© Jason Merritt | Zimbio
Forgive me if this post seems a bit repetitive and reminiscent of my Eighth Anniversary post, but it seems behoovy to step back and enjoy 2013 and the year that was for Stephen & co. and The Colbert Report. The Emmy celebration did not seem to abate after the show clinched its two wins in September — in fact, it still seems we are all celebrating now. Perhaps, unwittingly, Jon Stewart taking the summer off to direct Rosewater gave Stephen a slight edge, allowing him to take the ceremonial slot of Best. In any event, it was good to see our host and our show get accolades they richly deserve.
Let’s review 2013′s best moments for Stephen and the program as we prepare for another great year of shows.
In addition to the great Emmy wins, we had the memorable Daft Punk debacle. I was joking with Katt that just for the sake of traffic we should rename our blog “The Daft Punk Colbert News Hub” because I have never seen hits like when it was announced (or alleged) that Daft Punk would be appearing on the show. I have seen “The Colbert Bump” in action and it’s akin to a lightning rod, and this instance was no less than a lightning moment. I personally really like the rock duo, but I don’t think I can ever listen to “Get Lucky” again.
Of course, I feel indirectly responsible for the whole mess because I am the one who “leaked” their upcoming appearance on the internets, as Stephen had told us that they would be appearing when I attended a July 25th taping. I couldn’t understand how it wasn’t being shouted from the rooftops! My humble taping report got beamed around every music blog and outlet on the internet, and huge views on our own site; I can only imagine the amount of interest the Colbert people were getting. Then, for the whole thing not to happen was truly extraordinary — but not surprisingly was how well how Stephen handled the nonappearance, and even sagely used what might had been a huge embarrassment to his advantage. In the end, no one noticed Daft Punk on the VMAs after all, because Miley Cyrus decided to gyrate with a foam- well, you know what I am referring to. Clearly, Stephen “won” what might potentially been a disaster, and the episode made “Best of 2013″ lists everywhere, as you have seen.
The summer brought us a lot of music, including the amazing, wonderful Paul McCartney. While watching the McCartney episode I kept rubbing my eyes saying “Is he really on the Report?” It just seemed like a beautiful dream. The dream lent itself shortly thereafter to heartache, because we learned that Stephen’s beloved mother Lorna had passed away at the age of 92. It was hard for us who love Stephen to see he and his family suffer such a loss, but his emotional tribute and monologue dedicated to his mother not only beautifully eulogized her, but also demonstrated that Stephen was ever ready to forge ahead with show, even in his grief. It was a beautiful, intense example of not only Stephen’s love for his Mom but the compassionate strength she imbued on all of her children.
Getting to know Stephen’s sister Elizabeth Colbert Busch, or Lulu as she is known to her family, during her congressional campaign was an unexpected pleasure early in the year. To everyone’s surprise she announced her campaign for South Carolina’s First Congressional District special election to replace Tim Scott.
Stephen demonstrated what a fantastic brother he is by participating in some great and fun-looking fundraising events (bowling!) Unfortunately, politically exiled former Governor Mark Sanford ended up winning the seat, but all was not lost. Elizabeth established herself as a leader and political figure in her community. She exemplified her strength and the core family values that “Colbert” stands for, particularly when she conceded to her opponent. In her graceful speech, she stated that “my only pledge was to the people of the first district, and I respect your decision. This is the beauty of our country,” adding, “I assure you I will continue to fight for the state of South Carolina.”
Elizabeth Colbert Busch concedes to her supporters, flanked by her family and friends. | image courtesy the campaign’s Facebook page
This year also featured some memorable public appearances. On a cold and blustery day in Chicago, I personally witnessed Stephen receiving a Civic Engagement Award from the Lookingglass Theatre — I liked this award because it was given in recognition of Stephen’s awesome talent for philanthropy, and I got to meet him as well. In May, Stephen gave the Valedictorian Speech at his wife Evie’s alma mater, the University of Virginia. In October, Stephen enjoyed the high honor as being featured speaker at the annual Al Smith Memorial Foundation dinner, minting his status as America’s Number One Catholic, and also the more rare Edgy Satirist with Cardinal Approval.
Stephen closed down the year with a memorable joint appearance with Jimmy Fallon at an event supporting The Montclair Film Festival, an organization near and dear to his wife’s heart. Prior to this appearance, Stephen appeared with his writers for a great panel at the New York Comedy Festival.
At said panel, Stephen debuted a mysterious new pair of hipster glasses that got everybody really excited. Hopefully we will be seeing more Stephen out and about NYC and elsewhere in the coming year, with glasses of any style he chooses.
Let’s drill down a list of a few best moments of 2013 that might have flown under your radar:
Best Interaction with a Vegetable:
Free endive, motherf***ers. Time to make it rain!
