When news stories fall through the cracks, we here at Colbert News Hub find them for a post we call, In The Press.
Hello again hubsters! I’m back again with the articles you might have missed in March. I know last time I left you with a bit of negativity when I said I’m sometimes afraid this show might no be for someone like me, who never really watched regular late night. All your fantastic comments gave me a lot to think about. I also took a couple of weeks off watching the show because I was so busy, and I was happy to see just how much I enjoyed it when I was able to catch up. I like that it’s getting a lot more playful, less stilted. The interviews have also been incredibly enjoyable since they came back from the last break. Stephen seems much more relaxed and he’s becoming a better listener. So, while I can’t help but miss how sharp, dark, and even brutal the Report’s comedy often was (more on that later), I’m also increasingly enjoying The Late Show. But enough about my personal feelings; there are a lot of interesting articles to read. In this edition of In The Press you’ll find a couple of articles quoting Late Show executive producer Tom Purcell; you’ll find interviews with the show’s saxophonists, Eddie Barbash and Grace Kelly; a lot a discussion about how the various late night shows are dealing with the election, as well as the usual monthly stats.
Stephen Colbert
“He was obscenely nice and also so well-read that he could make you feel stupid all the time. That’s what’s wrong with Stephen Colbert and that’s about it,” Nia Vardalos said Thursday on Andy Cohen’s talk show “Watch What Happens Live” after a viewer asked about Colbert’s annoying habits at Second City.
It’s important to consider that the show didn’t traffic in the realm of “sexually explicit=funny” like so many other shows have. For example, that new series Not Safe with Nikki Glaser seems to essentially presuppose that saying something sexual qualifies as a joke. Again, this show was the brainchild of Sedaris, Colbert, and Dinello. They are all very funny people who know how to turn sexual ugliness—not mere explicitness—into genuine humor, and they never let up for a moment. Strangers with Candy was fully dedicated to its ugly little world full of awful people. They could not, not even for a moment, be sexy. It just wouldn’t have made sense. Nothing was ever sacred, and everything was always a joke. Sex has always been put on such a pedestal in so much of pop culture, and it was so refreshing that Strangers with Candy thought it looked better down in the mud.
- Elizabeth Colbert-Busch is ‘Principal for a Day’ at Lincoln – The Post and Courier
Stephen’s sister, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch (or “Lulu,” as Stephen likes to call her), took part in the “principal for a day” program, run by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. This program brings together business leaders with public school principals so that they can share their skills and learn about the public school system.
Wednesday marked the second year Colbert-Busch has participated, and she said she wanted to visit a rural school. Lincoln Middle High, located in a tiny fishing village at the northern edge of Charleston County, has 155 total students and certainly fit the bill.
Some 95 percent of students at Lincoln are black, and the school receives Title I funding because of a high percentage of low-income families.
“I wanted to come to Lincoln because it is a middle school and a high school, very different from the elementary schools I’ve visited,” said Colbert-Busch, a Democrat who ran for Congress against Republican Mark Sanford in 2013. “It’s a rural school, and I wanted to come to see what it’s like, what the challenges are.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- How the 2016 Election is Helping Stephen Colbert Find His ‘Late Show’ Voice – The Wall Street Journal
Tom Purcell (executive producer of the show) was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Something I found particularly interesting (discussed towards the end) was how they often view the political stories and players from an emotional rather than political angle. This is actually something I’ve noticed and really liked. Somehow, recognizing the insecurities of politicians, their need for love and attention, seems like a very humane approach to an otherwise ugly and cynical process.
Six months into “The Late Show,” the producer says “we’re still finding our voice.” (Literally lately: hoarse and hopped up on cold medicine, Colbert battled sickness this week.)
There have been pros and cons to shifting from the full-immersion satire of “The Colbert Report” to a more traditional talk-show style. Instead of extended riffs that built on “truthiness” or Colbert’s own gonzo bid for political office, the host now fires off most of his political ammo in the opening monologue and desk routine before his first guest sits down.
“The previous Stephen had to embody a joke and drive through the whole story on it,” Purcell says. “This Stephen can just talk about the greatest hits, reacting to the shiniest object [in the news] and then move off of it. The old character couldn’t do that.”
However, during an overheated primary race, when most shows are going after the same shiny objects, Team Colbert still uses techniques from his “Daily Show” days. Writers are encouraged to seek out original source material, and comb through debates and stump speeches for telling remarks that don’t make the highlights on cable news or social media, Purcell says.
When Purcell, executive producer of CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” assembles his writers each day, they can’t stop talking about Donald Trump … “It’s a gift to us that is unprecedented.”
That gift is both blessing and curse. TV’s late-night hosts have to top not just each other, but also the candidates themselves — particularly Trump, who delivers viral soundbytes and GIF-able moments in an endless series of interviews, rallies and tweets.
