with a five-necked guitar belonging to Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. Colbert played two notes, pretended to cut his hand, and insisted that he could no longer play, so Peter Frampton played a solo in Colbert's place. A panel of three judges, New York governor Eliot Spitzer, Rock critic Anthony DeCurtis, and chairman of the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at New York University, Jim Anderson, voted to determine the best solo. DeCurtis voted for the Colbert/Frampton team, Anderson voted for Funk, and Spitzer withdrew himself from judging as Colbert tried to bribe him during the commercial break. The deciding vote was given to Henry Kissinger, who had briefly appeared earlier in the show. Kissinger said that the American people had won, at which point Colbert declared himself the winner.[37] As a prize, Colbert received The Crane Wife, The Decemberists' new album, saying "The Crane Wife by the Decemberists? I love the Decemberists, they rock. In your face, Funk!"

Wrist violence and fictional addiction

On July 26 2007, Colbert broke his left wrist while performing his warm-up for the show.[38] Following the accident Colbert launched a new section of the show entitled "Wrist Watch", featuring news stories about wrists during which Colbert attacks what he sees as Hollywood's glamourization of "wrist violence". Colbert wants to see all violent actions against wrists removed from Hollywood films, and also attacks actors who glamorize it, for example, Steven Seagal.[39] On August 8, Colbert created the "Wriststrong" wrist band, based on Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" wrist band, in a hope to increase awareness of wrist violence.[40] Colbert also orders those wearing the wrist bands to give to anyone they see who is more famous than themselves. Colbert also made the wristbands available to buy on colbertnation.com, and announced that all proceeds raised by the sales of the wrist bands would be given to the Yellow Ribbon Fund.[41]

Colbert has given bracelets to Katie Couric who promised to wear it on The CBS Evening News. Colbert accused Couric as a "betrayer" when she appeared on air minus the wristband. Colbert then gave a bracelet to news anchor Brian Williams, who was expected to pass it to news anchor Matt Lauer. However, after a substitute appeared in place for Lauer on The Today Show, Colbert quickly launched a segment entitled "Where in the World is Matt Lauer's Wriststrong Bracelet?" Colbert asked any fan that sees Lauer wearing the bracelet to take a picture and send it in. On September 14 2007, The Colbert Report aired footage of Lauer wearing the "Wriststrong" bracelet on The Today Show.

Besides his attempts to increase wrist awareness, Colbert has also started taking (and subsequently become addicted to) painkillers (which were revealed to be SweeTarts on a close up) to deal with his injury, taking an absurd amount nearly every episode since the accident. Colbert states "I'm supposed to take these, 'take one once a'...my vision's blurring, I can't read [the bottle]...oh, I'm gonna say once a minute". On August 13, Colbert ran out of pills and experienced withdrawal symptoms of irritability and hallucinations, which were only quelled once he found and eagerly consumed two pills on the floor behind his desk. Colbert's addiction is apparently a reference to right-wing AM radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's addiction to the prescription opioid analgesics OxyContin and hydrocodone.

On August 23 Colbert had his cast removed on the show.[42] It was announced that Colbert would auction off his cast for the Yellow Ribbon Fund on eBay. The auction began after Colbert's show on August 23.[43] Within minutes of the auction's start, bidding quickly rose to over $71,000. However, many bids were canceled because bidders failed to get pre-approved by the seller (which is required in the auction). It was sold for $17,200.[44] The buyer was revealed to be johncdmiller, but because they had no picture of him, a picture of a superhero-type character (a combination of Robin Hood, Captain America, and Jesus) was used instead. Following the broadcast, the show went on a brief break, and following its return on September 10, Colbert claimed that, with help from a court order and rehab over the break, he had kicked his addiction.[45] However, on September 13, Colbert, fearing a similar loss to Tony Bennett at the 2007 Emmys as he did to Barry Manilow in 2006, hinted he may experience a relapse as a ploy to garner votes. He did indeed lose to Bennett, but did not have a relapse, and no mentions of the addiction have been made since.

