We are all looking forward to the Big Game and Stephen is pumped to be learning how to be a great football player. We got to see some more demonstrations of his most excellent skills last night and I was especially pleased to find out that he is good enough to play in the Bowl Game. We got to see a preview and it was priceless. At half-time he went into the locker room to give an inspirational talk to the "players" that unified them and gave them the spirit they needed to go back out and play.
Hopefully you got to watch the SOTU speech by President Barack Obama. President Obama called for 2014 to be the year of action and Vice President Joe Biden was just happy to see everyone who was in the audience.
After all the great ideas presented by the POTUS in the SOTU speech, the GOP got in their 2 cents worth, I mean 4 cents worth, I mean 6 cents worth, I mean 8 cents worth. They had four different responses to the SOTU speech. There was Mike Lee for the Tea Party, Rand Paul for the other Tea Party, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for Spanish speakers and the official real GOP response by Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Stephen compared it to having your own personal Sleep Number Bed. I'm sure everyone was especially happy when Cathy McMorris Rodgers looked directly into the camera as she gave her response. (Apologies to Michele Bachmann.)
Just as important as the GOP response to the SOTU speech by the POTUS was the media response to the GOP response to the SOTU speech by the POTUS. Steve Schmidt weighed in and basically said she didn't provide any comedic material for the likes of Jimmy Fallon or Jon Stewart. Kirsten Powers said she didn't do any harm. I think George Will summed it up best when he quoted (I assume) Mother Goose .
A cow kicked Nelly in the belly in the barn.
Didn't do her any good, didn't do her any harm.
On to more football. The guest last night was Cris Carter. There was the obligatory discussion about jewelry, namely Cris Carter's ring. Stephen admired the ring and learned it was not a Super Bowl ring but a Hall of Fame ring. Kudos to Stephen for giving the ring back to Cris Carter after trying it on. They talked a lot about football, what it takes to be a good wide receiver (large hands). And they even played a little football. They had good football chemistry and were even able to use Cris Carter's book, "Going Deep: How Wide Receivers Became the Mose Compelling Figures in Pro Sports," to play a little football type catch.
At the end of the show, Stephen paid tribute to Pete Seeger who died this week. He was 94 years old. Stephen had a clip from when he and Pete Seeger sang the song "If I Had a Hammer" from Pete Seeger's appearance on the show. He was an American treasure.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Pumpkin Patch
It's all about football this week and Stephen is making the most of it with his Superb Owl coverage. Last night he compared being a Quarterback to attending his daily staff meetings. So, it's definitely something he would be able to do, with just a little bit of training. To prepare for Quarterbacking, Stephen interviewed famous football coach of the Washington team, Joe Gibbs. The interview went so well that Joe Gibbs actually "gave" Stephen one of his Super Bowl rings! Although Joe Gibbs said it takes a lot of work to get a Super Bowl ring, Stephen contradicted him by saying you just have to ask for one. Good point, Stephen.
If you did not actually watch the show last night, you should check it out at Colbert Nation if only to watch Stephen's Raw Athleticism as he walks down a flight of stairs.
Stephen was trained by Steve Clarkson in the finer points of quarterbacking. He gave Stephen several good pointers, including, "Your balance is off." Other training tips included:
* Own the Room
* Hold the Ball
* Feel the Rush
* Quarterback Walk
Stephen also had to endure a training exercise where he was blindfolded while be pummeled mercilessly and he came out of that with all the dignity that you would expect from him. For safety purposes, Stephen used the popular safe word Pumpkin Patch.
In the Owl portion of the show, or the Superb Owl portion, Stephen had David Yarnold, President of National Audubon Society on to talk about a Superb Owl. Also on was Erin with her friend Sophia the Barred Owl. The Barred Owl is taking over the habitat of the Spotted Owl, which naturally made Stephen think that therefore the Barred Owl is the Superb Owl. David Yarnold explained that it could be more of a problem with habitat degeneration. He also talked about owls in general. They have amazing wings which allow them to fly nearly silently to catch their prey. They can see quite well at night. And they can turn their head 270 degrees. I tried to do that and I'm going to have a stiff neck for a while. Ouch.
Owls and football were the themes on the show last night and Stephen brought it all together in a touching moment when he attempted to have Sophia the Owl predict the outcome of the upcoming Big Game by predicting the winner by choosing a rabbit. Sadly, there were technical difficulties.
