Stephen Takes a Vacation

Stephen Colbert told us he will be off for two weeks, so it's a good time for all of us to clean out that basement closet or some other such mindless task. This will give me time to stretch out my postings. Therefore, soon, when I am not so busy, I will give you my take on the last two shows.

I'm A Very Famous Person

Immigration. Stephen talked about that last night especially as it relates to Arizona. While the Supreme Court pretty much slapped Arizona's hand, Stephen was quick to point out that states have their own state birds. However, some states do have the same bird, for example the Northern Cardinal, as their State Bird. Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia all have the Northern Cardinal. In fact, if you look at the photos, it appears that they all have the exact same Northern Cardinal.

But yes, each state has their own State Bird and should therefore be able to have their own Immigration Standards. And Currency (with Jan Brewer's portrait?). And Standing Army. And Olympic Team. And Space Program. And debts to China.

Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger last night looked at Pixar's latest treat for us - Brave. If you go to the website for Brave, you can see a preview. So that's like watching part of the movie for free. Go ahead, watch it now, then come back here. I haven't see the movie, but I know how to make it work out for everyone. Merida should go to a shoe store, buy a glass boot and then find the guy who fits the boot. Once upon a time that would be good enough. Times are different now.  A simple story about a girl with a mind of her own sends some people looking for secret agendas. I'm anxious to see this movie. I think it will be charming. From the preview, you see the girl molded into her appropriate dress, just like people try to mold her into her perfect stereotyped role. More power to a girl who breaks that mold.

If you watched The Colbert Report last night, I'm willing to bet you found yourself all of a sudden hungry for chicken. And not just any chicken, but some Kentucky Fried Chicken. Stephen talked turkey, oops, chicken, and commercials and Dish Network. Seems they have come up with a way for you to skip right through the commercials. You might think that's a great thing, but as you may have noticed, advertising is all over. If people are not watching the commercials during breaks in The Colbert Report, then the only alternative is for the commercials to be on during the actual show. Thus, we got to see most every kind of chicken you can get over at Kentucky Fried Chicken. And if you get so hungry with all this talk about Kentucky Fried Chicken, you can go to the the website for KFC and find out everything you want to know about KFC. You can even find the nearest KFCs using the Store Locator.

Last night's guest, Richard Ford, is a novelist. Right away Stephen had a problem with that because that means he writes fiction which is made up which means it's all a bunch of lies. Then Stephen had a problem with Richard Ford's latest book, "Canada" because it's about Canada and not about the USA. He also boasted, well not boasted, but told Richard Ford "I'm a very famous person."  Once all that posturing was over and done with, they had a nice conversation. We learned how Richard Ford drove to Canada one day, and felt like the weight of the world was lifted. It took him three years to write the book but it's been in his mind since 1989. "I was in Kindergarten then," Stephen noted. Ah yes, Stephen found a clever way to tell Richard Ford he is old. No matter. "Is it true you keep your notes and manuscripts in the freezer?" Stephen asked him. Apparently yes! If there's a fire, the freezer will probably be the last thing to burn, so his manuscript would be safe. Both agreed the ideas would also be fresher.

Stephen did admit to visiting Canada, Vancouver to be precise. Canada is our neighbor, after all, so I am quite sure Stephen actually thinks of Canadians as friends. You know what would be more fun than reading the book, "Canada?" Reading it in Canada!

If It Ain't Broke

When something happens, people offer their take on it. It is the rare individual who can predict what will happen in the future and jump the gun on what everyone else will say when the event actually occurs. Richard Mourdock, GOP Republican Candidate in Indiana, is just such a psychic. Or so it seemed until you realize what the rest of the story was. He posted a YouTube video with his reaction to the Supreme Court's decision on Health Care. But to cover all bases, he posted four different reactions for four different scenarios.

Quick hint on how to be a psychic. "Pick a number between one and five."
"Okay, I pick the number four."
"Now look under the stapler."
"Wow! There's a note that says 'I knew you were going to pick four.' Amazing."

Here's how it works. In the top drawer was a note that said "I knew you were going to pick one." Behind the calendar was a note that said, "I knew you were going to pick two." Of course, this trick can only be used once with a each person. (I remember this trick from an episode of Columbo.) You can use this trick on those friends who don't watch old Columbo shows or read this blog. You will amaze them.

