Hello, everyone! It’s me, Stephensmile64, back with another famous Taping ReporT! Please, please, sit down everyone and hold your applause. Or at least until later.
I attended the August 6th, 2014 show with my friend and knowing this was going to be our final taping, we were very excited, yet emotional. I was going to wait to attend at a later day, but I just finished graduate school and got a job. So being it was early in the job, this was going to be the best time to take off and attend. And you know what? I’m so glad I did!
I arrived at 2:30pm, thinking I had plenty of time. Who’s going to be on line this early? Apparently, 17 people! Woah! Okay, I didn’t see that one coming, but I knew I would still have no problem getting inside. My friend eventually met up with me about a half hour later and the line kept growing. By the time security and the check-in staff appeared, the line was wrapped around the sidewalk, towards the apartment building next door! As we started to approach the entrance, the head security guy said, “Okay, if you have a confirmation, stand to your left. If you are standby, stand to your right” Half of the front of the line moved over to the standby line, leaving my friend and I towards the front of the confirmation line … numbers five and six!! Okay, now this is MUCH better! Everyone behind us still remained in the confirmed line, but there were now 13 people on standby. Some of those people started to ask us how to get tickets, how far in advance, etc. Luckily, they came to the experts. As we were talking to them, I hear someone say, “What are you doing here?” I look up … and it’s the head security guy! If anyone remembers my former taping reporT’s, the security guy and I have a rapport. I go to the show and he says to me, “Hey! Welcome back!!” Yes, he recognizes me. Yes, I do go every six months. Yes, I am in the category of being one of THOSE fans. But that’s okay, I wear it proud! So, when he called me out, I waved at him excitedly and said, “I’m baaaack! And I can be here. It’s been six months.” He looks at me with a smirk and says, “Don’t you have a job?” My friend and I both yell out, “I just got one!! I was in school prior.” He laughs and walks away. (As a side note, I hope he follows Stephen over to the Late Show. I will miss the banter. Hee!)
We were let into the enclosed area and as the line continued to swell, I say to my friend, “I think those standby people are going to be out of luck today.” The crowd was huge and we didn’t even know who was going to be coming in as a VIP. We were eventually let into the holding room where we were treated to the “Best of The Colbert Report” video. As we were watching, I kept hearing this music. It would start off as a slow bass, then get faster, then crescendo with an entire band playing uptempo. My friend and I were puzzled since Micheal Fassbender was supposed to be on and there was no musical guest scheduled. This mystery music played another two more times and by this point, I was so curious to what we were going to experience in about a half hour.
They finally let us in around 7:00pm. We were tickets five and six, but by the time we got inside the studio, there were a bunch of VIP’s already seated. However, we still got fantastic seats … third row, center, directly in front of Stephen’s desk! Perfect! As people began to pile in, we noticed that there was a band setup in place of the interview table. Oky, so that’s the music we were hearing. But who will be playing? How about the interview? As we pondered these ultimate questions, Paul Mecurio walks in and treats us to a very lively warm-up act. He had everyone cracking up, including my favorite security guard, who was hanging out in the corner. He reminded us to get our questions ready for Stephen when he does he the out-of-character Q&A. I was ready! I had aquestion I really wanted to ask, so hopefully, I would get the opportunity!
Finally, the time arrives! “I Want You To Want Me” begins to play and Stephen comes jetting out, slapping everyone’s hand with the highest of energy. He welcomes us and asks for questions. My hand goes up with rapid speed … but apparently not enough, because he calls on someone else first. But that’s okay … I’m up to the challenge.
First question:
“What is your spirit animal?” Stephen: “Um. I’m not sure what that is. But I will say, an eagle. What’s yours?” The young lady goes on to say she has two. Stephen: “You have two? Okay, you do realize now because you have two, there is someone out there who doesn’t have one because you were greedy!”
She began to laugh and explained what her two animals were.
Second question: (Nope, it’s not mine) “Can you sing “Pretty Woman?”
Stephen begins to sing a line but stops, declaring he doesn’t know the lyrics well enough. So the man asks him to sing something else. Stephen jumps into a fantastic rendition of “King of the Road.” It sounded perfect!