Stephen's guest last night was Justin Tuck. Stephen was cordial and pleasant which was a good idea. Stephen learned quite a bit about the sport of football and Justin Tuck. Although Justin Tuck won't be playing in the Big Game, the Big Game will be played on his home field. Stephen presented a scenario where the new York Giants could win this year's Big Game. That would be a first.
If you did not actually watch the show last night, you should check it out at Colbert Nation if only to watch Stephen's Raw Athleticism as he walks down a flight of stairs.
Stephen was trained by Steve Clarkson in the finer points of quarterbacking. He gave Stephen several good pointers, including, "Your balance is off." Other training tips included:
* Own the Room
* Hold the Ball
* Feel the Rush
* Quarterback Walk
Stephen also had to endure a training exercise where he was blindfolded while be pummeled mercilessly and he came out of that with all the dignity that you would expect from him. For safety purposes, Stephen used the popular safe word Pumpkin Patch.
In the Owl portion of the show, or the Superb Owl portion, Stephen had David Yarnold, President of National Audubon Society on to talk about a Superb Owl. Also on was Erin with her friend Sophia the Barred Owl. The Barred Owl is taking over the habitat of the Spotted Owl, which naturally made Stephen think that therefore the Barred Owl is the Superb Owl. David Yarnold explained that it could be more of a problem with habitat degeneration. He also talked about owls in general. They have amazing wings which allow them to fly nearly silently to catch their prey. They can see quite well at night. And they can turn their head 270 degrees. I tried to do that and I'm going to have a stiff neck for a while. Ouch.
Owls and football were the themes on the show last night and Stephen brought it all together in a touching moment when he attempted to have Sophia the Owl predict the outcome of the upcoming Big Game by predicting the winner by choosing a rabbit. Sadly, there were technical difficulties.
Stephen's guest last night was Justin Tuck. Stephen was cordial and pleasant which was a good idea. Stephen learned quite a bit about the sport of football and Justin Tuck. Although Justin Tuck won't be playing in the Big Game, the Big Game will be played on his home field. Stephen presented a scenario where the new York Giants could win this year's Big Game. That would be a first.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Superb Owl
Apparently you can get in a lot of trouble for saying Super Bowl. It's all about copyright infringement and stuff like that. So Stephen, in talking about the Big Game, just moved a letter. So, when he is saying Superb Owl, you know what he is talking about. It was worth watching if only to see what his opening segment would be like for the Superb Owl. Can you say Twerk?
Stephen talked about making his "48 Meat Chili" for the big party. Wish he would have given us the recipe. If you need something for all your foot and ball friends, you can try my Holy Smoke Satan Sandwich Recipe. I haven't actually ever made it, so I don't know what it tastes like, but you're welcome to give it a try.
Stephen talked about some of the Grammy winners and mentioned/bragged that they had all gotten the "The Colbert Bump." And then he mentioned who one of the other big winners was. "Me." And by me I of course mean Stephen Colbert referring to himself.
That means he has won all of the coveted EGOT awards. You know, the Emmy, Grammy, Other Grammy, and The People's Choice Award.
Nate Silver was Stephen's guest. You may know him from his Five Thirty Eight Blog. He impressed us previously with picking presidents. Now he is back to picking winning sports teams. The big Game coming up soon has two great teams and we are all hoping it doesn't come down to the Supreme Court deciding who the winner was.
Stephen talked about making his "48 Meat Chili" for the big party. Wish he would have given us the recipe. If you need something for all your foot and ball friends, you can try my Holy Smoke Satan Sandwich Recipe. I haven't actually ever made it, so I don't know what it tastes like, but you're welcome to give it a try.
Stephen talked about some of the Grammy winners and mentioned/bragged that they had all gotten the "The Colbert Bump." And then he mentioned who one of the other big winners was. "Me." And by me I of course mean Stephen Colbert referring to himself.
That means he has won all of the coveted EGOT awards. You know, the Emmy, Grammy, Other Grammy, and The People's Choice Award.
Nate Silver was Stephen's guest. You may know him from his Five Thirty Eight Blog. He impressed us previously with picking presidents. Now he is back to picking winning sports teams. The big Game coming up soon has two great teams and we are all hoping it doesn't come down to the Supreme Court deciding who the winner was.