But back to the Republican psychic. Apparently all those YouTube videos were posted too soon - before the decision from the Supreme Court was handed down. The important thing about all of this is of course how Stephen reacts to it. He did his own set of reactions to Supreme Court decisions. That was actually very helpful because while I do pay attention to politics, no one can know everything and so it was great to hear what some recent decisions have been. Thanks for the information Stephen!

The Economy is Bad. That's bad, right? Or is that good? It's the old glass half full predicament. For Mitt Romney, it is wonderful. He can say it's all the fault of Barack Obama, so vote for me instead. On the other hand, people like Rick Scott in Florida say the Economy is good. And he says it's all because of him. This is simplifying things, sure, but it presents a problem for people like Rick Scott. He's a Republican so he should support Mitt Romney so that Romney can get elected. But Rick Scott also has to look out for himself and try to look good. Rick Scott says there's been a lot of job growth in Florida. That reminded me of a chart I saw about job growth. (I love charts and graphs.)

I digress. Stephen had some Rick Scott ads that he showed us and told us there was one problem with them. It seems that elderly Florida residents were confused and thought the Rick Scott ads were Barack Obama ads! (But they also think those Allstate ads are Obama ads, so not surprising. Apparently they are confusing Dennis Haysbert with Barack Obama.) Personally, I think Stephen is poking fun at Floridians and not giving them enough credit.

Last night's guest was Frank Deford, sportswriter. Most of the time I find that sportswriters are sports first and writers second. It seems to be the other way with him. He has a real passion for sports that goes beyond the simple win/lose of what I typically think of. His most recent in a long line of books is "Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter." He and Stephen had a meaningful discussion on the two different meanings of Over Time. As it is spelled in the title, it would mean a long time span. But, being a sports enthusiast, it also brings to mind the extra time played after a game when the score is tied. So, nice play on words. The two of them briefly talked about anatomy and politics. Frank Deford brought the two of them together nicely by praising our opposable thumbs, saying how strange then not use them in sports (soccer) and (jokingly?) saying that's why America is such a super power. Well, I guess you had to be there to appreciate the humor of it all. Trivia about Deford. He played basketball for the Washington Generals, and thus played against the Harlem Globetrotters. He also is a big fan of Title IX.

A Pew Research Study revealed that Asians are now the fastest growing race in the United States or as Stephen says, Asians are the new Mexicans. And so, the RNC  tried to court Latino voters, but ended up kind of messing up. Stephen decided a new Super Awesome Wall in China, you know some kind of Great Wall, would solve this problem.

Stephen had Thought for Food with Doritos Tacos and Flavorlopes You probably can guess what Doritos Tacos are, but Flavorlopes? Well, it's a clever way to get Americans to get their daily supply of fruits. It's fruit flavored glue on envelopes. Why wasn't this done sooner?

Daniel Klaidman joined Stephen tonight to talk about his book, "Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency."

Looking forward. Tonight's guest is Lawrence Krauss, author of "A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing."

I've been wondering for a long time now. Where have all the short titles gone? Why can't we have books with titles like Moby Dick or Dracula? I'm just saying.

Are You Mocking Me?

If you are a person who likes learning how to do stuff, that probably explains why you are most likely also a fan of Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report. On Tuesday we learned a fact - Mitt Romney's horse made it into the Olympics. Yep, Rafalca is going to the Olypmics in Dressage. That means a future that includes either her portrait on a box of cereal or a trip to the glue factory. Dressage is THE sport of the summer and Stephen taught his audience how to perform. Thank you Stephen.

Olivia Wilde was his guest tonight. Both Olivia Wilde and Stephen Colbert are on the Maxim Hot 100 List. It doesn't really matter who is number 5 and who is number 69. All that matters is that both of them are Hot.

We all learned everything we need to know to be a successful actor. There was a contest. It was amazing. Stephen was the winner. No surprise there. Of course, she does have a move coming out, so be sure to go see People Like Us. (Olivia Wilde let us know that you can say the title three different ways. PEOPLE Like Us, People LIKE Us, or People Like US.) Not only is she an actress, but she is also a Liberal. Yes she will campaign for Barack Obama again. Stephen claims it would be better to have a president who engages in horse dancing.  She also has a pin that she wears, Dogs Against Romney. That would refer to the time that Mitt Romney's dog had to ride in the kennel on top of the car. She doesn't share Stephen's opinion that doing so was a treat for the dog.