Third question: (Yeah, yeah, not me yet …) “What is your favorite thing that is named after you?”
Stephen- “I like the C.O.L.B.E.R.T machine because it’s in space! How cool is that? But I’m still waiting for the Ed Sullivan theater to be named after me.”
Fourth question: (Ding! Ding! Ding! It’s my turn)! Me: “Can you tell me what “The squirrel is in the basket” means? He looks at me sort of puzzled so, I went on to explain. “You’ve said it a number of times but last year when you had JJ Abrams on, you said this to him and then flashed a squirrel and a basket during the interview.” He looks at me seriously, leans in and says sternly and slowly, “Well, let me tell you … The squirrel … is in … the basket.” He keeps staring at me and then suddenly brightens up with a big smile, “Okay, let me tell you!” HAHA! I must say, that was intensely awesome!! Stephen went on to explain that he and his friend always used that as a code when they didn’t want to say something in particular. In terms of JJ Abrams, Stephen explained that JJ likes puzzles, so they wanted to give him something he could figure out. Of course, when asked about it, Stephen wouldn’t tell him what any of it meant.
As Stephen spoke to me, he was energetic, smiling and looking directly at me. I reciprocated. It will be etched in my memory forever!
Fifth question: “Name a guest you really didn’t care for.”
Stephen went on to explain how he had it out with Dinesh D’Souza after he proclaimed that liberals caused 9/11. Stephen explained, “After that interview, I left scar marks on him!” The audience began to cheer but Stephen further explained, “which, actually, I didn’t like because I want my guests to have a good time. I want them to feel welcome. But he was just too much and I had to say something!”
And that was it … for now …
The taping began and all of the usual pleasantries took place … WristStrong toss; pretend knife toss; hairdresser and makeup person adding touch-ups and he pretends to look at them adoringly. After they finished with him, he began to pat his chin and pretend to pull his face upward, like he was giving himself a facelift. The audience began to laugh, so he continued to entertain us by continuously doing it for another 30 seconds or so. Throughout the entire taping, he was very energetic and interacted with the audience a lot. In between takes, after he would consult with his team at his desk, he would play around with the audience, singing songs and bouncing to the music. When “Holland 1945″ started to play during the break, he stood up from his desk, looked at the audience and mouthed with the lyrics, “2. 1. 2. 3. 4″ and began bouncing to the music. He then sat down and started to speak to Opus Moreschi and someone else. During another break, a song was playing that had this interlude that contained a swirling sound. Stephen began to imitate it but swaying his body and arm in the air with the music. The audience took notice and started to cheer him on. He continued to do this and when that part ended, he stopped with it, motioning an abrupt arm movement in the air, as if he was saying “cut.” Everyone began to cheer and he went back to his conversation like nothing happened. I did notice, however, that he did cough quite a number of times during the Q&A, kept drinking out of a hot drink cup and blew his nose once during one of the breaks. Maybe allergies or something, but I can’t emphasize enough how great he looked and how much energy he possessed! He was clearly having a wonderful time! What I’ve always enjoyed doing was watching him get into character. I like to focus on Stephen and only glimpse at the monitors for a brief second if I have to. Every time they would go to a clip, I would watch Stephen. You can see the wheels turning as he begins to get ready for his next line. But at one point, he really got into it. As they were showing a clip, you can see him changing expressions, physically moving, gently, like he was loosening himself and actually began to mouth some of the lines, but very discretely. It was so interesting to watch and great to see his dedication to his craft.
When it was time for Micheal Fassbender to come out for his interview, the audience began to cheer. Stephen looked over to him and began to clap, too. As the countdown began for the interview, Stephen yells over to Michael, “Free ride’s over Fassbender!!” Michael and the audience began to laugh.
The interview went pretty much as you saw it … except for two parts. First, when Stephen asked to see what the paper mache head looked like, Jim Hoskinson showed a screengrab from the movie. Stephen says, “Okay, I actually was hoping for a clip, but I will take that for now.” They later showed a clip and you can see from the edited version, that part was taken out.