Monday, January 27, 2014
It's James, I Grew Up in Seattle
Net Neutrality. I'm not sure whether I'm for it or against it. I guess I'm kind of on the fence. Stephen had Tim Wu, author of "The Master Switch - The Rise and Fall of Information Empires," on to talk about it. And he claims to have coined the phrase Net Neutrality. As seems to happen over and over again, free speech is all about the money.
"The Banquet." Yes, it makes you look forward to a great meal, but over in China, "The Banquet" is basically a complete ripoff (paraphrase of what Stephen said) of The Colbert Report. Well, it's in Chinese, and it's about eggs, which is funny. But while you might think Stephen would be very upset, he is actually quite pleased. "Only the biggest hits get Chinese bootlegged!"
In order to try to gain the favor and adoration of the large audience in China, Stephen (again) fired Jay the Intern and brought out his new intern JaMes who seems to be Chinese. He offered to get coffee for Stephen, but Stephen asked for tea, by which he meant coffee. Poor Jay. He works so hard and all he ever gets is the short end of the deal.
Anyway, Stephen demanded that he be invited to be on the show "The Banquet." Who knows? It could happen.
Stephen's real guest, (not that Tim Wu is not real, but he was on in the first part of the show and so not so much the guest as just someone Stephen talked to), was Patricia A. Churchland. Her latest book is "Touching a Nerve: The Self as Brain." Is it possible that we are not so much a product of our environment and upbringing, but rather the result of electrical and chemical stuff going on in our brains? To illustrate that possibility, she and Stephen had a wonderful discussion about different kinds of voles from which Stephen deduced that the Prairie Vole is a Christian. I'm not sure that's where Patricia A. Churchland was going with her book, but, hey Stephen is entitled to say what he wants since it is his show.
"The Banquet." Yes, it makes you look forward to a great meal, but over in China, "The Banquet" is basically a complete ripoff (paraphrase of what Stephen said) of The Colbert Report. Well, it's in Chinese, and it's about eggs, which is funny. But while you might think Stephen would be very upset, he is actually quite pleased. "Only the biggest hits get Chinese bootlegged!"
In order to try to gain the favor and adoration of the large audience in China, Stephen (again) fired Jay the Intern and brought out his new intern JaMes who seems to be Chinese. He offered to get coffee for Stephen, but Stephen asked for tea, by which he meant coffee. Poor Jay. He works so hard and all he ever gets is the short end of the deal.
Anyway, Stephen demanded that he be invited to be on the show "The Banquet." Who knows? It could happen.
Stephen's real guest, (not that Tim Wu is not real, but he was on in the first part of the show and so not so much the guest as just someone Stephen talked to), was Patricia A. Churchland. Her latest book is "Touching a Nerve: The Self as Brain." Is it possible that we are not so much a product of our environment and upbringing, but rather the result of electrical and chemical stuff going on in our brains? To illustrate that possibility, she and Stephen had a wonderful discussion about different kinds of voles from which Stephen deduced that the Prairie Vole is a Christian. I'm not sure that's where Patricia A. Churchland was going with her book, but, hey Stephen is entitled to say what he wants since it is his show.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Cookies Are Wonderful, Cookies Are Fantastic
Of course everyone knows that NASA's Opportunity rover is up on Mars looking around at everything there. Recently a jelly doughnut appeared. No, not really. It seems to be a rock that looks like a jelly doughnut. Or is is something other than a rock? How could a rock move from place to place? It wasn't there and then it was. So, could it be a Martian? I don't think we will ever find out. And besides that, Stephen, in a split moment of utter lack of impulse control, destroyed any hope we might have had for diplomatic ties with Mars and Martians.
As if that wasn't depressing enough, Air Force officers at a Montana nuclear missile base are having problems with drugs and cheating, mainly that they are doing both of those things. Stephen explained it all in Tip/Wag. He also told us that that dog and pony show, The Westminster Kennel Club show, is now letting plain old regular mutts in. I don't like to use that word since after all, we all know what dog spelled backwards is. (Dogs are special.) But Stephen did report on it so I am too. But all was forgiven once Stephen brought out a cute, cute dog. Good doggie.
How about this idea? Use the trainers from Westminster Kennel Club to train those people who are up in Montana. I think those Westminster people could teach them a thing or two about obedience. Maybe they just need to run around a bit and work off some extra energy. And then the dogs could go to Montana and, and... No. That is not a good idea. Ignore this paragraph.