It was a great interview. I hope you got to watch it. If not, you can still view it over at Colbert Nation.

Is Stephen Colbert Swedish?

Barack Obama, announced he will not be deporting illegal immigrants, brought here as children who have a high school diploma and no criminal record. Oh, great. Now the doors are wide open for people who are already here. Obama does already have a great reputation among Latino voters with quite an impressive lead in the polls. Plus even among GOP circles, it is being called the right thing to do. Stephen however thinks he is pandering and yes, even trying to get re-elected. Just look at that burro the Democrats use for their party. Stephen suggests that if you hit it, candy and free health care will fall out. If Mitt Romney were the president, he would veto the Dream Act and fully expect that people would simply self-deport. (Didn't they do that in Star Trek once? No. Maybe I'm thinking of something else. Never mind.)

Full disclosure: Stephen is a member of the White House Press Corps Reserves and he can heckle with the best of them. That would be Neil Munro who heckled the president and was called out on it by no less than Papa Bear Bill O'Reilly, Chris Wallace and Don Lemon.

Stephen has the best audience in the world. That's a fact because Stephen said it. And they need to help Stephen with the ongoing diplomatic talks with Sweden. Stephen can speak Swedish fluently and he likes to Tweet. Therefore, everyone should go to Colbert Nation and help him get his rightful chance to  be the official Tweeter for a Week for Sweden. It is sort of up in the air now as to whether he will be able to claim his chance. Here is what Sweden has said about this topic.

"People who are not Swedish citizens cannot take over the account, no yet anyway...we have a very long list already. Colbert will have to wait."

-Sergio Guimaraes
Media Relations Manager
Swedish Institute
June 13, 2012

Here's the thing. Already Stephen has given Sweden's Twitter Account the famous Colbert Bump. Heck, tourism will probably double in the next year for Sweden just because of him. Well, stay tuned. Hopefully Sweden will see the light and give Stephen the account for a week.

Paul Krugman was the guest and had lots and lots of interesting things to say. He does have a book out also. "End This Depression Now." He also has written many other books and has a whole bunch of awards. An interesting tidbit that he talked about. You often hear politicians claim that government doesn't create jobs. Ha! Tell that to fire fighters, police officers, and teachers. Krugman said that if we rehired laid off workers from those thee groups, we would be a long way towards ending this depression. He also talked about Ireland, with 14% unemployment. He called Ireland Romney's Economics in practice. Something to think about if we care about our economy.

Last Week in a Nutshell

Everything that happens on The Colbert Report is important. Sometimes it is difficult to decide what to talk about. So, if your favorite part is missing, I sincerely apologize. But here are some of the highlights from last week.

Stephen had a fun time talking about Mitt Romney's athletic endeavors. Included in that would also be Mitt Romney talking about various sports, or sport as he likes to call it. "The tall man was not in sport." That's a hoot. It really tickled Stephen's funny bone. The other thing that tickled Stephen's funny bone was dressage, you know, horse ballet. Turns out that is the sport that Mitt Romney is most famous for. In fact, it may be that we see a Romney in the Olympics, in that his horse is doing pretty darn good in horse ballet. Stephen had a photo of the Romney horse enjoying the family vacation riding on top of the car, just like the dog did. Hopefully, the horse will do well, otherwise Stephen tells us, he'll be glue.

Tourism Update - Go to Sweden. Did you know that every week a different actual Swede person gets to be the official tweeter for the entire country? The Swedes so far have been doing an exceptional job and have set the bar high. Think a minute though. Who would you like to see as an honorary Swede tweeting for a week? Well, just go on over to Colbert Nation and "Help Stephen Control @Sweden. He is the one person who can set the bar even higher.

Will Allen was a guest who had the interesting background of being a basketball player and a farmer. He talked about his book "The Good Food Revolution." If you like to eat food, and I know I do, visit his website and yes go out and buy the book too. What could be more important than eating?

In the classic, "kids - don't do this at home" Stephen talked about the latest fun activity by one of the Wallendas.  Nik Wallenda walked across Niagra Falls, but he did it the hard way, on a tightrope. If I was him, my biggest fear would be that I would accomplish that and then trip on the stairs as I was going to talk to reporters.