The second part of the interview that was edited was, well, quite special. Stephen asked Michael why he’s naked in all of his movies and asked, “Are you naked in “Frank? Is the squirrel in the basket?” AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! WHAT?? The audience began to cheer and laugh and there I am with my friend, having a meltdown in my seat!! As we were grabbing each other, Stephen continues, “the squirrel, you know, in your basket? AHHH!!! Michael laughs and says, “yes.” Up until this point, I was already having a jubilant experience of epic proportions, but the fact that he just referenced what I asked earlier just made me want to explode with pure joy! What a moment, again, that will be forever be etched in my memory.
When the interview ended, we now knew it was going to be Michael and his band playing. As they were setting up, Stephen said he would take more questions. Oh, this taping just gets better and better.
“Was there anything you ever said that you wanted to take back?”
Stephen went on to explain that since he has the power to edit, that is not an issue. So what makes it to air is what they feel is fine and necessary to keep in. However, there was one occasion that he felt he should apologize for … and one day, he’ll probably do it. He gave a smile and the audience laughed.
“Can you offer any advice for me to get into acting and writing.”
Stephen: “Act and write. Sure, that sounds simple, but you just have to do it.” He told her that Chicago is a great place for that and to always “get in trouble.” He explained that his friend used to always say, “let’s get in trouble,” which meant putting a play together, calling their friends, critics, etc. to show up and view it. It was the best way to gain experience and taking chances is very important.
“When this show ends and the Late Show begins, what will happen to your character?
Stephen: “We are working on that right now, actually. We have lots of ideas, but I can tell you for sure, he will live on. Don’t worry … he’s not going to die.” (VERY COOL)!
“What goes into setting up an interview like the one with Hilary Clinton the other night? Is Secret Service patting everyone down?”
Stephen: He explained they put out an open invitation for anyone in the political world that wants to come on the show. So, if someone is interested, they tell them to call them and they will set something up. In this case, yes, Secret Service did have to pat everyone down and it takes a lot more preparation in advance. But she wanted to come on so they put it together.
During the second Q&A, Stephen asked the band, “Are you ready over there? If not, I will just keep going. I can talk to these people all night!” Eventually, they were ready and Stephen went on to introduce them. However, he pronounced Maggie Gyllenhaal’s name incorrectly, using a hard “G” instead. Immediately after he said it, he exclaimed, “F**K!!” Everyone began to laugh and Maggie chimes in, “It’s pronounced Gyllenhaal.” For which Stephen replies, “Yes, I know. That’s why I’m redoing it!” HAHA!! At the beginning of the song, Stephen ran backstage towards the opposite end of where the band was playing. He disappeared for a about two minutes, but when he came back in, he stood by his desk next to someone and began to jump up and down to the music, head-banging! Hilarious! When they finished playing, Stephen asked them if there was a second song. Since there wasn’t, he asked the audience if we had one more question …
“When James Franco tried to trip you up the other night, was that planned?
Stephen: “Well, first of all … he didn’t trip me up!” The audience cheers. “And no, it was not planned. I had to act like I had no idea what he was talking about. Stephen went on to say, “You look disappointed in that answer.” The guy answers, “No. It’s fine. I just love it when you swear.” Stephen answers, “Well, f**k you then! Goodnight everyone!!” And he walks off the set in a full blaze of glory, leaving the audience cracking up from his response.
As we began to leave, two young ladies that were sitting next to me said, “That was so cool that he referenced your question during the interview! You are so lucky! Now you get to hear it on the air!!” I completely agreed but then said, “Oh, I just hope it doesn’t get edited out.” Woops! I guess I jinxed myself. But honestly, I was fine with the edit. I completely understood and had a feeling it would happen. The show was very packed with content. Stephen actually did a table of contents that night, but as you can see from the broadcast, it didn’t make it to air. But I will forever be ecstatically grateful for that moment and will always remember it! Pure joy!
And that was it. My final taping reporT for The Colbert Report. It was an incredible final taping and could not have asked for more. I made sure to soak in the set before I left, knowing I will never be in that studio again. But that’s okay. I am very much looking forward to seeing Stephen on the Late Show. He is going to take that show to another level and be hugely successful. And I will be first on line to obtain tickets to see it live!!