Best Homage to Breaking Bad’s Finale:
KEEP TYPING, B*TCH!!
Best Vandalizing of the TCR Studio:
For a good cause, though. If Banksy wouldn’t lucratively deface the Studio walls, at least NYC-based Hanksy would.
© Hanksy | Seen in the wild. Stephen ColBear. NYC.
Best Visceral Reaction to a Box of Cheerios:
A grief-heavy Cheerios commercial prompts Stephen to create his own guilt ridden homage:
Most Painful Looking Segment:
Matt Damon promotes his latest film while Stephen slowly bleeds out. Hard to watch.
Best Use of Graphics, and Context, in Discussing Race in American Politics:
Obama gets two points for two elections, but: “Of course, for the previous 43 white presidents, white people accumulated: one point.”
Best Use of an Ipad in the Field:
Stephen likes to mingle among the people, via satellite.
What’s up my sister?
Most Presidential Moment:
Stephen traveled to the Clinton Global Initiative’s “CGI 2013″ held in St. Louis, MO in April. He took advantage of the former president’s presence, as well as a plethora of overly talented young people to present his unique way of handling the world’s toughest problems, the Mentolcano.
Best and/or Great Guest Moments:
Stephen honors NASA researcher Ed Stone with a NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal for his lifetime of career achievement. The award was a complete surprise to Mr. Stone.
© Kristopher Long | Comedy Central
Most delightfully unruly guest, Iggy Pop:
Guest that gave you the most hope for humanity, Jack Andraka:
Mr. Andraka has made exciting discoveries in cancer detection while still in high school. He’s just getting warmed up.
This upcoming year, I would like to see more viewer challenges (a la “Green Screen” challenge, etc.), revivals of old segments like Formidable Opponent, more heavy-hitting Words, and more bits away from the desk. I love when Stephen goes to “Topic of the Day + some thousand number” Plasma Screen and gives one of his truly unique visual presentations.
We also have the Grammys coming up shortly, where the million dollar question is….. do the Grammy people like America Again enough to top Stephen killer competition? When Jimmy takes over The Tonight Show, when will Stephen appear and how will he interact with Jimmy in that exciting new venue?
Now, it’s your turn…
What episodes or moments would your rank “best” from 2013? What would you like to see on the Report in 2014? Do share in the comments. And..Happy New Year!
Best of 2013: The Colbert Report in Review
© Jason Merritt | Zimbio
Forgive me if this post seems a bit repetitive and reminiscent of my Eighth Anniversary post, but it seems behoovy to step back and enjoy 2013 and the year that was for Stephen & co. and The Colbert Report. The Emmy celebration did not seem to abate after the show clinched its two wins in September — in fact, it still seems we are all celebrating now. Perhaps, unwittingly, Jon Stewart taking the summer off to direct Rosewater gave Stephen a slight edge, allowing him to take the ceremonial slot of Best. In any event, it was good to see our host and our show get accolades they richly deserve.
Let’s review 2013′s best moments for Stephen and the program as we prepare for another great year of shows.
In addition to the great Emmy wins, we had the memorable Daft Punk debacle. I was joking with Katt that just for the sake of traffic we should rename our blog “The Daft Punk Colbert News Hub” because I have never seen hits like when it was announced (or alleged) that Daft Punk would be appearing on the show. I have seen “The Colbert Bump” in action and it’s akin to a lightning rod, and this instance was no less than a lightning moment. I personally really like the rock duo, but I don’t think I can ever listen to “Get Lucky” again.
Of course, I feel indirectly responsible for the whole mess because I am the one who “leaked” their upcoming appearance on the internets, as Stephen had told us that they would be appearing when I attended a July 25th taping. I couldn’t understand how it wasn’t being shouted from the rooftops! My humble taping report got beamed around every music blog and outlet on the internet, and huge views on our own site; I can only imagine the amount of interest the Colbert people were getting. Then, for the whole thing not to happen was truly extraordinary — but not surprisingly was how well how Stephen handled the nonappearance, and even sagely used what might had been a huge embarrassment to his advantage. In the end, no one noticed Daft Punk on the VMAs after all, because Miley Cyrus decided to gyrate with a foam- well, you know what I am referring to. Clearly, Stephen “won” what might potentially been a disaster, and the episode made “Best of 2013″ lists everywhere, as you have seen.
The summer brought us a lot of music, including the amazing, wonderful Paul McCartney. While watching the McCartney episode I kept rubbing my eyes saying “Is he really on the Report?” It just seemed like a beautiful dream. The dream lent itself shortly thereafter to heartache, because we learned that Stephen’s beloved mother Lorna had passed away at the age of 92. It was hard for us who love Stephen to see he and his family suffer such a loss, but his emotional tribute and monologue dedicated to his mother not only beautifully eulogized her, but also demonstrated that Stephen was ever ready to forge ahead with show, even in his grief. It was a beautiful, intense example of not only Stephen’s love for his Mom but the compassionate strength she imbued on all of her children.