In one of the cutest and also more intellectual reports that Stephen has had on for a long time, we met Richard Zimmerman and all his cohorts. Ooooh they are so cute. And there are iPads, too.

Gregg Allman was on and talked about his book "My Cross to Bear." You may remember him as being married to Cher, but no, actually, Cher was married to him. He cleared up that detail for Stephen.

If that wasn't good enough, Stephen had the best product yet from Prescott Pharmaceuticals - a sleep aid (actually two sleep aides) for women. Just not one for Deb.

And Steve Coll talked about Exxon. Read more about him over at NPR.

Nuns On A Bus

Neil de Grasse Tyson is a friend of the show and yet Stephen practically ripped him to shreds last night. Tyson casually mentioned that there was an error in a movie. Stephen took that to mean that everything else was true. This worried Stephen at first because of his larger than normal belly, but then he figured out that he had just eaten, so not to worry.

 In church news, someone thinks that an image of Jesus can be seen in the mold in the shower. For Christ's sake, buy a sponge! The real churchy news is that some of our very own American nuns are becoming radical liberal women, at least according to the Pope. They are doing such radical liberal things as caring for the poor and feeding the hungry and taking care of the sick. What the Pope says they should be doing is paying attention to the doctrine on homosexuality ... you know ... social and political issues. (This is no time to be following the teachings of Jesus.) Case in point, Margaret Farley has written a book, "Just Love." I think it is some sort of self help book of sorts. To speak for these rabble rousers, Stephen had Sister Simone Campbell on the show. Her message was that these so-called radical nuns were faithful to the Gospel to work with the margins of society. There is going to be a bus tour to nine states to see where nuns are doing great things. They are going to educate Congress about how things like slashing the budget are so harmful to the poorest among us. I guess it has something to do with "Actions speak louder than words." According to Sister Campbell, "There's enough to go around if we all share." The Sister is with the National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. Go over to www.networklobby.org for lots more info.

 Stephen went on and on about a fruit protection device, but he should have paid more attention to what he told us. He could buy 64 new bananas for the price of the protection device. And really, how often do any of us throw our bananas from the third floor fire escape? If the world hands you smooshed bananas, do what I do, make Banana Bread.

Stephen's guest last night was Ramon Estevez. You may know him better as Martin Sheen. Stephen complimented him and Sheen reciprocated with, "The feeling is municipal." So, they both looked great. That was settled. "The Amazing Spiderman" will be out soon and Martin Sheen is in it. But Stephen focused on the thing they have in common. Being Presidential. For those of you who have trouble putting on your suit coat, you were in luck tonight as both men showed how easy it is to accomplish this with minimal effort. That was the best part of the show! Let me explain what the two men have in common. Martin Sheen played a liberal Catholic President on TV. Stephen is a conservative Catholic who ran for President. This was good that they found this common ground. Stephen was getting a bit feisty about what he claimed was Sheen's super lefty liberal leanings. So, everyone go see the movie and enjoy it. Stephen this means you too. It's just a movie.

Sesame Street

There was some kind of Problem with Pakistan and Sesame Street recently. Stephen talked about it but I need more information. Therefore I am on my way to Pakistan and then to Sesame Street to research that. Can anyone tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Bad, Bad Idea

The guest on Wednesday's show was Neil Patrick Harris, but first I'll quickly run through some of the other stories.

Stephen talked about Venus passing in front of the sun. Hopefully, none of you looked directly at the sun. Bad, bad idea.

The biggest event in the universe happened in America's Dairyland, the Badger State of Wisconsin, with the recall vote on Tuesday. Some will say it was a waste of time, but we gained valuable information from Stephen that no one would have known otherwise. Namely, do not try to milk a badger. Bad, bad idea.

But the good news, according to Stephen, was the end of Unions. As he waited for the festive balloon drop, he came to realize that those people pointing the camera at him, and getting stuff done for him, basically, making the show work, are Union workers. So, no balloons, but they did drop something for him.

Sad story if you like associating with others of your species. Bald Knob seniors were shut out because Bingo was shut down. You know how it is with Bingo, it leads to other crimes, it's a menace, it's morally wrong, it involves knick-knack things and what-nots. So, the seniors can go back to sitting at home alone.