Recurring characters

File:Winsome.JPG
Tim Meadows as P.K. Winsome digitally inserted into the audience at a State of the Union Address
  • P.K. Winsome has had multiple appearances on The Colbert Report as a political commentator, entrepreneur, and black Republican.[46] He is played by former Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Meadows.[47]
  • Luis is Colbert's Nicaraguan bookie, whom he has mentioned several times. On the April 26, 2007 episode, Colbert laments the loss of his turtle, Stephanie Colbertle the Turtle, in the Great Turtle Race. He says, "Of course I'm upset, as is my Nicaraguan bookie, Luis. Te voy a dar tu dinero Luis. I just need a week, amigo. And I need my thumbs."[48]
  • Russ Lieber is a satirical liberal radio talk show host from Madison, Wisconsin and nemesis of Colbert. He is ultra-sensitive to political correctness, and often worries that his own words might be misconstrued as offensive. Lieber, played by David Cross, has often appeared on the show to debate. As he is a liberal Jewish radio host from the Upper Midwest, Lieber appears to be a satirical take on Al Franken.[49]
  • Tad is the building manager, portrayed by Paul Dinello. Generally, he has hosted special segments, such as the building's fire drill. Other segments include his visit to a bank auction for Randy "Duke" Cunningham's assets and his trip to Colbert County, Alabama, to open The Stephen Colbert Museum and Gift Shop.[50]
  • Bobby is a stage manager, played by writer Eric Drysdale. He frequently is called upon to do degrading things or to answer questions from Colbert. Bobby is also responsible for keeping track of the whereabouts of Colbert's "son", Stephen Jr.[51]
  • Killer is a member of Colbert's staff, a large man who never speaks. Due to his constant grimace, threatening stare, and probable criminal history, he is the only staff member that Colbert is afraid to abuse. He has also been described by Colbert as a "Demolitions Expert".
  • Jimmy has only been seen on the show once, although Colbert frequently asks him to put up graphics and such, a reference to the show's director, Jim Hoskinson.
  • Meg is a female intern. When the Democratic Party swept the House and Senate elections of 2006, Colbert characterized the result as a victory for the terrorists, and showed Meg wearing a burqa. Earlier in that same episode, to prove that the show was indeed live, Colbert demanded Meg have sex with him or be fired. Meg later appeared during Colbert's homage to legendary Swedish Director Ingmar Bergman, during which her mysterious appearance leaves Colbert concerned and distraught.
  • Wilford Brimley is Colbert's "Spiritual Advisor" with whom he frequently has phone conversations. These conversations usually end up with Brimley's (voiced by Colbert) going off on angry go-nowhere tangents that he usually blames on his bout with "The Diabeetus".
  • Esteban Colberto is a Cuban version of Colbert. He can be seen with two beautiful girls dancing around him whom he refers to only as "Chicas", and summons and dismisses them on command. He has been featured in an exhibit of "The Wørd" (whereas it is referred to as "La Palabra") and on Colbert's coverage of President George W. Bush's visit to Latin America.[52]
  • Alan is Colbert's ex-"black friend." Colbert demoted him to "black acquaintance" after seeing him march in an anti-war demonstration. Since Alan's demotion, Colbert has been searching for a new Black Friend but has been unsuccessful thus far. Alan is played by comedian Jordan Carlos.[53]
  • Professor Fingers is a homeless man who is mentioned as Colbert's "protégé" from time to time. This mention is usually accompanied by a picture of 'The Professor' showing both a look of happiness and insanity.
  • Eliza is a poor, apparently English orphan who acts as Colbert's camera person on occasion. She is typically referenced by Colbert as "practically being a slave."
  • Dr. Jerald Vizzone is Stephen Colbert's doctor who appeared on the show shortly after Colbert's wrist breaking. He showed x-rays of Colbert's wrist and explained its (non)seriousness, and, in a later appearance, removed Colbert's cast on the air. Whenever Dr. Vizzone appears, he is accompanied by music and dancing medical interns, and is allowed to greet the crowd in a fashion that only Colbert himself is normally allowed to do.[54]

