When news stories fall through the cracks, we here at Colbert News Hub catch them for a post we call, In The Press.
July 4th weekend is here. Stephen and the crew’s two week vacation is halfway done. I know I’ve seen some nice pics on social media from some of Stephen’s crew of their vacations and it looks as if they’re getting away from the stress of the show. That’s a good thing. I hope everyone’s official launch into summer is a good one. Be careful with those fireworks!
In this part deux of Summer’s Here, we have some talks with comedy writers, we have some more talks about comedy writing and then just in case you are still wanting more stuff about writing, BOOM! There it is, just like magic!
Stephen Colbert
Bill Maher: Replacing Letterman with Colbert is a Mystery
Notice he said it’s a mystery, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is kind of a mystery in that no one knows what the show will be like.
He said this about CBS’ decision:
“It’s a mystery. I’ve never seen him as himself … I’ve only seen the ‘character.’ So I have no clue … and I don’t think many people do,” he told DuJour magazine, adding he believed Craig Ferguson or Chelsea Handler would have been a better choice.
So You Think You Can Write?
There are quite a few pieces that relate to writers in this edition, so hence the above heading. Since some of our fellow hubsters are aspiring writers, then take heed!
Long-Time Letterman Writer Bill Scheft on ‘Late Show’, Writing Novels vs. Writing Jokes, and Stephen Colbert
Here is a snippet of the interview:
Finally, the loss of an institution like David Letterman is obviously saddening, but it seems like the best possible successor was chosen; I’ve always considered The Colbert Report the true spiritual successor to the Dave and Conan Late Nights. There’s been much speculation over what the show, and Colbert himself, will become, do you have any thoughts?
I like Stephen a great deal, he is big-time funny, and was just happy the decision was made quickly so I didn’t have to have the discussion about Dave’s successor every week with my dry cleaner, doorman or Talmud study group.
The thing that I find surprising is that people, people who should know better, assume I’ll be working for Stephen, as if it’s like GM getting a new president. The man has his own people and they seem to know what they’re doing. It would be great though if when he dropped the character, it turned out his true personality was a guy who was just a real prick.
I don’t know if that would be great, but it does seem to have worked well for Dave. Dave has been a curmudgeon so Stephen has to do something else. I think it would be great if Stephen just turns into a different character. He’s been lampooning Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly for years, what other TV genre is ripe for satirizing?
The Colbert Report’s TV Production Software Is No Joke
This is cool. Rob Dubbin and some of the other staffers have created a program that makes it easier for different departments to collaborate on the show.
Several staffers have formed a startup, Scripto, to develop the software and license it to other TV shows.
Scripto’s bare-bones website describes its product as a “collaborative text editor that allows a show’s entire staff to work on the same set of scripts at the same time” and says it’s “currently expanding to other clients.” For about a year, The Colbert Report has been using a beta version developed by writer Rob Dubbin and other staffers over three years. Dubbin declined to comment for this story, saying that the startup wasn’t far enough along to discuss.
Exclusive: Read Amy Poehler’s Advice to Comedy Writers
A new book called, “Poking a Dead Frog” by Mike Sacks is available to buy (not from Amazon, remember!) and in it is some good advice from a very successful writer and performer.
Read your stuff out loud. Sometimes the way it reads in your head sounds different when someone says it.
Be open to changing all the material you think is really brilliant. Even the most talented people don’t fight every day for every one of their jokes. There’s always some better way to do things when you’re working with good people. I find the most talented people tend to be the best collaborators.
She gives a lot more good advice so click on the headline above to find out more!
Lawmakers Push Bipartisan Bill to Give Tax Credits to New York’s Minority and Women Writers
So if you do think you can write and you’re a female and/or a minority, you might want to head to NYC!
A bill in Albany would carve out a tax credit specifically for minority and women writers. Roughly $3.5 million out of a total of $420 million.
“We are not talking about adding more money, we are just talking about carving out some money from a pot of money that is already there. So it won’t cost the state any more money. It won’t cost the cities any more money,” said Assemblyman Keith Wright of Harlem.
Since Cuomo made promises to the left wing over his party over the weekend in order to secure The Working Families Party ballot line and all but declared war on the Republican-led Senate, there hasn’t exactly been a spirit of bi-partisanship in Albany. But this particular bill has Republican support and could be one of the few things that gets done before the end of the legislative session.”
Writers Guild Wants LESS All-White-Male Representation in Television Writing.
Late Night with Seth Meyers Writers
New York is going to be the place to be if you are a writer.
Investing in the careers of women, people of color, and women of color will not only help rework the system to prevent against any future discrimination, but it will also lead to greater representation on television shows.
Joe Toplyn on HuffPo Live.
There was also a HuffPo Live interview with Joe Toplyn recently. He has a new book for aspiring late night comedy writers. Click the headline above to check out the video of the interview. The full interview is actually at the bottom of the page.
It’s a must watch if you are at all interested in writing for late night TV or if you want to know the differences between working for Jay vs. Dave.
Jon Stewart
So what does Jon have in common with Dr. Phil, Beyonce and Gordon Ramsey? Why he’s one of the most powerful celebs in the world, of course.