Stephen welcomed Neil Patrick Harris. "You clean up real good," he said. (In my family, that is a compliment meaning "You look marvelous!") The two men have a relationship, they are friend-ish, because they both performed in "Company" together. Stephen called Neil Patrick Harris a triple threat because he is an actor, singer, and dancer. (He forgot magician.) "Why do theater?" was one of the most important questions Stephen asked, followed by, "Do you think the Olympics should allow theater?"

Neil Patrick Harris will host the Tony Awards Live June 10 on CBS. If you are likely to forget the date and place, just watch this YouTube video to help you remember.

Something that always interests me is how much everything is related to everything else. For example, Jill Biden was on the show recently. She is also known as Dr. Biden. She teaches at a Community College. Senor Chang teaches at a Community College. Interestingly enough, Chang  used to be a doctor. Neil Patrick Harris also used to be a doctor. Very interesting.


That's all, except that every once in a while, Stephen will have a bit more to share with us when he signs off / says goodbye. Ray Bradbury died recently, so to honor him, Stephen burned his copy of Fahrenheit 451 in the set's fireplace.

First Drive-In Movie Theater

Did you see the Google search page tribute to the 79th Anniversary of the first drive-in theater? Google was written as a stylized sign in front of the cars. Waving in front were movie tickets to get in to the drive-in. The neat thing, did you notice it, was the number on the ticket - 600613 - in a boxy typeface? Pretty neat. Read more about it here at Christian Science Monitor.

I'm Just Me

If anyone is a uniter, it's Stephen Colbert. Last night he found a way to unify the whole nation, even before the show started, with the help of Celine Dion. (You can skip the ad after a few seconds.)

Sometimes Stephen has great news, funny news, happy news, but sometimes he has scary news. Apparently we now have to be scared of the zombie apocalypse. It is truly terrifying news that will have us all terrified as we think of the potential for terror. The CDC recently released a statement to reassure us that there are no zombies. But I think they are forgetting these documented facts about The Zombies.

Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger. These segments are always so fascinating that I forget which part gets the tip and which part gets the wag. Stephen talked about a Japanese invention called diet goggles. If you wear them while eating, it makes the food look larger, and therefore, you probably wouldn't eat so much of it. In tests and studies, they have found out that the goggles work sort of okay for round objects such as Oreos, but not so well for bananas and other irregularly shaped foods. Next, the global economy. You just have to give Stephen a hand for keeping on top of important issues. It turns out that frozen assets are one of our best exports and as a bonus, it provides steady employment for our young men. In honor of this global economy, Stephen announced new product lines for his Formula 401.

Stephen's guest was a teacher, someone who completed his foursome of very important people. Jill Biden, the 2nd Lady of the USA, was on to talk about her new children's book, "Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops." Stephen sought and got a clarification from her. It's not, "Don't Forget God, Bless Our Troops," it's "Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops." Of course Stephen would catch the subtle differences that moving a comma could make.

This would have been a great opportunity for Stephen to mention his latest book, "I'm a Pole And So Can You," so he did mention his book.

Jill Biden also teaches at a Community College and talked briefly about the virtues of the students. They are often working a job, raising a family, and still taking the time to attend college. Just like the people at my favorite Community College.

E=mc Scared

Congress is getting dumber. Ahhhhh. What does that mean? It just means that the speeches they deliver now are geared towards a 10th grade audience rather than the previous 11th grade audience. Personally I think that Congress is just trying to be more inclusive and get younger people interested in all the wonderful things that Congress has accomplished these past few years.

The Word for Monday's show was Sink Or Swim. (Technically Word Word Word.) The seas are rising and are anticipated to rise a meter, which is a metric measurement and so we may not have to worry about it here in the mathematically progressive USA. However, that's quite a bit of water. If you have ocean-front property, you may be in trouble. Luckily, North Carolina Republicans have come up with a sweet solution. They simply want to outlaw the data. That's right, they have a new bill that would outlaw the climate models. (Sea, no evil.) This is a brilliant solution. Another would be to stick your head in the sand. Of course, you would want to have a friend nearby to tell you when the water is rising and getting too close to you.