Reception

The Colbert Report drew an unusual amount of media attention prior to its premiere. It was featured in articles in The New Yorker, NPR's All Things Considered and Fresh Air, CNN, and The Washington Post. The New York Times alone ran three articles on the Report before its debut, and has made repeated references to The Colbert Report since then.[55] Maureen Dowd, for instance, referred to Colbert's "Dead To Me" board as a metaphor in her column, saying that Oprah Winfrey "should take a page from Stephen Colbert and put the slippery James Frey on her 'Dead to me' list".[56]

The Colbert Report drew 1.13 million viewers for its premiere episode, a 47% increase than the average for that time slot over the previous four weeks, and 98% of the viewership of The Daily Show, which has Comedy Central's second-largest viewership.[57] Averaged over its opening week, The Report had 1.2 million viewers per episode, more than double the average for the same time the previous year, when the time slot was occupied by Too Late with Adam Carolla. The premiere week of The Colbert Report also coincided with the second-highest-rated week of The Daily Show, behind the week leading up to the 2004 U.S. presidential election.[58]

The Colbert Report rapidly became an internet phenomenon, with a vast number of clips from the show being posted onto YouTube by fans. Subsequently references to YouTube were made in jokes on the show, which also launched the first "green screen challenge". On October 27, 2006, however, Comedy Central asserted its copyright over The Colbert Report clips, and YouTube removed all clips over 5 minutes in length. In February 2007, at Viacom's request, they removed all remaining Colbert Report clips.

Criticism

Transphobia

Jokes targeting transgender people, particularly transwomen, are a recurrent theme in Colbert’s repertoire. Examples of this include warnings about gender-variant pandas,[59] suggesting that a woman guest was a “she-male,”[60] and a reference to “trannies” as “dangerous characters” from whom soldiers need to be protected.[61]

Despite the obviously satirical nature of the show, members of the trans community have spoken out about these and other perceived negative impacts of Colbert’s show;[62]there has been no response from Colbert himself. The transphobic jokes often rely on the myth of the deceptive transwoman who lures heterosexual men into danger. Author Julia Serano has described how many in the media use this image as a plot twist, and how this portrayal affects transwomen’s lives.[63]

Stealing joke accusations

Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks on Air America Radio, is attempting to sue Colbert for allegedly stealing one of his jokes. On September 7 2007, he made a joke comparing Republicans to Klingons. On September 11 2007, Colbert presented "The Wørd", where he compared Republican Rudolph Giuliani to a Klingon. Uygur is now attempting to sue Colbert for $65 million, the same amount demanded by Judge Roy Pearson, who sued his dry cleaners after they lost his trousers. Uygur said, "If a pair of lost pants is worth $65 million, then my jokes are worth a hell of a lot more. How do you value the gift of laughter? I think the Mastercard commercials nailed it. Priceless. Except this time it has a price and it’s $65 million".[64]

Presented as non-satirical journalism

In May 2006, the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Trust posted a video of The Colbert Report on its website and sent out a mass email urging DeLay supporters to watch how "Hollywood liberal" Robert Greenwald "crashed and burned . . . when promoting his new attack on Tom DeLay."[65] The video featured Colbert asking questions such as, "Who hates America more, you or Michael Moore?"[66] The Trust's email describes its content as "the truth behind Liberal Hollywood's" film about DeLay, and characterizes the Colbert Report clip with the headline, "Colbert Cracks the Story on Real Motivations Behind the Movie." On June 8, 2006, Colbert responded by conducting an "Exclusive Fake Interview" on his show with DeLay. Three different interviews with DeLay on different networks were spliced for humorous effect, and Colbert ended the "interview" by saying "I do hope you enjoyed my manipulation of your words." DeLay has since appeared as a guest on the program.