Moreover, the comedic challenge and opportunity that is Trump arrived on the heels of the exits of Jon Stewart and Colbert, TV’s two top political satirists, from their long-held posts at Comedy Central. And while Colbert now commands CBS’ top late-night position, the focus of his show has shifted to the mainstream from what had been a left-leaning lampoon of a partisan cable news program.
“Colbert still has brilliant political segments, or even brilliant political interviews, but it seems diluted by the mass appeal that he has to do nightly in order for it to be a variety show,” said Jeffrey P. Jones, a Univeristy of Georgia professor and director of the Peabody Awards.
Purcell said “Late Show” staffers are pleased with the program, but recognize it’s yet in launch mode. “There is still definitely a feedback loop going on, and we are still making adjustments,” he said.
[N]ow Scardino has become a reliably clever, charming guest star and—most significantly—a sharp female perspective on a show that’s had a tepid start in keeping its promise to correct the gender bias in late night. …
A Colbert more willing to be “real” is a Colbert less willing to nail a rising demagogue, it turns out. And his newfound sincerity has also revealed that well-meaning feminism is harder to implement in practice than ironic misogyny. Colbert’s Late Show is at least a light subscriber to the rigid gender code entrenched in late night culture. Despite surely good intentions, Colbert often hews to gender stereotypes in his interviews. Talking to Bruce Willis, a father of three daughters, Colbert asked the actor if having girls turned him “soft.” This week, while talking about the theme of friendship in Lord of the Rings, Colbert asked Anna Kendrick if she agreed that men and women approach friendship in different ways: “You guys seem to work at it harder than we do.” And while interviewing Helen Mirren last week about her role as a Colonel in Eye in the Sky, he pressed, “In America, we don’t think of female military leaders as being hawkish and ready to kill.”
“The other day before we went on stage, Jon [Batiste, Stay Human’s band leader] taught us four new songs. People might not realize that but sometimes we don’t even have a set list and Jon’s just making up stuff on the spot,” Kelly told NBC News. …
It was her affinity for improvisation and her musical chemistry with Stay Human’s lead saxophone player Eddie Barbash that made her the perfect fit for the group.
“Despite being so driven and successful at such a young age, Grace has always been very humble and down to earth. That’s a rare combination,” Barbash told NBC News. “Grace has the right attitude for this band. Jon is a very free performer and is likely to do anything at anytime, and Grace is very open and willing. Many other musicians struggle with that when they play with us.”
- Eddie Barbash is in the Houser – Long Island Pulse
The other saxophonist who’s been playing with Stay Human is of course Grace Kelly. In this article she talks about her background, about working with Jon Batiste, and about being a female jazz musician.
Pulse: How has your schedule changed since you got The Late Show gig?
Barbash: It’s really my first time having a day job. I wasn’t used to going to the same place and doing the same thing everyday for eight hours or more. A couple of years ago we were on tour for nine months, so we definitely had to tone down our schedule. We haven’t been playing in the subways as much but we’re still working. It’s just important to find the energy to do other things, whether it’s practicing your instrument or playing gigs after the show.
Pulse: What’s it like working with Stephen Colbert?
Barbash: Stephen is really smart and he always remembers everybody’s name. He’s very nice and makes a point of saying hello to everyone around him. But at the same time, there’s no fluff whatsoever. He’s really direct and doesn’t waste any time saying what he needs to say to get stuff done. Stephen’s definitely an improviser, being very capable of just letting it fly when the time is right, but he also likes things to be tight. And he has an insane amount of energy, which to me, is one of the most admirable things.
CBS’s THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT was the only 11:30 PM late night program to post first quarter growth versus last year, according to Nielsen most current ratings for first quarter 2016.
In the first quarter 2016, LATE SHOW was up +33% in adults 18-34 (0.4/03 from 0.3/01), +20% in adults 18-49 (0.6/03 from 0.5/02), +14% in adults 25-54 (0.8/04 from 0.7/03) and +1% in viewers (2.82m from 2.78m) compared to last year’s comparable quarter.
| Week |
Status |
18-49 Demo Rating |
Demo Ranking |
Overall (millions) |
Overall Ranking |
| March 7 – 11 |
5 New Episodes |
0.49/3 |
#3 |
2.42 |
#2 |
| March 14 – 18 |
4 New Episodes |
0.53/3 |
#3 |
2.57 |
#2 |
| March 21 – 25 |
REPEATS
Kimmel and Fallon = New Episodes |
0.48/2 |
#3 |
2.15 |
#3 |
Source: TV by the numbers
Late Night
“Books have been written about late-night wars, and people talk about what a competitive environment it all is, but I must say it’s been such a relief to join the ranks of such a lovely and welcoming group of hosts,” he says. “When it leaked that I would be taking over this show, the first email I got was from Seth Meyers, saying, ‘Oh my God, this is going to be great!’ (Seth and I email every couple of weeks, mostly because we support the same soccer team.) Then I had a night out in New York with Jimmy Fallon and he said, ‘Anything you need, just let me know.’ He sent us a foosball table hand-painted in the colors of the soccer team I support. Stephen Colbert sent me a lovely email saying, ‘This is going to be fun.’ Then Jimmy Kimmel sent a beautiful gift saying, ‘You’ve joined a very small fraternity in a very big country, and I’m here if you need anything.’ It’s crazy how many people reached out.”