Stephen had a guest on last night to talk about a book he wrote. He does that a lot. Almost every show he has someone on who has just written a book and they talk about it. It's almost like a habit of Stephen's. Last night's guest was Charles Duhigg talking about the book, "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business." This looks like a book that I will go out and buy. Seems quite interesting.
Did you know that about 40% to 45% of what we do every day is habit? It's true because Charles Duhigg said it to Stephen last night. And those percentages are from a survey, so that tells you for sure it is true. By knowing that what we are doing is a habit, and by knowing what reward we expect to get from that habit, we can change our habits and turn bad habits into good habits.
As if that wasn't depressing enough, Air Force officers at a Montana nuclear missile base are having problems with drugs and cheating, mainly that they are doing both of those things. Stephen explained it all in Tip/Wag. He also told us that that dog and pony show, The Westminster Kennel Club show, is now letting plain old regular mutts in. I don't like to use that word since after all, we all know what dog spelled backwards is. (Dogs are special.) But Stephen did report on it so I am too. But all was forgiven once Stephen brought out a cute, cute dog. Good doggie.
How about this idea? Use the trainers from Westminster Kennel Club to train those people who are up in Montana. I think those Westminster people could teach them a thing or two about obedience. Maybe they just need to run around a bit and work off some extra energy. And then the dogs could go to Montana and, and... No. That is not a good idea. Ignore this paragraph.
Stephen had a guest on last night to talk about a book he wrote. He does that a lot. Almost every show he has someone on who has just written a book and they talk about it. It's almost like a habit of Stephen's. Last night's guest was Charles Duhigg talking about the book, "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business." This looks like a book that I will go out and buy. Seems quite interesting.
Did you know that about 40% to 45% of what we do every day is habit? It's true because Charles Duhigg said it to Stephen last night. And those percentages are from a survey, so that tells you for sure it is true. By knowing that what we are doing is a habit, and by knowing what reward we expect to get from that habit, we can change our habits and turn bad habits into good habits.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
What Do You Use to Wave Goodbye?
Well, it was Ernest Hemingway night on The Colbert Report. Or more accurately, on the cOlbert Book Club. I did not finish reading "Farewell To Arms" but luckily, there wasn't a test, so I was very relieved about that. I'm not sure that Stephen actually read the book either.
The best thing about last night's show was the set design. It was such a transformation. And of course the costuming. I think we got a glimpse into the real Stephen Colbert. Such a manly man. His first guest was another manly man, author and Ernest Hemingway super fan, Michael Chabon. They did discuss the book "Farewell To Arms" and I am convinced that Michael Chabon had read the book and probably even read it more than once. He agreed with Stephen about how hilarious the book was, although I think they had a different meaning for hilarious than I do. Also mentioned briefly last night was Michael Chabon's latest book, "Telegraph Avenue."
Stephen finished off his glass of Sangria and moved on to large glass of Chardonnay. then he welcomed his next guest for the night, Mariel Hemingway. She has a new book out, "Running With Nature." If you think it's funny that she has the same last name as Ernest Hemingway, there's a reason for that. She is his granddaughter. The first question on every one's mind was did she have to read Ernest Hemingway books when she was in school. Yes she did. And just like Stephen, she did a book report on "The Old Man and the Sea" and just like Stephen she also got a good grade.
What did we learn from last night's show. For one thing, Stephen mentioned throwing up again, in reference to maybe drinking too much wine. The other thing we learned is that Italy is a country in Europe. That is good to know.
So, that's it for the cOlber Book Club yet again. Did I mention how great the set looked last night? I can't wait to find out what the next book will be. One good choice would be "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." Just think of the possibilities for what that would look like.
The best thing about last night's show was the set design. It was such a transformation. And of course the costuming. I think we got a glimpse into the real Stephen Colbert. Such a manly man. His first guest was another manly man, author and Ernest Hemingway super fan, Michael Chabon. They did discuss the book "Farewell To Arms" and I am convinced that Michael Chabon had read the book and probably even read it more than once. He agreed with Stephen about how hilarious the book was, although I think they had a different meaning for hilarious than I do. Also mentioned briefly last night was Michael Chabon's latest book, "Telegraph Avenue."