Getting to know Stephen’s sister Elizabeth Colbert Busch, or Lulu as she is known to her family, during her congressional campaign was an unexpected pleasure early in the year. To everyone’s surprise she announced her campaign for South Carolina’s First Congressional District special election to replace Tim Scott.
Stephen demonstrated what a fantastic brother he is by participating in some great and fun-looking fundraising events (bowling!) Unfortunately, politically exiled former Governor Mark Sanford ended up winning the seat, but all was not lost. Elizabeth established herself as a leader and political figure in her community. She exemplified her strength and the core family values that “Colbert” stands for, particularly when she conceded to her opponent. In her graceful speech, she stated that “my only pledge was to the people of the first district, and I respect your decision. This is the beauty of our country,” adding, “I assure you I will continue to fight for the state of South Carolina.”
Elizabeth Colbert Busch concedes to her supporters, flanked by her family and friends. | image courtesy the campaign’s Facebook page
This year also featured some memorable public appearances. On a cold and blustery day in Chicago, I personally witnessed Stephen receiving a Civic Engagement Award from the Lookingglass Theatre — I liked this award because it was given in recognition of Stephen’s awesome talent for philanthropy, and I got to meet him as well. In May, Stephen gave the Valedictorian Speech at his wife Evie’s alma mater, the University of Virginia. In October, Stephen enjoyed the high honor as being featured speaker at the annual Al Smith Memorial Foundation dinner, minting his status as America’s Number One Catholic, and also the more rare Edgy Satirist with Cardinal Approval.
Stephen closed down the year with a memorable joint appearance with Jimmy Fallon at an event supporting The Montclair Film Festival, an organization near and dear to his wife’s heart. Prior to this appearance, Stephen appeared with his writers for a great panel at the New York Comedy Festival.
At said panel, Stephen debuted a mysterious new pair of hipster glasses that got everybody really excited. Hopefully we will be seeing more Stephen out and about NYC and elsewhere in the coming year, with glasses of any style he chooses.
Let’s drill down a list of a few best moments of 2013 that might have flown under your radar:
Best Interaction with a Vegetable:
Free endive, motherf***ers. Time to make it rain!
Best Homage to Breaking Bad’s Finale:
KEEP TYPING, B*TCH!!
Best Vandalizing of the TCR Studio:
For a good cause, though. If Banksy wouldn’t lucratively deface the Studio walls, at least NYC-based Hanksy would.
© Hanksy | Seen in the wild. Stephen ColBear. NYC.
Best Visceral Reaction to a Box of Cheerios:
A grief-heavy Cheerios commercial prompts Stephen to create his own guilt ridden homage:
Most Painful Looking Segment:
Matt Damon promotes his latest film while Stephen slowly bleeds out. Hard to watch.
Best Use of Graphics, and Context, in Discussing Race in American Politics:
Obama gets two points for two elections, but: “Of course, for the previous 43 white presidents, white people accumulated: one point.”
Best Use of an Ipad in the Field:
Stephen likes to mingle among the people, via satellite.
What’s up my sister?
Most Presidential Moment:
Stephen traveled to the Clinton Global Initiative’s “CGI 2013″ held in St. Louis, MO in April. He took advantage of the former president’s presence, as well as a plethora of overly talented young people to present his unique way of handling the world’s toughest problems, the Mentolcano.
Best and/or Great Guest Moments:
Stephen honors NASA researcher Ed Stone with a NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal for his lifetime of career achievement. The award was a complete surprise to Mr. Stone.
© Kristopher Long | Comedy Central
Most delightfully unruly guest, Iggy Pop:
Guest that gave you the most hope for humanity, Jack Andraka:
Mr. Andraka has made exciting discoveries in cancer detection while still in high school. He’s just getting warmed up.
This upcoming year, I would like to see more viewer challenges (a la “Green Screen” challenge, etc.), revivals of old segments like Formidable Opponent, more heavy-hitting Words, and more bits away from the desk. I love when Stephen goes to “Topic of the Day + some thousand number” Plasma Screen and gives one of his truly unique visual presentations.
We also have the Grammys coming up shortly, where the million dollar question is….. do the Grammy people like America Again enough to top Stephen killer competition? When Jimmy takes over The Tonight Show, when will Stephen appear and how will he interact with Jimmy in that exciting new venue?
Now, it’s your turn…
What episodes or moments would your rank “best” from 2013? What would you like to see on the Report in 2014? Do share in the comments. And..Happy New Year!