We are tracking political jokes by Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and new “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah (whose liberal bent is much more apparent). For the five months from last September through January, Republican presidential candidates were the targets of more than three times as many jokes as their Democratic counterparts — 1,363 vs. 424 jokes overall.
Trump, the blustery businessman who by himself was the subject of 655 of those jokes, is clearly a target-rich environment for humorists. But he is not the whole story here. Jokes about all the other Republican candidates still outpaced all the Democratic candidates combined, even without Trump, by nearly 300 quips.
In contrast, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton inspired only 216 jokes, barely outpacing the hapless Jeb Bush, whose sputtering campaign attracted 193 punchlines.
Goodman: … Among the nightly hosts, nobody is even close to Meyers right now in terms of stingingly funny political observations — something I thought Colbert would own. Meyers is doing fantastic, sometimes angry, sometimes subtle political commentary and it’s been very impressive. I’d put Colbert right behind him for the daily hosts, and his qualitative résumé in that department can’t be disputed. Part of me misses him doing a full hour of that kind of satire or scathing take-downs, and some nights it appears he feels the same. Other times he seems just as happy to resume his new direction, which is understandable. I don’t think Corden or Fallon are really in the political comedy game at all. …
Feinberg: … Colbert’s résumé for political commentary can’t be argued with, but that résumé is entirely built on stuff he did when he was a different guy. As Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert, Colbert was incisive, cuttingly ironic and satirically self-lacerating. As the guy he currently is, who may be the guy he truly is, and he’s better than Kimmel, Corden or Fallon, but he almost never seems to have a POV, angry or otherwise.
- Samantha Bee is Jon Stewart’s Real Heir: Finally, the 2016 Campaign has the satirist We So Desperately Need – Salon
Samantha Bee’s new show has earned massive critical praise since its debut in February. I myself am enjoying the show tremendously. The Jeb Bush piece for instance is one of my favorite things I’ve seen since this election season started (so… since 2012?).
There’s one thing I noticed though in this article. At one point, the writer says: “On her first show she screened a sound bite from Cruz’s victory speech on Feb. 1 in Iowa and then the camera cut to Bee tying a noose. Now Colbert loves to play with props, but it’s unlikely he would make that sort of dark move.” And I so completely disagree with this. This is one of the things I loved most about The Colbert Report: its ability to get very, very dark, and make it hilarious. Case in point: in this segment, Stephen did in fact tie a (sort of) noose and even “hanged” himself with it. Or there’s that time he demonstrated “auto-not-at-all-erotic asphyxiation.” Good stuff. Dark humor was The Report’s bread and butter. really.
While Wilmore brings much-needed attention to identity politics and Camp underscores the ties between capitalist greed and the U.S. political oligarchy, it is Bee who is offering the edgy, angry, smart satire that is the perfect foil to this election. Bee’s comedy trades in a sharp use of language and a refusal to let the prevailing mainstream narratives hold sway. …
Much will be made of the fact that Bee broke into the boys club as the first female comedian to host a late-night comedy show. And her success as a female comedian is significant. But the reason Bee’s show is so important is because of her mode of humor, not her gender. …
Focusing less on the hypocrisy and “bullshit” that was often the target of Stewart, Bee zeroes in on how hypocrisy is used to cover up injustice. And she takes the characteristic WTF of Stewart’s comedy to a whole new level.
With “Full Frontal” Bee plays with the double meaning of the term—swapping the vulnerability and sexual objectification of full frontal nudity with a full frontal assault. Given the stakes in this election campaign and the real possibility that we could have a commander in chief with absolutely no experience in either government or the military, Bee’s satire-as-attack is exactly what we need to expose the stakes in this electoral war.
- Comedy Central’s ‘Daily Show’ Has Lost Its Edge – Variety
I really feel for the Daily Show team right now: ratings aren’t at their best, Trevor Noah is earning tepid reviews, and calls for Jon Stewart to come back in some form or another are intensifying. The main issue seems to be Noah’s detached attitude when it comes to American politics. And the truth is, it’s just really hard to follow Jon Stewart. A New Yorker article written after Jon Stewart announced his departure in 2015 said that his work “has been so central, so essential, that it’s hard to imagine American political and comedic culture without it.” Today, no matter how many great shows there are out there (including The Late Show, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver) it’s hard not to have Jon’s unique voice be part of the political conversation. Really hard.