Thank you, Stephen, for another great taping! Thank you for everything. The squirrel is in the basket …
August 6th, 2014: The Taping ReporT!
I attended the August 6th, 2014 show with my friend and knowing this was going to be our final taping, we were very excited, yet emotional. I was going to wait to attend at a later day, but I just finished graduate school and got a job. So being it was early in the job, this was going to be the best time to take off and attend. And you know what? I’m so glad I did!
I arrived at 2:30pm, thinking I had plenty of time. Who’s going to be on line this early? Apparently, 17 people! Woah! Okay, I didn’t see that one coming, but I knew I would still have no problem getting inside. My friend eventually met up with me about a half hour later and the line kept growing. By the time security and the check-in staff appeared, the line was wrapped around the sidewalk, towards the apartment building next door! As we started to approach the entrance, the head security guy said, “Okay, if you have a confirmation, stand to your left. If you are standby, stand to your right” Half of the front of the line moved over to the standby line, leaving my friend and I towards the front of the confirmation line … numbers five and six!! Okay, now this is MUCH better! Everyone behind us still remained in the confirmed line, but there were now 13 people on standby. Some of those people started to ask us how to get tickets, how far in advance, etc. Luckily, they came to the experts. As we were talking to them, I hear someone say, “What are you doing here?” I look up … and it’s the head security guy! If anyone remembers my former taping reporT’s, the security guy and I have a rapport. I go to the show and he says to me, “Hey! Welcome back!!” Yes, he recognizes me. Yes, I do go every six months. Yes, I am in the category of being one of THOSE fans. But that’s okay, I wear it proud! So, when he called me out, I waved at him excitedly and said, “I’m baaaack! And I can be here. It’s been six months.” He looks at me with a smirk and says, “Don’t you have a job?” My friend and I both yell out, “I just got one!! I was in school prior.” He laughs and walks away. (As a side note, I hope he follows Stephen over to the Late Show. I will miss the banter. Hee!)
We were let into the enclosed area and as the line continued to swell, I say to my friend, “I think those standby people are going to be out of luck today.” The crowd was huge and we didn’t even know who was going to be coming in as a VIP. We were eventually let into the holding room where we were treated to the “Best of The Colbert Report” video. As we were watching, I kept hearing this music. It would start off as a slow bass, then get faster, then crescendo with an entire band playing uptempo. My friend and I were puzzled since Micheal Fassbender was supposed to be on and there was no musical guest scheduled. This mystery music played another two more times and by this point, I was so curious to what we were going to experience in about a half hour.
They finally let us in around 7:00pm. We were tickets five and six, but by the time we got inside the studio, there were a bunch of VIP’s already seated. However, we still got fantastic seats … third row, center, directly in front of Stephen’s desk! Perfect! As people began to pile in, we noticed that there was a band setup in place of the interview table. Oky, so that’s the music we were hearing. But who will be playing? How about the interview? As we pondered these ultimate questions, Paul Mecurio walks in and treats us to a very lively warm-up act. He had everyone cracking up, including my favorite security guard, who was hanging out in the corner. He reminded us to get our questions ready for Stephen when he does he the out-of-character Q&A. I was ready! I had aquestion I really wanted to ask, so hopefully, I would get the opportunity!
Finally, the time arrives! “I Want You To Want Me” begins to play and Stephen comes jetting out, slapping everyone’s hand with the highest of energy. He welcomes us and asks for questions. My hand goes up with rapid speed … but apparently not enough, because he calls on someone else first. But that’s okay … I’m up to the challenge.
First question:
“What is your spirit animal?” Stephen: “Um. I’m not sure what that is. But I will say, an eagle. What’s yours?” The young lady goes on to say she has two. Stephen: “You have two? Okay, you do realize now because you have two, there is someone out there who doesn’t have one because you were greedy!”
She began to laugh and explained what her two animals were.
Second question: (Nope, it’s not mine) “Can you sing “Pretty Woman?”
Stephen begins to sing a line but stops, declaring he doesn’t know the lyrics well enough. So the man asks him to sing something else. Stephen jumps into a fantastic rendition of “King of the Road.” It sounded perfect!
Third question: (Yeah, yeah, not me yet …) “What is your favorite thing that is named after you?”