Robert Wexler

On July 25 2006, Colbert responded to television networks — specifically Fox News, NBC's The Today Show and ABC's Good Morning America — which took comments made by Florida Congressman Robert Wexler on The Colbert Report out of context (e.g.: "I enjoy cocaine and the company of prostitutes because they are a fun thing to do."). Wexler, who ran unopposed in the then-upcoming election, made the comments in response to a suggestion by Colbert to "say some things that would really lose the election for you if you were contested."[67]

Awards

In 2006, The Colbert Report was nominated for four Emmys, one more than its parent, The Daily Show.[68] However, The Colbert Report lost two of its Emmy opportunities to The Daily Show — Colbert received one as a then-member of The Daily Show's writing staff. Colbert also lost Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program to Barry Manilow, who was nominated for a one-time PBS special, as Colbert jokingly noted while presenting an Emmy later that night. Manilow later appeared on the show to sign a peace treaty with Colbert, in which they agreed to joint custody of the award. The two then sang a duet of Manilow's classic "I Write the Songs". It was nominated for:

  • Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program, Episode #110
  • Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program, Stephen Colbert
  • Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
  • Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program

Additionally, the show was nominated for two Television Critics Association Awards:[69] Outstanding Individual Achievement in Comedy (Stephen Colbert), and Outstanding New Program of the Year The Colbert Report was also nominated for Satellite Awards in two categories in 2005 and 2006:[69] Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical (Stephen Colbert), and Television Series, Comedy or Musical. It was also given a Special Recognition award at the 2007 GLAAD Media Awards.[70]

In 2007, The Colbert Report was nominated for 4 Emmys for the second consecutive year. It was nominated for, "Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program", "Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program", "Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series" and "Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program".[71] However, Colbert failed to win anything.[72]

Other honors

Colbert has received several other honors and distinctions. On March 29, 2006, Colbert announced that he had been contacted by San Francisco Zoo officials seeking his permission to name an unhatched bald eagle after him.[73] The eagle, affectionately dubbed "Stephen Jr." on The Report, was bred to be reintroduced into the wild, as a part of the zoo's California Bald Eagle Breeding Program. Colbert celebrated the chick's birth on the April 17, 2006, program, and has since given updates on the bird's development. He has criticized the bird for migrating to Canada, and has attempted to lure him back to the US, but as of June 2007, Colbert claims the two are still estranged. On June 3, 2006, Colbert received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Knox College, Illinois;[74] his credit as producer has been listed since that time as "Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A."[75]

On September 30, 2006, the Saginaw Spirit, an OHL hockey team in Saginaw, Michigan, named its co-mascot "Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle" in honor of Colbert (despite the fact that it was spotted holding a Canadian flag during the anthem).[76] Before the introduction of the mascot, the team record was 0-3-0-1, but once the "Steagle" was introduced, the team improved their record to 44-21-0-3 by the season's end,[77] before losing in the first round of the playoffs.[78] On January 27, 2007, Oshawa, Ontario declared March 20 of that year "Stephen Colbert Day" after mayor John Gray bet Colbert that the Oshawa Generals would beat the Spirit, and Saginaw won 5-4.[79]

File:Americone Dream.jpg
Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor, Americone Dream, named for Colbert

On February 14, 2007, the ice cream company Ben and Jerry's announced a new flavor of ice cream, "Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream" (available only in the United States). The flavor is described as "a decadent melting pot of vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl."[80] The company's founders appeared on the show on March 5, 2007 to discuss the ice cream and to plug their "grassroots education and advocacy project", TrueMajority.

On March 12, 2007, the Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada, awarded Stephen Colbert the shield of the recently deceased superhero Captain America.[81] The letter to Colbert accompanying the shield stated that "the Star-Spangled Avenger has bequeathed... his indestructible shield to the only man he believed to have the red, white and blue balls to carry the mantle." Colbert promised to use the shield "only to fight for justice... and to impress girls." It was, in fact, one of only two full-sized prop shields which had previously been kept in the Marvel offices.[82] In the latter part of March 2007, Drexel University named a leatherback turtle in honor of Colbert in their Great Turtle Race.[83] "Stephanie Colburtle the Leather back Turtle" came in second place, losing to a turtle named Billie.[84]

On August 22, 2007, Richard Branson, who was being interviewed as a guest, announced that one of his Virgin America aeroplanes would be named, "Air Colbert".