“Harmless.”
Of all the words ever used to describe “The Daily Show,” that adjective has rarely come up. Unfortunately, that’s the only way to describe the Comedy Central program at the moment.
Under the leadership of new host Trevor Noah, “The Daily Show” seems to have lost its way — but in the most amiable manner possible. Ever since Noah took over six months ago, the show has assumed an air of easygoing chill. It’s not that he doesn’t tell reasonably good jokes now and then, but few, if any, are aimed at the jugular. And he rarely loses his expression of gentle bemusement.
Given that the current American political season is more chaotic and unpredictable than any in recent memory, the show’s strange affability creates a feeling of cognitive dissonance. It’s as if our reliable attack dog had suddenly lost its teeth and self-medicated with Xanax. …
In a world where mainstream programs like “Scandal,” “Black-ish” and “Master of None” are willing to take on hot-potato political topics with gusto, the only real way to stand out is to go even further — but it’s not mere sensationalism that drives “Full Frontal.” The fact is, the show stands out because it’s willing to take a stand. Bee is a virtuoso of brilliant sarcasm when it comes to feminist topics, of course, but she makes mincemeat of hapless politicians of either gender who wander into her field of fire. (And yes, that means even Hillary Clinton doesn’t go unscathed.)
No one is great at everything, and part of me wants to just watch Noah for his strengths. His working sense of comedy, admittedly, is probably a bit different from that of the other late-nights hosts. As he told Time Out:
I always believe that funny is serious and serious is funny. You don’t really need a distinction between them. If I’m doing something on stage and it evokes an emotion, then I might show that emotion, but I also don’t believe in being a preacher. If you have a point, that’s a bonus. But the funny has to come first, otherwise you shouldn’t call yourself a comedian.
It sounds good when he spells it out that way. But Noah will put on a better show, one that plays to his own strengths and that grows from the tradition Jon Stewart established, if he takes this a little more seriously. Politics is important business — especially this election! — and if Wilmore, Colbert, Oliver and Bee can get the balance right, so can Noah.
- Can We Survive This Election Without Jon Stewart? – The Interrobang
And yes, those looking for an outlet have any number of comedy shows to turn to. But that’s part of the problem. We are a reflection of the fractured media landscape, peeling off to our own corners. One person likes Seth Meyers’ snarky SNL take, another Bill Maher’s smug old white guy perspective. Some tune into the brilliant Stephen Colbert’s big tent talk show, while others like Larry Wilmore’s interesting, if not laugh out loud take on the news. With Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, we were all tuning in together. That meant we all had to find some common ground. That common ground is now lacking. …
We don’t know what his take would have been on this election, but we know he would have been pissed. Because, good lord, who isn’t pissed right now? And that is the gift he gave us. Who is turning our anger into laughs? Who is bringing us together around that indignation?
As John Oliver confronts this election head on, Samantha Bee comes out swinging, and Trevor Noah contributes with the occasionally potent piece, there seems to be more voices mounting up. But none like Stewart, who created the pissy campfire we gathered around every night to keep our sanity intact. He helped us laugh at the madness, so it wouldn’t consume us. Without that laughter, well, things get really weird.
Buzzfeed declared that John Oliver had “destroyed” Donald Trump; Rolling Stone hailed that he had “annihilated” the Donald; Salon announced that Oliver had given Trump “exactly what he deserves”; while Vox, in a telling bit of hyperbole, proclaimed that he had delivered the takedown that “America has been waiting for.” Two days later, Donald Trump would snatch seven of the 11 states up for grabs on Super Tuesday, all but cementing his place as the favorite for the Republican nomination. …
That these routines have left Trump unscathed is a testament not only to the insularity of their audiences but the slipperiness of their subject. The Donald, with his neon complexion and taste for Mussolini cosplay, has demonstrated a stubborn resistance to the late-night treatment. “How do you spoof a candidate who treats campaigning like a roast?” asks New York Times television critic James Poniewozik. “Satire exposes candidates’ contradictions and absurdities. Mr. Trump blows past those, while his supporters cheer.” …
Even Stewart understood the limits of his influence. In one of the “The Daily Show’s” more memorable segments, he addressed the media’s fantasies about his work. “The world is demonstrably worse than when I started,” he observed, not a little forlornly. Which is why the seemingly endless barrage of late-night slayings, maulings and disembowelments are so thoroughly maddening. Taken in their totality, these news items read like an expression of collective myopia if not outright delusion, and betray a poverty of ideas in addressing the increasingly violent rise of Trumpism or worse: a complacency with the present course.