Stephen- “I like the C.O.L.B.E.R.T machine because it’s in space! How cool is that? But I’m still waiting for the Ed Sullivan theater to be named after me.”
Fourth question: (Ding! Ding! Ding! It’s my turn)! Me: “Can you tell me what “The squirrel is in the basket” means? He looks at me sort of puzzled so, I went on to explain. “You’ve said it a number of times but last year when you had JJ Abrams on, you said this to him and then flashed a squirrel and a basket during the interview.” He looks at me seriously, leans in and says sternly and slowly, “Well, let me tell you … The squirrel … is in … the basket.” He keeps staring at me and then suddenly brightens up with a big smile, “Okay, let me tell you!” HAHA! I must say, that was intensely awesome!! Stephen went on to explain that he and his friend always used that as a code when they didn’t want to say something in particular. In terms of JJ Abrams, Stephen explained that JJ likes puzzles, so they wanted to give him something he could figure out. Of course, when asked about it, Stephen wouldn’t tell him what any of it meant.
As Stephen spoke to me, he was energetic, smiling and looking directly at me. I reciprocated. It will be etched in my memory forever!
Fifth question: “Name a guest you really didn’t care for.”
Stephen went on to explain how he had it out with Dinesh D’Souza after he proclaimed that liberals caused 9/11. Stephen explained, “After that interview, I left scar marks on him!” The audience began to cheer but Stephen further explained, “which, actually, I didn’t like because I want my guests to have a good time. I want them to feel welcome. But he was just too much and I had to say something!”
And that was it … for now …
The taping began and all of the usual pleasantries took place … WristStrong toss; pretend knife toss; hairdresser and makeup person adding touch-ups and he pretends to look at them adoringly. After they finished with him, he began to pat his chin and pretend to pull his face upward, like he was giving himself a facelift. The audience began to laugh, so he continued to entertain us by continuously doing it for another 30 seconds or so. Throughout the entire taping, he was very energetic and interacted with the audience a lot. In between takes, after he would consult with his team at his desk, he would play around with the audience, singing songs and bouncing to the music. When “Holland 1945″ started to play during the break, he stood up from his desk, looked at the audience and mouthed with the lyrics, “2. 1. 2. 3. 4″ and began bouncing to the music. He then sat down and started to speak to Opus Moreschi and someone else. During another break, a song was playing that had this interlude that contained a swirling sound. Stephen began to imitate it but swaying his body and arm in the air with the music. The audience took notice and started to cheer him on. He continued to do this and when that part ended, he stopped with it, motioning an abrupt arm movement in the air, as if he was saying “cut.” Everyone began to cheer and he went back to his conversation like nothing happened. I did notice, however, that he did cough quite a number of times during the Q&A, kept drinking out of a hot drink cup and blew his nose once during one of the breaks. Maybe allergies or something, but I can’t emphasize enough how great he looked and how much energy he possessed! He was clearly having a wonderful time! What I’ve always enjoyed doing was watching him get into character. I like to focus on Stephen and only glimpse at the monitors for a brief second if I have to. Every time they would go to a clip, I would watch Stephen. You can see the wheels turning as he begins to get ready for his next line. But at one point, he really got into it. As they were showing a clip, you can see him changing expressions, physically moving, gently, like he was loosening himself and actually began to mouth some of the lines, but very discretely. It was so interesting to watch and great to see his dedication to his craft.
When it was time for Micheal Fassbender to come out for his interview, the audience began to cheer. Stephen looked over to him and began to clap, too. As the countdown began for the interview, Stephen yells over to Michael, “Free ride’s over Fassbender!!” Michael and the audience began to laugh.
The interview went pretty much as you saw it … except for two parts. First, when Stephen asked to see what the paper mache head looked like, Jim Hoskinson showed a screengrab from the movie. Stephen says, “Okay, I actually was hoping for a clip, but I will take that for now.” They later showed a clip and you can see from the edited version, that part was taken out.