BKAD, or Better Know a District, is one of Stephen's most patriotic segments of the show. By now he should have been able to breeze through all the Districts. Sadly, there are way too many that we don't know. In fact, there are whole states that we know absolutely nothing about. Stephen is of course fixing that. He made an agreement with Nancy Pelosi to support her Disclose Act. She, in return, would encourage Democratic Representatives to come on The Colbert Report to be interviewed by Stephen. It is proven fact that anyone on The Colbert Report gets the famous Colbert Bump.

So anyway, Stephen has two Democrats booked for this summer. Yea!!! But he needs more. That's where you come in. Head over to Colbert Nation. Do you see Stephen's smiling face up in the right hand corner? It says Better Know A District. Click on that. It's the Represent-O-Map 6000. Then click on your Congressional District. If you don't know your District, use the Search Box-Thingy 4500 below the map of the USA. Either click or search and you will get a nice photo of your Representative and a form email (the best kind) to send. Get your Representative on the show. Make him or her famous. Send your Representative an actual email. You can also view The Archives to see if your Representative was already better known.


The most popular Representative seems to be Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton which is interesting. As popular as she is, she has the worst voting record, having never cast a vote. It is a fascinating interview and valuable civics lesson. And we can see Stephen flatter himself.

To remind us all of what BKAD is all about, Stephen interviewed Representative John Lewis for BKAD and also as the guest. Representative John  Lewis is from Georgia's 5th District. John Lewis knew the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr since he was 18 and John Lewis was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. In 1965, he led marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a historical event that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. Stephen mentioned that he also was at the 1963 March on Washington and may have been the youngest attendee since he was with his mother in that she was pregnant with him.

Stephen and Representative Lewis also discussed the new book that John Lewis has written - "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change." You can get this book at most bookstores or download it from iTunes.

Exciting Guests This Week

Tonight is Representative John Lewis and he will most likely talk about his new book, "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change." There are bridges that I can think of that he might be talking about.

Golden Gate Bridge
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Brooklyn Bridge
Bridge to Nowhere
London Bridge
I-35 Bridge in Minneapolis

There are many, many more.

Chances are that the bridge he is talking about is the Edmund Pettus Bridge, making it a historically important bridge rather than one that is a work of art or architecture. We'll find out soon.

Tuesday's guest is Jill Biden. I know I've heard that name somewhere, I just can't remember. Neil Patrick Harris on Wednesday and Regina Spektor on Thursday. It's going to be a great week of guests which should make Stephen's job that much easier.

Stupid, Ignorant, and Mean

You may have heard that Stephen wrote a book. If not, you will surely know if you walk into any bookstore. Stephen's book, "I Am a Pole and So Can You," is #1 on New York Times Best Sellers for the Advice, How To, and Miscellaneous sections. And it is #2 on Publishers Weekly for Hardcover Nonfiction. That means it is not fiction and therefore that means it is all true fact. Stephen compared his book to books written by other pundits. Obviously his book is superior. And by the way Tom Hanks read the book - audio recording - and  proceeds go to usvetsinc.org. So that's pretty cool.

We haven't seen The Word for a while, but it was back tonight. We learned about the standards in Texas, baseball cards, chewing gum and loss of innocence.

Also tonight, in a sad development, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York wants to ban big glasses of soda - those so-called Giant Sodas. This is particularly distressing to Stephen since he always drinks huge amounts of soda, especially at the movie theater. In fact, he missed the ending of Thelma and Louise because he was taking .... well, you know. Anyway, he missed the ending and will have to catch up with Thelma and Louise in the sequel. Drinkie (Gulp Zilla) made a brief appearance on the show, and Stephen, in accordance with the Mayor's wishes, did what he had to do. Stephen will not be gulping down those giant sodas any more.

Jack Hitt, an author and Peabody winner (just like Stephen) was the guest tonight. He writes a lot of stuff and his latest book is "Bunch of Amateurs: A Search for the American Character." It makes us sound like a bunch of amateurs, but he says that can be a good thing. We just go out and get stuff done. Back in the day, way back, the Europeans thought that the vapors over here in North America made us stupid, ignorant and mean!

Jack Hitt is not as smart as he thinks he is, though. Stephen zings him with a final comment and question.

"You are a professional writer. How good can this book possibly be?"