EPISODE NUMBER: Season 1, Episode 78 (Monday, January 25, 2016)
GUESTS: Donald Rumsfeld | Russell Westbrook | Jackson Browne
SEGMENTS: Monologue | Stephen Got a Lot of Exercise This Weekend | Would You Rather: GOP Edition | Donald Rumsfeld | Russell Westbrook | Jackson Browne – “The Long Way Around”
SUIT REPORT: Grey Suit | White Shirt | Teal Tie
Hello, Hubters! This was an excellent episode and a great way to kick off the week. The high point of this show was Stephen’s interview with Donald Rumsfeld. The screen behind Stephen of Central Park changed once again to add in snow from the winter storm over the weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
During his monologue, Stephen talked about Winter Storm Jonas, which slammed the East Coast over the weekend. New York City got 26.8 inches of snow. Down here where I am, Philly got 22 inches. If you’re an East Coaster, I hope you stayed toasty warm, because baby, it’s cold outside! It is always great to hear Stephen’s personal stories and he told us how his weekend was. He put on his top-notch winter gear – pajamas! Stephen did some shoveling – of pancakes into his mouth. He has a heart app on his phone, which tells him how many steps he takes in a day. On Friday, before the storm hit, Stephen took 8,969 steps. Not bad! On Saturday, as the snow was falling hard he only took 20 steps! I feel you, Stephen! Stephen took a funny dig at Donald Rumsfeld and WMDs.
“First up, I’ll sit down with former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. He has got a new smart phone app that is available at the app store. And this is true. Even if you can’t find it, keep searching. All of the intelligence says the app is in there somewhere.”
Over at the desk, Stephen talked about the live show that will take place after the Super Bowl. I am pumped! This is going to be a great ratings grabber and I cannot wait to see what Stephen and the staff have in store for us. It will be the Late Show’s 87th episode. Roman numeral: LXXXVII. Pronunciation: “Licks V.” Sounds a bit dirty, doesn’t it? Ok, let me get my head out of the gutter. The Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos have made it to Super Bowl 50. So, make sure to tune in on February 7th for Stephen’s live Late Show right after the game!\
“Speaking of violent conflict: the 2016 election.”
We are seven days away from the Iowa caucus. The GOP still have not rallied around Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, known by their celebrity couple name, Crump. The conservative magazine, The National Review, came out with an entire issue against Trump. His own party has come out against The Donald, who is leading the polls. That’s really saying something! The GOP have also come out against Ted Cruz, who is second in the polls. Lindsey Graham said of choosing between Trump and Cruz, “It’s like being shot or poisoned..what does it really matter?” I never thought I write this, but I agree with Lindsey Graham. In yet another brilliant statement from Trump, he said, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” Stephen feels this is a cry for help, because Donald Trump couldn’t possibly want to be president!
Stephen’s first guest was Donald Rumsfeld. His first question to Rumsfeld is something he never thought he would ask any Secretary of Defense, “Tell me about your app.” Rumsfeld discussed his app called “Churchill Solitaire.” He explained how to play it and how Rumsfeld learned the game from a Belgium diplomat, who learned the game from Winston Churchill. Stephen then got rather serious in the interview, asking brilliant and tough questions, while remaining fair. Stephen shines as an interviewer who can be funny, but also incredibly intelligent. I don’t think that Rumsfeld realized just how smart Stephen was until he was already in the middle of the interview. The world deserves to know about the shady Bush Administration and why we were dragged into two unnecessary wars. This interview was beautifully executed by Stephen and will not soon be forgotten. They discussed the situation we’re in now in regard to Syria and Iraq and ISIS. Stephen then asked Rumsfeld if the decision to go into Iraq in 2003 was the right thing to do. Rumsfeld responded that given the facts that the president had at the time that is was the right decision. As Stephen was asking a question about what was kept from the American people about the war, Rumsfeld said, “I’m gonna save you the embarrassment.” To which, with razor sharp wit, Stephen responded, “I can’t be embarrassed. I’m a comedian.”
Colbert: Were there things that the administration or you knew that we didn’t learn about, out of the best possible intentions, which is there were things that would undermine the case for a war you thought was necessary to save the United States?
Rumsfeld: The president had available to him intelligence from all elements of the government. And the National Security Counsel members had that information. It was all shared. It was all supplied. And it’s never certain. If it were a fact, it wouldn’t be called “intelligence.”
Colbert: Wow. I think you answered my question.
Stephen’s next guest was NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook. After the intense interview with Rumsfeld, this interview was light and funny and Stephen seemed to really enjoy Westbrook. A montage of Westbrook dunking during games was played and his moves are incredibly impressive! Westbrook talked about how he likes to dunk hard. Stephen showed some pictures of Westbrook in a various outfits – a true fashion plate! Westbrook has his own line of glasses and brought some with him. Stephen tried on a few different styles and had fun with the various looks. Westbrook’s frames are available at Barney’s and on his website.
Stephen’s musical guest was legendary folk-rock artist, Jackson Browne, who performed the song “The Long Way Around.” It was a beautiful and mellow ballad, reminiscent of Browne’s classic songs.
That’s it for this Episode Guide. What were your favorite moments in this episode? What are your thoughts on the Rumsfeld interview? Join in the conversation and let us know in the comment section.