The network’s new slate also includes talent development deals with The Daily Show correspondents Jessica Williams and Jordan Klepper, who are headlining pilots, a narrative one (Williams) including a late-night presentation (Klepper). …
Klepper will star in a late-night talk show presentation revolving around social, cultural and political issues. The potential show could air as a strip at 12:30 AM or at 10 PM or 10:30 PM on a weeknight but it will have no implications on Comedy Central’s current late-night lineup, Alterman said.
There are no late-night changes planned for the foreseeable future, with The Daily Show at 11 PM, The Nightly Show at 11:30 PM and @midnight at midnight.
In the Press – March 2016
Hello again hubsters! I’m back again with the articles you might have missed in March. I know last time I left you with a bit of negativity when I said I’m sometimes afraid this show might no be for someone like me, who never really watched regular late night. All your fantastic comments gave me a lot to think about. I also took a couple of weeks off watching the show because I was so busy, and I was happy to see just how much I enjoyed it when I was able to catch up. I like that it’s getting a lot more playful, less stilted. The interviews have also been incredibly enjoyable since they came back from the last break. Stephen seems much more relaxed and he’s becoming a better listener. So, while I can’t help but miss how sharp, dark, and even brutal the Report’s comedy often was (more on that later), I’m also increasingly enjoying The Late Show. But enough about my personal feelings; there are a lot of interesting articles to read. In this edition of In The Press you’ll find a couple of articles quoting Late Show executive producer Tom Purcell; you’ll find interviews with the show’s saxophonists, Eddie Barbash and Grace Kelly; a lot a discussion about how the various late night shows are dealing with the election, as well as the usual monthly stats.
Stephen Colbert
“He was obscenely nice and also so well-read that he could make you feel stupid all the time. That’s what’s wrong with Stephen Colbert and that’s about it,” Nia Vardalos said Thursday on Andy Cohen’s talk show “Watch What Happens Live” after a viewer asked about Colbert’s annoying habits at Second City.
It’s important to consider that the show didn’t traffic in the realm of “sexually explicit=funny” like so many other shows have. For example, that new series Not Safe with Nikki Glaser seems to essentially presuppose that saying something sexual qualifies as a joke. Again, this show was the brainchild of Sedaris, Colbert, and Dinello. They are all very funny people who know how to turn sexual ugliness—not mere explicitness—into genuine humor, and they never let up for a moment. Strangers with Candy was fully dedicated to its ugly little world full of awful people. They could not, not even for a moment, be sexy. It just wouldn’t have made sense. Nothing was ever sacred, and everything was always a joke. Sex has always been put on such a pedestal in so much of pop culture, and it was so refreshing that Strangers with Candy thought it looked better down in the mud.
Stephen’s sister, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch (or “Lulu,” as Stephen likes to call her), took part in the “principal for a day” program, run by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. This program brings together business leaders with public school principals so that they can share their skills and learn about the public school system.
Wednesday marked the second year Colbert-Busch has participated, and she said she wanted to visit a rural school. Lincoln Middle High, located in a tiny fishing village at the northern edge of Charleston County, has 155 total students and certainly fit the bill.
Some 95 percent of students at Lincoln are black, and the school receives Title I funding because of a high percentage of low-income families.
“I wanted to come to Lincoln because it is a middle school and a high school, very different from the elementary schools I’ve visited,” said Colbert-Busch, a Democrat who ran for Congress against Republican Mark Sanford in 2013. “It’s a rural school, and I wanted to come to see what it’s like, what the challenges are.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Tom Purcell (executive producer of the show) was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Something I found particularly interesting (discussed towards the end) was how they often view the political stories and players from an emotional rather than political angle. This is actually something I’ve noticed and really liked. Somehow, recognizing the insecurities of politicians, their need for love and attention, seems like a very humane approach to an otherwise ugly and cynical process.
Six months into “The Late Show,” the producer says “we’re still finding our voice.” (Literally lately: hoarse and hopped up on cold medicine, Colbert battled sickness this week.)
There have been pros and cons to shifting from the full-immersion satire of “The Colbert Report” to a more traditional talk-show style. Instead of extended riffs that built on “truthiness” or Colbert’s own gonzo bid for political office, the host now fires off most of his political ammo in the opening monologue and desk routine before his first guest sits down.
“The previous Stephen had to embody a joke and drive through the whole story on it,” Purcell says. “This Stephen can just talk about the greatest hits, reacting to the shiniest object [in the news] and then move off of it. The old character couldn’t do that.”
However, during an overheated primary race, when most shows are going after the same shiny objects, Team Colbert still uses techniques from his “Daily Show” days. Writers are encouraged to seek out original source material, and comb through debates and stump speeches for telling remarks that don’t make the highlights on cable news or social media, Purcell says.