The second part of the interview that was edited was, well, quite special. Stephen asked Michael why he’s naked in all of his movies and asked, “Are you naked in “Frank? Is the squirrel in the basket?” AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! WHAT?? The audience began to cheer and laugh and there I am with my friend, having a meltdown in my seat!! As we were grabbing each other, Stephen continues, “the squirrel, you know, in your basket? AHHH!!! Michael laughs and says, “yes.” Up until this point, I was already having a jubilant experience of epic proportions, but the fact that he just referenced what I asked earlier just made me want to explode with pure joy! What a moment, again, that will be forever be etched in my memory.
When the interview ended, we now knew it was going to be Michael and his band playing. As they were setting up, Stephen said he would take more questions. Oh, this taping just gets better and better.
“Was there anything you ever said that you wanted to take back?”
Stephen went on to explain that since he has the power to edit, that is not an issue. So what makes it to air is what they feel is fine and necessary to keep in. However, there was one occasion that he felt he should apologize for … and one day, he’ll probably do it. He gave a smile and the audience laughed.
“Can you offer any advice for me to get into acting and writing.”
Stephen: “Act and write. Sure, that sounds simple, but you just have to do it.” He told her that Chicago is a great place for that and to always “get in trouble.” He explained that his friend used to always say, “let’s get in trouble,” which meant putting a play together, calling their friends, critics, etc. to show up and view it. It was the best way to gain experience and taking chances is very important.
“When this show ends and the Late Show begins, what will happen to your character?
Stephen: “We are working on that right now, actually. We have lots of ideas, but I can tell you for sure, he will live on. Don’t worry … he’s not going to die.” (VERY COOL)!
“What goes into setting up an interview like the one with Hilary Clinton the other night? Is Secret Service patting everyone down?”
Stephen: He explained they put out an open invitation for anyone in the political world that wants to come on the show. So, if someone is interested, they tell them to call them and they will set something up. In this case, yes, Secret Service did have to pat everyone down and it takes a lot more preparation in advance. But she wanted to come on so they put it together.
During the second Q&A, Stephen asked the band, “Are you ready over there? If not, I will just keep going. I can talk to these people all night!” Eventually, they were ready and Stephen went on to introduce them. However, he pronounced Maggie Gyllenhaal’s name incorrectly, using a hard “G” instead. Immediately after he said it, he exclaimed, “F**K!!” Everyone began to laugh and Maggie chimes in, “It’s pronounced Gyllenhaal.” For which Stephen replies, “Yes, I know. That’s why I’m redoing it!” HAHA!! At the beginning of the song, Stephen ran backstage towards the opposite end of where the band was playing. He disappeared for a about two minutes, but when he came back in, he stood by his desk next to someone and began to jump up and down to the music, head-banging! Hilarious! When they finished playing, Stephen asked them if there was a second song. Since there wasn’t, he asked the audience if we had one more question …
“When James Franco tried to trip you up the other night, was that planned?
Stephen: “Well, first of all … he didn’t trip me up!” The audience cheers. “And no, it was not planned. I had to act like I had no idea what he was talking about. Stephen went on to say, “You look disappointed in that answer.” The guy answers, “No. It’s fine. I just love it when you swear.” Stephen answers, “Well, f**k you then! Goodnight everyone!!” And he walks off the set in a full blaze of glory, leaving the audience cracking up from his response.
As we began to leave, two young ladies that were sitting next to me said, “That was so cool that he referenced your question during the interview! You are so lucky! Now you get to hear it on the air!!” I completely agreed but then said, “Oh, I just hope it doesn’t get edited out.” Woops! I guess I jinxed myself. But honestly, I was fine with the edit. I completely understood and had a feeling it would happen. The show was very packed with content. Stephen actually did a table of contents that night, but as you can see from the broadcast, it didn’t make it to air. But I will forever be ecstatically grateful for that moment and will always remember it! Pure joy!
And that was it. My final taping reporT for The Colbert Report. It was an incredible final taping and could not have asked for more. I made sure to soak in the set before I left, knowing I will never be in that studio again. But that’s okay. I am very much looking forward to seeing Stephen on the Late Show. He is going to take that show to another level and be hugely successful. And I will be first on line to obtain tickets to see it live!!
Thank you, Stephen, for another great taping! Thank you for everything. The squirrel is in the basket …