January 25, 2016 – Donald Rumsfeld, Russell Westbrook, Jackson Browne
GUESTS: Donald Rumsfeld | Russell Westbrook | Jackson Browne
SEGMENTS: Monologue | Stephen Got a Lot of Exercise This Weekend | Would You Rather: GOP Edition | Donald Rumsfeld | Russell Westbrook | Jackson Browne – “The Long Way Around”
SUIT REPORT: Grey Suit | White Shirt | Teal Tie
Hello, Hubters! This was an excellent episode and a great way to kick off the week. The high point of this show was Stephen’s interview with Donald Rumsfeld. The screen behind Stephen of Central Park changed once again to add in snow from the winter storm over the weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
During his monologue, Stephen talked about Winter Storm Jonas, which slammed the East Coast over the weekend. New York City got 26.8 inches of snow. Down here where I am, Philly got 22 inches. If you’re an East Coaster, I hope you stayed toasty warm, because baby, it’s cold outside! It is always great to hear Stephen’s personal stories and he told us how his weekend was. He put on his top-notch winter gear – pajamas! Stephen did some shoveling – of pancakes into his mouth. He has a heart app on his phone, which tells him how many steps he takes in a day. On Friday, before the storm hit, Stephen took 8,969 steps. Not bad! On Saturday, as the snow was falling hard he only took 20 steps! I feel you, Stephen! Stephen took a funny dig at Donald Rumsfeld and WMDs.
“First up, I’ll sit down with former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. He has got a new smart phone app that is available at the app store. And this is true. Even if you can’t find it, keep searching. All of the intelligence says the app is in there somewhere.”
Over at the desk, Stephen talked about the live show that will take place after the Super Bowl. I am pumped! This is going to be a great ratings grabber and I cannot wait to see what Stephen and the staff have in store for us. It will be the Late Show’s 87th episode. Roman numeral: LXXXVII. Pronunciation: “Licks V.” Sounds a bit dirty, doesn’t it? Ok, let me get my head out of the gutter. The Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos have made it to Super Bowl 50. So, make sure to tune in on February 7th for Stephen’s live Late Show right after the game!\
“Speaking of violent conflict: the 2016 election.”
We are seven days away from the Iowa caucus. The GOP still have not rallied around Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, known by their celebrity couple name, Crump. The conservative magazine, The National Review, came out with an entire issue against Trump. His own party has come out against The Donald, who is leading the polls. That’s really saying something! The GOP have also come out against Ted Cruz, who is second in the polls. Lindsey Graham said of choosing between Trump and Cruz, “It’s like being shot or poisoned..what does it really matter?” I never thought I write this, but I agree with Lindsey Graham. In yet another brilliant statement from Trump, he said, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” Stephen feels this is a cry for help, because Donald Trump couldn’t possibly want to be president!
Stephen’s first guest was Donald Rumsfeld. His first question to Rumsfeld is something he never thought he would ask any Secretary of Defense, “Tell me about your app.” Rumsfeld discussed his app called “Churchill Solitaire.” He explained how to play it and how Rumsfeld learned the game from a Belgium diplomat, who learned the game from Winston Churchill. Stephen then got rather serious in the interview, asking brilliant and tough questions, while remaining fair. Stephen shines as an interviewer who can be funny, but also incredibly intelligent. I don’t think that Rumsfeld realized just how smart Stephen was until he was already in the middle of the interview. The world deserves to know about the shady Bush Administration and why we were dragged into two unnecessary wars. This interview was beautifully executed by Stephen and will not soon be forgotten. They discussed the situation we’re in now in regard to Syria and Iraq and ISIS. Stephen then asked Rumsfeld if the decision to go into Iraq in 2003 was the right thing to do. Rumsfeld responded that given the facts that the president had at the time that is was the right decision. As Stephen was asking a question about what was kept from the American people about the war, Rumsfeld said, “I’m gonna save you the embarrassment.” To which, with razor sharp wit, Stephen responded, “I can’t be embarrassed. I’m a comedian.”
Colbert: Were there things that the administration or you knew that we didn’t learn about, out of the best possible intentions, which is there were things that would undermine the case for a war you thought was necessary to save the United States?
Rumsfeld: The president had available to him intelligence from all elements of the government. And the National Security Counsel members had that information. It was all shared. It was all supplied. And it’s never certain. If it were a fact, it wouldn’t be called “intelligence.”
Colbert: Wow. I think you answered my question.
Stephen’s next guest was NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook. After the intense interview with Rumsfeld, this interview was light and funny and Stephen seemed to really enjoy Westbrook. A montage of Westbrook dunking during games was played and his moves are incredibly impressive! Westbrook talked about how he likes to dunk hard. Stephen showed some pictures of Westbrook in a various outfits – a true fashion plate! Westbrook has his own line of glasses and brought some with him. Stephen tried on a few different styles and had fun with the various looks. Westbrook’s frames are available at Barney’s and on his website.
Stephen’s musical guest was legendary folk-rock artist, Jackson Browne, who performed the song “The Long Way Around.” It was a beautiful and mellow ballad, reminiscent of Browne’s classic songs.
That’s it for this Episode Guide. What were your favorite moments in this episode? What are your thoughts on the Rumsfeld interview? Join in the conversation and let us know in the comment section.