Cultural impact

Hungarian bridge campaign

Further information: Megyeri Bridge
File:Colbert-zrinyi.jpg
Colbert refers to Miklós Zrínyi in promoting the bridge contest.

In 2006, the Ministry of Transport of Hungary launched an online call for public suggestions to name a future motorway bridge over the Danube, just north of Budapest. Ministry officials said the Hungarian Geographical Name Committee would choose from among the three submitted candidates with the most votes, guided by suggestions submitted by "local governments, cartographers, linguists, and other experts".[85] Users offered hundreds of suggestions, among them the "'You Can Go To Bratislava But Not Over This Bridge' Bridge" and the "Chuck Norris Bridge", which led in votes for some time.[86] Colbert noted the effort in his "Tip of the hat, wag of the finger" segment on August 9,[87] and in the following weeks, he continued to ask viewers to vote for him. On August 22, Hungarian news sites reported Colbert had won the first round of voting, with 17,231,724 votes.[5] Hungary changed the voting rules after the members of the Colbert Nation Forums developed a bot to stuff the ballot box, requiring registration to vote in the second phase. That night, Colbert asked his viewers to cease their efforts,[88] and offered apologies,[88] spending a segment honoring Hungary, its history and its contributions to the world.[89]

On September 24, 2006 Colbert introduced his guest András Simonyi, Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary to the United States. The ambassador presented Mr. Colbert with a declaration certifying him as the winner of the second and final round of voting. The document bore the signatures of Hungarian government officials and the country's official seal.[90] Included in the text, as read by the ambassador, were two important conditions required for the name of the bridge to be made official. First, Colbert must be fluent in Hungarian. Colbert responded by pronouncing the Hungarian name Nicholas Zrinyi (incorrectly referring to Miklós Zrínyi) and híd (meaning 'bridge' in Hungarian); Simonyi quickly certified him as fluent.[91] Secondly, Colbert must be dead. Colbert protested, but the ambassador presented him with a Hungarian passport and 10,000 Hungarian Forint (HUF), noting that this would allow Colbert to enter Hungary at any time, without restriction. He also brought attention to the portrait of King St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary, on the 10,000 HUF bill. Finally Simonyi implied that the question of Colbert's ineligibility by virtue of being alive might be resolved if Colbert were to accept an invitation to visit the bridge site in Budapest; Colbert responded by trying to bribe the ambassador with the 10,000 HUF bill.[91] On September 28 2006, it was announced that the bridge will be named "Megyeri Bridge", although the name didn't make it to the second round. According to the Geographical Name Committee, the name was selected because the bridge connects Káposztásmegyer with Békásmegyer.[92]

Congressional response

In response to the 'Better Know a District' segment, Rahm Emanuel, the Democratic Caucus chair instructed incoming freshmen not to do appearances on the show.[6] Colbert responded by issuing an "Editing Challenge" on his March 26, 2007 broadcast. The challenge directs viewers to the Colbert Nation website to obtain an extended interview with Colbert, conducted by Gwen Ifill, which viewers may then edit to make him look as ridiculous as the representatives.[93] However, The Colbert Report has never followed through on the contest, with not one entry being aired and no further reference to the contest ever being made on the show. This is despite dozens, if not hundreds of entries posted on YouTube.

Neologisms

The Colbert Report has created new words. Besides "Truthiness", Colbert has coined other terms including "Freem", which is "Freedom without the do, because I do it all for you."[94] Other words include: "Eneagled", a portmanteau word of "enabled" and "eagle", thus meaning "to be given the characteristics of an eagle" and "Mantasy™", meaning male fantasies, such as running away from the wife to become free, a word to which Colbert claims to hold a copyright.[95]

Wikipedia references

Main article: Wikipedia on The Colbert Report
File:Wikiality.jpg
Wikiality featured as "The Wørd" on July 31, 2006.

Colbert has made repeated references on the show to Wikipedia, which he refers to as his "favorite website", generally in "The Wørd" segment. Colbert's first reference to Wikipedia was on the July 31, 2006 broadcast, when "The Wørd" was wikiality, defined as the concept that "together we can create a reality that we all agree on — the reality we just agreed on."[96] He explained that on Wikipedia "any user can change any entry, and if enough users agree with them, it becomes true."