When Purcell, executive producer of CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” assembles his writers each day, they can’t stop talking about Donald Trump … “It’s a gift to us that is unprecedented.”
That gift is both blessing and curse. TV’s late-night hosts have to top not just each other, but also the candidates themselves — particularly Trump, who delivers viral soundbytes and GIF-able moments in an endless series of interviews, rallies and tweets.
Moreover, the comedic challenge and opportunity that is Trump arrived on the heels of the exits of Jon Stewart and Colbert, TV’s two top political satirists, from their long-held posts at Comedy Central. And while Colbert now commands CBS’ top late-night position, the focus of his show has shifted to the mainstream from what had been a left-leaning lampoon of a partisan cable news program.
“Colbert still has brilliant political segments, or even brilliant political interviews, but it seems diluted by the mass appeal that he has to do nightly in order for it to be a variety show,” said Jeffrey P. Jones, a Univeristy of Georgia professor and director of the Peabody Awards.
Purcell said “Late Show” staffers are pleased with the program, but recognize it’s yet in launch mode. “There is still definitely a feedback loop going on, and we are still making adjustments,” he said.
[N]ow Scardino has become a reliably clever, charming guest star and—most significantly—a sharp female perspective on a show that’s had a tepid start in keeping its promise to correct the gender bias in late night. …
A Colbert more willing to be “real” is a Colbert less willing to nail a rising demagogue, it turns out. And his newfound sincerity has also revealed that well-meaning feminism is harder to implement in practice than ironic misogyny. Colbert’s Late Show is at least a light subscriber to the rigid gender code entrenched in late night culture. Despite surely good intentions, Colbert often hews to gender stereotypes in his interviews. Talking to Bruce Willis, a father of three daughters, Colbert asked the actor if having girls turned him “soft.” This week, while talking about the theme of friendship in Lord of the Rings, Colbert asked Anna Kendrick if she agreed that men and women approach friendship in different ways: “You guys seem to work at it harder than we do.” And while interviewing Helen Mirren last week about her role as a Colonel in Eye in the Sky, he pressed, “In America, we don’t think of female military leaders as being hawkish and ready to kill.”
“The other day before we went on stage, Jon [Batiste, Stay Human’s band leader] taught us four new songs. People might not realize that but sometimes we don’t even have a set list and Jon’s just making up stuff on the spot,” Kelly told NBC News. …
It was her affinity for improvisation and her musical chemistry with Stay Human’s lead saxophone player Eddie Barbash that made her the perfect fit for the group.
“Despite being so driven and successful at such a young age, Grace has always been very humble and down to earth. That’s a rare combination,” Barbash told NBC News. “Grace has the right attitude for this band. Jon is a very free performer and is likely to do anything at anytime, and Grace is very open and willing. Many other musicians struggle with that when they play with us.”
The other saxophonist who’s been playing with Stay Human is of course Grace Kelly. In this article she talks about her background, about working with Jon Batiste, and about being a female jazz musician.
Pulse: How has your schedule changed since you got The Late Show gig?
Barbash: It’s really my first time having a day job. I wasn’t used to going to the same place and doing the same thing everyday for eight hours or more. A couple of years ago we were on tour for nine months, so we definitely had to tone down our schedule. We haven’t been playing in the subways as much but we’re still working. It’s just important to find the energy to do other things, whether it’s practicing your instrument or playing gigs after the show.
Pulse: What’s it like working with Stephen Colbert?
Barbash: Stephen is really smart and he always remembers everybody’s name. He’s very nice and makes a point of saying hello to everyone around him. But at the same time, there’s no fluff whatsoever. He’s really direct and doesn’t waste any time saying what he needs to say to get stuff done. Stephen’s definitely an improviser, being very capable of just letting it fly when the time is right, but he also likes things to be tight. And he has an insane amount of energy, which to me, is one of the most admirable things.
CBS’s THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT was the only 11:30 PM late night program to post first quarter growth versus last year, according to Nielsen most current ratings for first quarter 2016.
In the first quarter 2016, LATE SHOW was up +33% in adults 18-34 (0.4/03 from 0.3/01), +20% in adults 18-49 (0.6/03 from 0.5/02), +14% in adults 25-54 (0.8/04 from 0.7/03) and +1% in viewers (2.82m from 2.78m) compared to last year’s comparable quarter.
Kimmel and Fallon = New Episodes
Source: TV by the numbers
Late Night
“Books have been written about late-night wars, and people talk about what a competitive environment it all is, but I must say it’s been such a relief to join the ranks of such a lovely and welcoming group of hosts,” he says. “When it leaked that I would be taking over this show, the first email I got was from Seth Meyers, saying, ‘Oh my God, this is going to be great!’ (Seth and I email every couple of weeks, mostly because we support the same soccer team.) Then I had a night out in New York with Jimmy Fallon and he said, ‘Anything you need, just let me know.’ He sent us a foosball table hand-painted in the colors of the soccer team I support. Stephen Colbert sent me a lovely email saying, ‘This is going to be fun.’ Then Jimmy Kimmel sent a beautiful gift saying, ‘You’ve joined a very small fraternity in a very big country, and I’m here if you need anything.’ It’s crazy how many people reached out.”