Stephen finished off his glass of Sangria and moved on to large glass of Chardonnay. then he welcomed his next guest for the night, Mariel Hemingway. She has a new book out, "Running With Nature." If you think it's funny that she has the same last name as Ernest Hemingway, there's a reason for that. She is his granddaughter. The first question on every one's mind was did she have to read Ernest Hemingway books when she was in school. Yes she did. And just like Stephen, she did a book report on "The Old Man and the Sea" and just like Stephen she also got a good grade.
What did we learn from last night's show. For one thing, Stephen mentioned throwing up again, in reference to maybe drinking too much wine. The other thing we learned is that Italy is a country in Europe. That is good to know.
So, that's it for the cOlber Book Club yet again. Did I mention how great the set looked last night? I can't wait to find out what the next book will be. One good choice would be "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." Just think of the possibilities for what that would look like.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Feed the Baby
Yikes. I'm still not done reading the homework for tonight and I haven't done the post from last night's show. Oh no oh no. What am I going to do?
Quickly, here's what happened last night. There's got to be a better way to have executions in this country. The Pope encouraged mothers of young babies to go right ahead and nurse them during the service if they were hungry. Scott Stossel was the guest to talk about his new book "My Age of Anziety, Fear, hope, dread, and the search for peace of mind."
If Scott Stossel would have thrown up on Stephen, it would have cured both of them, at least temporarily.
Now I have to run and finish homework for tonight. Yikes.
Quickly, here's what happened last night. There's got to be a better way to have executions in this country. The Pope encouraged mothers of young babies to go right ahead and nurse them during the service if they were hungry. Scott Stossel was the guest to talk about his new book "My Age of Anziety, Fear, hope, dread, and the search for peace of mind."
If Scott Stossel would have thrown up on Stephen, it would have cured both of them, at least temporarily.
Now I have to run and finish homework for tonight. Yikes.
Monday, January 20, 2014
How Do You Dress Yourself?
With all the hullabaloo about NSA and keeping everything we do private, Stephen has gone off the grid and is relying on old technology, namely, the Pen. It works fairly well, Stephen tweeted but then took a few minutes for just gazing at pictures.
Stephen restricts his Colbert Platinum segments to Platinum Members Only, but here is a bit of a teaser if you are not a member. Do you have a baby? Time for a $50,000 diamond encrusted pacifier.
(Here's is a word of caution that the parents of said baby might want to think about. Don't put valuable valuables in your baby's mouth. You're just setting up junior to be a crime victim. Or are you just going to use the pacifier at home? Well then, no one else will see it and know how filthy rich you are so then what's the point. Baby won't go to sleep any faster than with a $3.00 pacifier.)
But back to the show. Stephen highlighted some services that Platinum Members can partake of. Not sure if you are getting your money's worth for those services, so I won't mention them here. So I guess no endorsements today.
Of course you know that Stephen has won many awards (including a People's Choice) and is up for another award - a Grammy for Best Spoken Word. One of the other candidates for the award sent Stephen a letter. Here's what she wrote:
Dear Steve,
I saw on your show that you're going to crush me like a bug. You're a real class act. I'm never surprised when someone like you succeeds in show business. Keep up the great work. Break a leg and other things.
Carol Burnett
Stephen was thrilled to get a letter from her and even more thrilled to see her show up (via satellite or something techy like that) to talk with him. Turns out her letter was sarcastic. Carol used the opportunity to run down the list of her numerous awards and also explain sarcasm to him. She tried in vain to make him understand sarcasm, but even as she said that she hopes the best woman wins, it became clear that the concept of sarcasm somehow eluded him.
Stephen's guest was there on Thursday night to talk about a higher minimum wage and the right to unionize. Naquasia LeGrand, KFC worker, made many good points even though Stephen did not like to think about the possibility of paying up to four cents more for a meal at a fast food restaurant as a result of the workers getting paid a bit more in wages. You ask is there a website I can look at? Yes of course - Fast Food Forward. Lots of info and facts over there. Each time there is a discussion about issues such as this, I learn a bit more.
For example, Stephen asked her why she just didn't work another job. Thing is, her schedule keeps changing. She can't rely on a regular schedule so that she could get another job to supplement her income. I bet that would also make it hard to get more education in order to get a better job.)
It would have been a fine show if Stephen ended it there. But Stephen talked a bit about Colbert's Book Club and wouldn't you just know it? He gave us all some homework to be completed by Tuesday, which is tomorrow, and I just realized I should have posted this earlier so you could get your homework done on time. Sorry. So, by tomorrow night you need to read "Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway. Tune in Tuesday night to find out who the two special guests are. Or you could just go over to Colbert Nation to find out who it will be.