Other "Wørds" invented relating to Wikipedia include "Wikilobbying", defined as "when money determines Wikipedia entries, reality has become a commodity", alluding to a case in which Microsoft allegedly hired someone to tamper with Wikipedia,[97] and "Self-determination", where corporations are allowed to act out their fantasies online by editing their own Wikipedia entries. Colbert described Wikipedia as, "Second Life for corporations", saying if a corporation wants to pretend to be someone else online, then that is their business.[98]

On May 24, 2007, the guest was Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. Stephen Colbert called Wikipedia a "battlefield for information", a tool which "brings democracy to information" and moves away from the views of the "elite who study things and got to say what is or is not real." During the interview, Colbert showed a sentence on the screen: "Librarians are hiding something", which Wales could not see, with the implication that Wales could not stop a critical mass of individuals from editing a page according to the dictates of one influential individual. Wales responded that "the interesting thing about it [The Colbert Report] is that Wikipedians watch it."[99]

2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

Main article: Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

Colbert made a speech during the 2006 White House Correspondents Association Dinner, performing as his character. His speech "praised" George W. Bush and the media in general. Bush himself and his wife Laura were sitting a few yards away from him.[100] During his speech, Colbert made several comments about Bush, including:

"I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers, and rubble, and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message: that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound — with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world."[101]

During the speech, several of Bush's supporters and aides walked out in protest, with one aide saying of the president that he had "that look that he's ready to blow."[102]

Running for President in 2008

Main article: Stephen Colbert presidential campaign, 2008

On October 16 2007, Colbert announced on The Report that he would be running for president. He has chosen no vice-president as of yet, though he is considering choosing Vladimir Putin, Mike Huckabee or himself as his running mate.[103] Also, he is only running in South Carolina, his home state. Another oddity of his campaign is the fact that he is contemplating running for both Republican and Democrat parties and "a favorite son".[104][105] Colbert is covering his story in the segment "The Hail to the Cheese Stephen Colbert NachoCheese Doritos 2008 Presidental Campaign Coverage", and promoting his campaign on special election website, colbert08.org, as under law he cannot use colbertnation.com.[106]

On October 21, 2007, Colbert appeared on NBC's Meet The Press where he was interviewed by the host, Tim Russert. The highlights included Colbert explaining why he changed the pronounciation of his name (from "Cole-Bert" to "Co-Bear"), his demanding to know whether Russert believes that God supports our enemies in Iraq, and his revealing that he has no interest in winning the Presidency (he just wanted to run).

DVDs

A DVD of highlights from The Colbert Report is to be released by Comedy Central for November 6, 2007, entitled The Best of The Colbert Report. It will be a single-disc DVD containing features including "The Wørd", "Better Know a District", "Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger", "Threat Down" and will also include celebrity interviews.[107] There are over two hours of extras on the DVD, which are highlights from "The Wørd" (including "Truthiness"), "Better Know a District", "Green Screen Challenges", "Stephen Jr. - Flight of a Patriot", Bill O'Reilly's appearance on the show, "Cooking with Feminists" and "Meta-Free-Phor-All".[108]

Syndication

The Colbert Report is currently shown in two countries outside of the United States. It is shown on CTV and The Comedy Network in Canada and The Comedy Channel in Australia. However, it has been announced that a "Global Edition" of the show is to be made, similar to that produced on The Daily Show. It is hoped that The Colbert Report: Global Edition will follow on from the success of The Daily Show: Global Edition, and be shown in countries where The Report is not shown, but where The Daily Show is, such as the United Kingdom and France.[109]

See also

Notes

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  108. ^ McCutcheon, David (2007-10-02). "Colbert Report's DVD Threatdown". IGN.uk. Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |langauge= ignored (|language= suggested) (help)
  109. ^ Schreiber, Dominic (2007-10-07). "'Colbert Report' goes global". Variety. Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |langauge= ignored (|language= suggested) (help)

References

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