We are tracking political jokes by Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and new “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah (whose liberal bent is much more apparent). For the five months from last September through January, Republican presidential candidates were the targets of more than three times as many jokes as their Democratic counterparts — 1,363 vs. 424 jokes overall.
Trump, the blustery businessman who by himself was the subject of 655 of those jokes, is clearly a target-rich environment for humorists. But he is not the whole story here. Jokes about all the other Republican candidates still outpaced all the Democratic candidates combined, even without Trump, by nearly 300 quips.
In contrast, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton inspired only 216 jokes, barely outpacing the hapless Jeb Bush, whose sputtering campaign attracted 193 punchlines.
Goodman: … Among the nightly hosts, nobody is even close to Meyers right now in terms of stingingly funny political observations — something I thought Colbert would own. Meyers is doing fantastic, sometimes angry, sometimes subtle political commentary and it’s been very impressive. I’d put Colbert right behind him for the daily hosts, and his qualitative résumé in that department can’t be disputed. Part of me misses him doing a full hour of that kind of satire or scathing take-downs, and some nights it appears he feels the same. Other times he seems just as happy to resume his new direction, which is understandable. I don’t think Corden or Fallon are really in the political comedy game at all. …
Feinberg: … Colbert’s résumé for political commentary can’t be argued with, but that résumé is entirely built on stuff he did when he was a different guy. As Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert, Colbert was incisive, cuttingly ironic and satirically self-lacerating. As the guy he currently is, who may be the guy he truly is, and he’s better than Kimmel, Corden or Fallon, but he almost never seems to have a POV, angry or otherwise.
Samantha Bee’s new show has earned massive critical praise since its debut in February. I myself am enjoying the show tremendously. The Jeb Bush piece for instance is one of my favorite things I’ve seen since this election season started (so… since 2012?).
There’s one thing I noticed though in this article. At one point, the writer says: “On her first show she screened a sound bite from Cruz’s victory speech on Feb. 1 in Iowa and then the camera cut to Bee tying a noose. Now Colbert loves to play with props, but it’s unlikely he would make that sort of dark move.” And I so completely disagree with this. This is one of the things I loved most about The Colbert Report: its ability to get very, very dark, and make it hilarious. Case in point: in this segment, Stephen did in fact tie a (sort of) noose and even “hanged” himself with it. Or there’s that time he demonstrated “auto-not-at-all-erotic asphyxiation.” Good stuff. Dark humor was The Report’s bread and butter. really.
While Wilmore brings much-needed attention to identity politics and Camp underscores the ties between capitalist greed and the U.S. political oligarchy, it is Bee who is offering the edgy, angry, smart satire that is the perfect foil to this election. Bee’s comedy trades in a sharp use of language and a refusal to let the prevailing mainstream narratives hold sway. …
Much will be made of the fact that Bee broke into the boys club as the first female comedian to host a late-night comedy show. And her success as a female comedian is significant. But the reason Bee’s show is so important is because of her mode of humor, not her gender. …
Focusing less on the hypocrisy and “bullshit” that was often the target of Stewart, Bee zeroes in on how hypocrisy is used to cover up injustice. And she takes the characteristic WTF of Stewart’s comedy to a whole new level.
With “Full Frontal” Bee plays with the double meaning of the term—swapping the vulnerability and sexual objectification of full frontal nudity with a full frontal assault. Given the stakes in this election campaign and the real possibility that we could have a commander in chief with absolutely no experience in either government or the military, Bee’s satire-as-attack is exactly what we need to expose the stakes in this electoral war.
I really feel for the Daily Show team right now: ratings aren’t at their best, Trevor Noah is earning tepid reviews, and calls for Jon Stewart to come back in some form or another are intensifying. The main issue seems to be Noah’s detached attitude when it comes to American politics. And the truth is, it’s just really hard to follow Jon Stewart. A New Yorker article written after Jon Stewart announced his departure in 2015 said that his work “has been so central, so essential, that it’s hard to imagine American political and comedic culture without it.” Today, no matter how many great shows there are out there (including The Late Show, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver) it’s hard not to have Jon’s unique voice be part of the political conversation. Really hard.
“Harmless.”
Of all the words ever used to describe “The Daily Show,” that adjective has rarely come up. Unfortunately, that’s the only way to describe the Comedy Central program at the moment.