Stephen restricts his Colbert Platinum segments to Platinum Members Only, but here is a bit of a teaser if you are not a member. Do you have a baby? Time for a $50,000 diamond encrusted pacifier.
(Here's is a word of caution that the parents of said baby might want to think about. Don't put valuable valuables in your baby's mouth. You're just setting up junior to be a crime victim. Or are you just going to use the pacifier at home? Well then, no one else will see it and know how filthy rich you are so then what's the point. Baby won't go to sleep any faster than with a $3.00 pacifier.)
But back to the show. Stephen highlighted some services that Platinum Members can partake of. Not sure if you are getting your money's worth for those services, so I won't mention them here. So I guess no endorsements today.
Of course you know that Stephen has won many awards (including a People's Choice) and is up for another award - a Grammy for Best Spoken Word. One of the other candidates for the award sent Stephen a letter. Here's what she wrote:
Dear Steve,
I saw on your show that you're going to crush me like a bug. You're a real class act. I'm never surprised when someone like you succeeds in show business. Keep up the great work. Break a leg and other things.
Carol Burnett
Stephen was thrilled to get a letter from her and even more thrilled to see her show up (via satellite or something techy like that) to talk with him. Turns out her letter was sarcastic. Carol used the opportunity to run down the list of her numerous awards and also explain sarcasm to him. She tried in vain to make him understand sarcasm, but even as she said that she hopes the best woman wins, it became clear that the concept of sarcasm somehow eluded him.
Stephen's guest was there on Thursday night to talk about a higher minimum wage and the right to unionize. Naquasia LeGrand, KFC worker, made many good points even though Stephen did not like to think about the possibility of paying up to four cents more for a meal at a fast food restaurant as a result of the workers getting paid a bit more in wages. You ask is there a website I can look at? Yes of course - Fast Food Forward. Lots of info and facts over there. Each time there is a discussion about issues such as this, I learn a bit more.
For example, Stephen asked her why she just didn't work another job. Thing is, her schedule keeps changing. She can't rely on a regular schedule so that she could get another job to supplement her income. I bet that would also make it hard to get more education in order to get a better job.)
It would have been a fine show if Stephen ended it there. But Stephen talked a bit about Colbert's Book Club and wouldn't you just know it? He gave us all some homework to be completed by Tuesday, which is tomorrow, and I just realized I should have posted this earlier so you could get your homework done on time. Sorry. So, by tomorrow night you need to read "Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway. Tune in Tuesday night to find out who the two special guests are. Or you could just go over to Colbert Nation to find out who it will be.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Where is the Library?
Come visit the USA. Of course, if you are already here, you would first have to leave and then come back. But anyway... Stephen showed us a little bit of "Land of Dreams" video from Discover America. There are parts he didn't like. (Not a big surprise since he has certain standards.) There was one part I thought was really cool, but again Stephen had some complaints. It's the part where the eagle lands on your arm while you are paragliding. Is that cool or what?
Stephen showed us his own concept for a commercial for USA tourism and he even demonstrated that he thinks we are number one.
Last night was a great night to watch if you are trying to brush up on your French. I didn't pay to much attention to what Stephen was talking about. It was something about the French president, Francois Hollande and the First Lady of France. Mostly I just listened for Stephen to speak French so that I could use my French skills. It's been quite a while since I took French lessons, but I think I understood everything Stephen was talking about when he spoke French. He did consider Francois Hollande to be his Chen Alpha de la Semaine. I guess that means he is very important.
Stephen's lively guest last night was a fellow journalist. Gabriel Sherman has a new book out - "The Loudest Voice in the Room - How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News --- and Divided a Country."
And Gabriel Sherman wins the award for the longest book title.
But seriously folks, Gabriel Sherman apparently says in the book that Roger Ailes is a bully and is vindictive but also charismatic. While you might think, fine, everyone is entitled to his own opinion, fact is that Gabriel Sherman gathered a lot of facts for the book. He interviewed 600 people for the book. And he had two fact checkers spend more than 2000 hours vetting the book. That has got to be the kind of journalism that Stephen Colbert can relate to. You should go out and buy the book. Even if you don't read it, there's a lot of famous people on the cover of the book and you could frame that and put it up on the wall in your office. Your friends will be impressed.
