Colbert's got a really great thing going, I think. He more than deserved his Emmy and his Peabody Award.
His overall thing about his whole show is that he does a generalized parody of contemporary (not from 50 years ago, but from current day) right wing pundits, and also a very specific parody of today's current reigning king of right wing pundits: Bill O'Reilly. Colbert's got all of O'Reilly's mannerism down perfectly --from the way he simultaneously grips a pencil in his hand while also pointing aggressively with his index finger at the camera, to the way he so authoritatively delivers histalking points Word of the Day. And just as Bill O'Reilly calls his own show "The Factor," Stephen Colbert refers to his own show as "The Report" (pronounced exactly like the word "rapport" is pronounced). And what's more is that Colbert mimmicks with hysterically pitch-perfect exaggeration a lot of the badly flawed logical arguments that some far-right pundits are silly enough to employ with a straight face. And he additinally mimmicks the absolutism and fervant (even self-righteous) conviction expresed by them (and by O'Reilly).
The great thing about Colbert's show is you constantly have to think on multiple levels while you're watching it. You have to always concentrate very hard upon the fact that everything Stephen Colbert says is JUST a parody. He's always "in character" for the full duration of his show. And yet he delivers it all with SUCH authenticity and SUCH conviction that you might sometimes believe that he really thinks this way. So you always need to see through the parody, in spite of how authentic he sounds in his immitation/mockery of right wingers.
And when it comes to his treatment of a guest, Colbert delierately interviews with an artificially built-in degree of ineptitude. He is NOT mocking his guests, he is instead mocking right-wing perceptions by showcasing bad logic and bizarre assumptions which he skillfully incorporates into the strange interview questions he always asks, punctuated by the strange "ah-HAH!" assumptions he comes to during any given interview. It's absolutely hysterical to watch him with a guest when he gets rolling. Most guests "get it" and know how to play along. But every now and then a guest does NOT get it and has no idea how to behave. I love Colbert's vast mental treasure-trove of not-so-obsure pop culture references to things from my own childhood like The Land of the Lost (he mentioned the Sleetak once) and Captain Scarlet (he mentioned the Mysterons just a few weeks ago) and even Triffids.
I especially love it whenever one of those moments happens on the show where a very funny yet totally unscripted event happens, or else the guest says something totally surprising, and Colbert's face cracks up and he ALMOST breaks character. And you can see Colbert fighting with himself NOT to break character. He usually seizes up with this very partricular grin, and then he raises his finger tightly against his own lips as he braces himself against busting out laughing. It takes him usually a whole second or two to get a hold of himself and fight off that laugh. And then, more often than not, after he's finally gotten hold of himself, he comes out with an unscripted one-liner that proves a real zinger capable of bringing the house down.
And I say all of this as a conservative-leaning person in my own right. I know how to laugh at myself and at my own peers. Yes, there are quite a few silly-heads in our midsts (as there are in any polticail group). And it takes a Stephen Colbert to mirror back to us just how silly we can be at times.
.
His overall thing about his whole show is that he does a generalized parody of contemporary (not from 50 years ago, but from current day) right wing pundits, and also a very specific parody of today's current reigning king of right wing pundits: Bill O'Reilly. Colbert's got all of O'Reilly's mannerism down perfectly --from the way he simultaneously grips a pencil in his hand while also pointing aggressively with his index finger at the camera, to the way he so authoritatively delivers his
The great thing about Colbert's show is you constantly have to think on multiple levels while you're watching it. You have to always concentrate very hard upon the fact that everything Stephen Colbert says is JUST a parody. He's always "in character" for the full duration of his show. And yet he delivers it all with SUCH authenticity and SUCH conviction that you might sometimes believe that he really thinks this way. So you always need to see through the parody, in spite of how authentic he sounds in his immitation/mockery of right wingers.
And when it comes to his treatment of a guest, Colbert delierately interviews with an artificially built-in degree of ineptitude. He is NOT mocking his guests, he is instead mocking right-wing perceptions by showcasing bad logic and bizarre assumptions which he skillfully incorporates into the strange interview questions he always asks, punctuated by the strange "ah-HAH!" assumptions he comes to during any given interview. It's absolutely hysterical to watch him with a guest when he gets rolling. Most guests "get it" and know how to play along. But every now and then a guest does NOT get it and has no idea how to behave. I love Colbert's vast mental treasure-trove of not-so-obsure pop culture references to things from my own childhood like The Land of the Lost (he mentioned the Sleetak once) and Captain Scarlet (he mentioned the Mysterons just a few weeks ago) and even Triffids.
I especially love it whenever one of those moments happens on the show where a very funny yet totally unscripted event happens, or else the guest says something totally surprising, and Colbert's face cracks up and he ALMOST breaks character. And you can see Colbert fighting with himself NOT to break character. He usually seizes up with this very partricular grin, and then he raises his finger tightly against his own lips as he braces himself against busting out laughing. It takes him usually a whole second or two to get a hold of himself and fight off that laugh. And then, more often than not, after he's finally gotten hold of himself, he comes out with an unscripted one-liner that proves a real zinger capable of bringing the house down.
And I say all of this as a conservative-leaning person in my own right. I know how to laugh at myself and at my own peers. Yes, there are quite a few silly-heads in our midsts (as there are in any polticail group). And it takes a Stephen Colbert to mirror back to us just how silly we can be at times.
.
Last edited:
Oops. 