The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities
The thing is they spelled Stephen’s name wrong. They spelled it … well, they spelled it 100 different ways wrong. For example, at #1 they spelled it B-E-Y-O-N-C-E. Then at #2, they spelled it L-E-B-R-O-N J-A-M-E-S. Yeah, it goes on like that.
(Stephen is not on the list) However, Forbes did say that perhaps he might make it to next year’s list.
Late Night TV
A Surprising Ranking Of The Late Night Talk Shows Based On Their Nielsen Ratings
This was written about a month ago. Hey, a lot can change in a year.
The ratings give us a clearer picture not only of why Letterman decided to step down, but why Craig Ferguson — who is in dead last place, behind even Carson Daly in the 18-49 demo — also decided to vacate. Stephen Colbert was obviously a great hire for CBS, but I seriously doubt that The Late Show will threaten The Tonight Show’s dominance. I don’t think the gap between number one and number two has ever been this dominant. At this point, Jimmy Fallon has better ratings than any of NBC’s Thursday night sitcoms this year.
Why John Oliver Has Companies and Politicians Running Scared
(Photo: Jesse Dittmar for ‘The Washington Post’ via Getty Images)
Young John Oliver is a success over on HBO. Did anyone doubt he would be? He has developed a following and penchant for calling on his audience to take action. He takes after Stephen!
It is a rare television show that rouses its audience to do something. Stephen Colbert did it a few times on his Colbert Report, most notably in his farcical 2008 bid for the presidency, which raised tens of thousands of dollars for underserved classrooms via Donors Choose, and with the creation of his super PAC, which not only raised more than a million dollars but also raised awareness of campaign finance reform. It is not surprising, then, that the latest show to carry the call-to-action mantle is that of fellow Daily Show alum John Oliver.
In The Press – Summer's Here Edition [Part 2]
When news stories fall through the cracks, we here at Colbert News Hub catch them for a post we call, In The Press.
July 4th weekend is here. Stephen and the crew’s two week vacation is halfway done. I know I’ve seen some nice pics on social media from some of Stephen’s crew of their vacations and it looks as if they’re getting away from the stress of the show. That’s a good thing. I hope everyone’s official launch into summer is a good one. Be careful with those fireworks!
In this part deux of Summer’s Here, we have some talks with comedy writers, we have some more talks about comedy writing and then just in case you are still wanting more stuff about writing, BOOM! There it is, just like magic!
Stephen Colbert
Bill Maher: Replacing Letterman with Colbert is a Mystery
Notice he said it’s a mystery, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is kind of a mystery in that no one knows what the show will be like.
He said this about CBS’ decision:
So You Think You Can Write?
There are quite a few pieces that relate to writers in this edition, so hence the above heading. Since some of our fellow hubsters are aspiring writers, then take heed!
Long-Time Letterman Writer Bill Scheft on ‘Late Show’, Writing Novels vs. Writing Jokes, and Stephen Colbert
Here is a snippet of the interview:
I don’t know if that would be great, but it does seem to have worked well for Dave. Dave has been a curmudgeon so Stephen has to do something else. I think it would be great if Stephen just turns into a different character. He’s been lampooning Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly for years, what other TV genre is ripe for satirizing?
The Colbert Report’s TV Production Software Is No Joke
This is cool. Rob Dubbin and some of the other staffers have created a program that makes it easier for different departments to collaborate on the show.
Exclusive: Read Amy Poehler’s Advice to Comedy Writers
A new book called, “Poking a Dead Frog” by Mike Sacks is available to buy (not from Amazon, remember!) and in it is some good advice from a very successful writer and performer.
She gives a lot more good advice so click on the headline above to find out more!
Lawmakers Push Bipartisan Bill to Give Tax Credits to New York’s Minority and Women Writers
So if you do think you can write and you’re a female and/or a minority, you might want to head to NYC!
Writers Guild Wants LESS All-White-Male Representation in Television Writing.
Late Night with Seth Meyers Writers
New York is going to be the place to be if you are a writer.
Joe Toplyn on HuffPo Live.
There was also a HuffPo Live interview with Joe Toplyn recently. He has a new book for aspiring late night comedy writers. Click the headline above to check out the video of the interview. The full interview is actually at the bottom of the page.
It’s a must watch if you are at all interested in writing for late night TV or if you want to know the differences between working for Jay vs. Dave.
Jon Stewart
So what does Jon have in common with Dr. Phil, Beyonce and Gordon Ramsey? Why he’s one of the most powerful celebs in the world, of course.
The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities
The thing is they spelled Stephen’s name wrong. They spelled it … well, they spelled it 100 different ways wrong. For example, at #1 they spelled it B-E-Y-O-N-C-E. Then at #2, they spelled it L-E-B-R-O-N J-A-M-E-S. Yeah, it goes on like that.
(Stephen is not on the list) However, Forbes did say that perhaps he might make it to next year’s list.
Late Night TV
A Surprising Ranking Of The Late Night Talk Shows Based On Their Nielsen Ratings
This was written about a month ago. Hey, a lot can change in a year.
Why John Oliver Has Companies and Politicians Running Scared
(Photo: Jesse Dittmar for ‘The Washington Post’ via Getty Images)
Young John Oliver is a success over on HBO. Did anyone doubt he would be? He has developed a following and penchant for calling on his audience to take action. He takes after Stephen!