Stephen showed us his own concept for a commercial for USA tourism and he even demonstrated that he thinks we are number one.
Last night was a great night to watch if you are trying to brush up on your French. I didn't pay to much attention to what Stephen was talking about. It was something about the French president, Francois Hollande and the First Lady of France. Mostly I just listened for Stephen to speak French so that I could use my French skills. It's been quite a while since I took French lessons, but I think I understood everything Stephen was talking about when he spoke French. He did consider Francois Hollande to be his Chen Alpha de la Semaine. I guess that means he is very important.
Stephen's lively guest last night was a fellow journalist. Gabriel Sherman has a new book out - "The Loudest Voice in the Room - How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News --- and Divided a Country."
And Gabriel Sherman wins the award for the longest book title.
But seriously folks, Gabriel Sherman apparently says in the book that Roger Ailes is a bully and is vindictive but also charismatic. While you might think, fine, everyone is entitled to his own opinion, fact is that Gabriel Sherman gathered a lot of facts for the book. He interviewed 600 people for the book. And he had two fact checkers spend more than 2000 hours vetting the book. That has got to be the kind of journalism that Stephen Colbert can relate to. You should go out and buy the book. Even if you don't read it, there's a lot of famous people on the cover of the book and you could frame that and put it up on the wall in your office. Your friends will be impressed.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Rainbow Icons
Sports was featured last night as in the Sport Report. In what was a big surprise to some, but probably not to others, Alex Rodriguez, or The Rod, will be suspended from baseball for 400 years for using performance enhancing drugs.
Not to worry if you need to watch sports. The Winter Olympics are coming soon. This year the Games will be in Sochi, Russia from February 7 to 23, 2014, or if you are over there, they will be from 7-23 February 2014. Take a look at the official website using that link right up in first sentence. Lots of information and a really cool chart that shows which events will be held on which days. There's great color-coded icons for each sport, so it's easy to see on that chart which of your favorite sports is happening on which days. My favorite, Curling, is listed 6th on that chart. Never mind that the sports are in alphabetical order. I still think it's because Curling is so popular that it is near the top of the list. It looks like the USA Men's team will be meeting Norway for their first competition. Oh I hope the USA Men's Curling Team has great fashion designers working on their uniforms. Those Norwegian Men can intimidate you just by coming on the ice in their bold uniforms. So go look at the Winter Olympics website. I absolutely love the rainbow color theme used for the chart and sport icons.
You can also go over to the website and support your team. Right now, here's the Likes:
Russian Fed 344
Latvia 232
Lithuania 134
Canada 108
Ukraine 62
United States 60
Belarus 41
France 32
Kazakhstan 25
Japan 22
As we get closer to the Olympics, I'm sure those numbers will go up.
Delegate member and tennis great Billie Jean King did show up to discuss going to the Olympics as probably the most famous gay athlete. She said she won't protest, but if the media asks questions, she will give them answers.
Deborah Solomon was Stephen's guest last night. She has a book out now about Norman Rockwell - "American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell." Stephen likes Norman Rockwell's art because it is realistic. He can look at a painting and recognize it's a painting of a mailman. We got to see some of the more famous paintings of Norman Rockwell and we got to hear Stephen sound exactly like a cultured art critic. Deborah Solomon explained to Stephen that Norman Rockwell believed in equality, and tolerance and voted for JFK and LBJ. Their discussion was a little loud and almost confrontational at times which seems amazing, considering they were discussing Norman Rockwell.
Not to worry if you need to watch sports. The Winter Olympics are coming soon. This year the Games will be in Sochi, Russia from February 7 to 23, 2014, or if you are over there, they will be from 7-23 February 2014. Take a look at the official website using that link right up in first sentence. Lots of information and a really cool chart that shows which events will be held on which days. There's great color-coded icons for each sport, so it's easy to see on that chart which of your favorite sports is happening on which days. My favorite, Curling, is listed 6th on that chart. Never mind that the sports are in alphabetical order. I still think it's because Curling is so popular that it is near the top of the list. It looks like the USA Men's team will be meeting Norway for their first competition. Oh I hope the USA Men's Curling Team has great fashion designers working on their uniforms. Those Norwegian Men can intimidate you just by coming on the ice in their bold uniforms. So go look at the Winter Olympics website. I absolutely love the rainbow color theme used for the chart and sport icons.