Under the leadership of new host Trevor Noah, “The Daily Show” seems to have lost its way — but in the most amiable manner possible. Ever since Noah took over six months ago, the show has assumed an air of easygoing chill. It’s not that he doesn’t tell reasonably good jokes now and then, but few, if any, are aimed at the jugular. And he rarely loses his expression of gentle bemusement.
Given that the current American political season is more chaotic and unpredictable than any in recent memory, the show’s strange affability creates a feeling of cognitive dissonance. It’s as if our reliable attack dog had suddenly lost its teeth and self-medicated with Xanax. …
In a world where mainstream programs like “Scandal,” “Black-ish” and “Master of None” are willing to take on hot-potato political topics with gusto, the only real way to stand out is to go even further — but it’s not mere sensationalism that drives “Full Frontal.” The fact is, the show stands out because it’s willing to take a stand. Bee is a virtuoso of brilliant sarcasm when it comes to feminist topics, of course, but she makes mincemeat of hapless politicians of either gender who wander into her field of fire. (And yes, that means even Hillary Clinton doesn’t go unscathed.)
No one is great at everything, and part of me wants to just watch Noah for his strengths. His working sense of comedy, admittedly, is probably a bit different from that of the other late-nights hosts. As he told Time Out:
I always believe that funny is serious and serious is funny. You don’t really need a distinction between them. If I’m doing something on stage and it evokes an emotion, then I might show that emotion, but I also don’t believe in being a preacher. If you have a point, that’s a bonus. But the funny has to come first, otherwise you shouldn’t call yourself a comedian.
It sounds good when he spells it out that way. But Noah will put on a better show, one that plays to his own strengths and that grows from the tradition Jon Stewart established, if he takes this a little more seriously. Politics is important business — especially this election! — and if Wilmore, Colbert, Oliver and Bee can get the balance right, so can Noah.
And yes, those looking for an outlet have any number of comedy shows to turn to. But that’s part of the problem. We are a reflection of the fractured media landscape, peeling off to our own corners. One person likes Seth Meyers’ snarky SNL take, another Bill Maher’s smug old white guy perspective. Some tune into the brilliant Stephen Colbert’s big tent talk show, while others like Larry Wilmore’s interesting, if not laugh out loud take on the news. With Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, we were all tuning in together. That meant we all had to find some common ground. That common ground is now lacking. …
We don’t know what his take would have been on this election, but we know he would have been pissed. Because, good lord, who isn’t pissed right now? And that is the gift he gave us. Who is turning our anger into laughs? Who is bringing us together around that indignation?
As John Oliver confronts this election head on, Samantha Bee comes out swinging, and Trevor Noah contributes with the occasionally potent piece, there seems to be more voices mounting up. But none like Stewart, who created the pissy campfire we gathered around every night to keep our sanity intact. He helped us laugh at the madness, so it wouldn’t consume us. Without that laughter, well, things get really weird.
Buzzfeed declared that John Oliver had “destroyed” Donald Trump; Rolling Stone hailed that he had “annihilated” the Donald; Salon announced that Oliver had given Trump “exactly what he deserves”; while Vox, in a telling bit of hyperbole, proclaimed that he had delivered the takedown that “America has been waiting for.” Two days later, Donald Trump would snatch seven of the 11 states up for grabs on Super Tuesday, all but cementing his place as the favorite for the Republican nomination. …
That these routines have left Trump unscathed is a testament not only to the insularity of their audiences but the slipperiness of their subject. The Donald, with his neon complexion and taste for Mussolini cosplay, has demonstrated a stubborn resistance to the late-night treatment. “How do you spoof a candidate who treats campaigning like a roast?” asks New York Times television critic James Poniewozik. “Satire exposes candidates’ contradictions and absurdities. Mr. Trump blows past those, while his supporters cheer.” …
Even Stewart understood the limits of his influence. In one of the “The Daily Show’s” more memorable segments, he addressed the media’s fantasies about his work. “The world is demonstrably worse than when I started,” he observed, not a little forlornly. Which is why the seemingly endless barrage of late-night slayings, maulings and disembowelments are so thoroughly maddening. Taken in their totality, these news items read like an expression of collective myopia if not outright delusion, and betray a poverty of ideas in addressing the increasingly violent rise of Trumpism or worse: a complacency with the present course.
The network’s new slate also includes talent development deals with The Daily Show correspondents Jessica Williams and Jordan Klepper, who are headlining pilots, a narrative one (Williams) including a late-night presentation (Klepper). …
Klepper will star in a late-night talk show presentation revolving around social, cultural and political issues. The potential show could air as a strip at 12:30 AM or at 10 PM or 10:30 PM on a weeknight but it will have no implications on Comedy Central’s current late-night lineup, Alterman said.
There are no late-night changes planned for the foreseeable future, with The Daily Show at 11 PM, The Nightly Show at 11:30 PM and @midnight at midnight.