You can also go over to the website and support your team. Right now, here's the Likes:
Russian Fed 344
Latvia 232
Lithuania 134
Canada 108
Ukraine 62
United States 60
Belarus 41
France 32
Kazakhstan 25
Japan 22
As we get closer to the Olympics, I'm sure those numbers will go up.
Delegate member and tennis great Billie Jean King did show up to discuss going to the Olympics as probably the most famous gay athlete. She said she won't protest, but if the media asks questions, she will give them answers.
Deborah Solomon was Stephen's guest last night. She has a book out now about Norman Rockwell - "American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell." Stephen likes Norman Rockwell's art because it is realistic. He can look at a painting and recognize it's a painting of a mailman. We got to see some of the more famous paintings of Norman Rockwell and we got to hear Stephen sound exactly like a cultured art critic. Deborah Solomon explained to Stephen that Norman Rockwell believed in equality, and tolerance and voted for JFK and LBJ. Their discussion was a little loud and almost confrontational at times which seems amazing, considering they were discussing Norman Rockwell.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Product Placement
West Virginia, Stephen's favorite of the Virginias, has a bit of a problem that can't be cleaned up by trying to wash it away. That's because the problem is dirty water. Freedom Industries allowed bad chemicals (5,000 gallons) to enter Elk River. What that means is that 300,000 people have dirty water. The only thing they can safely use the water for is flushing the toilet. But, considering that they can't drink the water, I don't think they are going to be needing their toilet. The frosting on the cake probably came when the CEO of Freedom Industries apologized to everyone while taking swigs out of his bottle of clean water. You don't want to be caught on camera swigging water out of a bottle. Remember Marco Rubio?
Product Placement is very important and Roger Faxon of Mirriad has got another way of getting great content to you by reinserting all kinds of advertising into reruns. Viacom (Stephen's big boss) has decided to jump on that band wagon and therefore Stephen is providing all sorts of blank surfaces that will be able to be used in the future for great content. Basically, he has made a green screen out of many everyday products - products that all of us are familiar with and use on a regular basis.
As is to be expected, Stephen is quite creative. So creative in fact, that I'm not going to write about it here since, as you know, this is a family blog. And who knows? Maybe some day in the future, this blog will be retrofitted with great "advertising" content. That is why I have inserted a green screen at the top of this blog. It is all set and ready to go for whatever advertisers think is appropriate to cash in on great content.
Most guests on The Colbert Report are happy to be interviewed by Stephen. Last night was a bit different in that it was the biggest challenge of Stephen's career. It was an interview with David Fanning, executive producer for PBS news show Frontline. Was Stephen up to the challenge? Well of course he was. Stephen called his guest the "last dodo." Interestingly enough, after one report about Wall Street on Frontline, people started paying attention to what was going on Wall Street. So, that's a good thing.
If you want to produce a great news program, David Fanning had some advice. Stephen wrote it down so that he could remember and so I think we will start seeing even better content, not just great content, on the show. Here's what you need to do:
1. Pay attention.
2. Make it better.
Good advice no matter what profession you are in.
Monday, January 13, 2014
I Actually Was The Guy Working the Cones Out There
Stephen talked more about Bridgegate and Chris Christie. There seems to be talk about payback in the sense that "It's my way or I shut down your highway." That is coming because of the email from Bridget Anne Kelly to David Wildstein on August 13 of 2013 that said,
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."
David Wildstein replied to Bridget Anne Kelly,
"Got it."
Some are claiming that this shows preplanning of this deliberate traffic jam. But isn't it also possible that it shows an incredible talent for communication? Could it perhaps be that the two of them, Bridget Anne Kelly and David Wildstein are so tuned in to each other and their jobs that they hardly need to use any words at all in order for one to understand exactly what the other one is talking about?
I just know we will hear about this for at least one more day or so. Especially since the main fallout from all of this is that Chris Christie is sad.
Robert M. Gates has a new book out called "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War." Stephen informed us that Duty would drop this week. It has created quite a buzz and Stephen tells us that Duty is on everyone's lips. Even though the book hadn't been out yet last week, a little bit of Duty has leaked out and is raising quite a stink.
Stephen's guest last Thursday night was Jeff Skoll. You may know him from Participant Media. If you did not watch the most recent episode of The Colbert Report, you should go watch it, either on your TiVo type device or online at Colbert Nation. He is quite an impressive guy, and the type of guy who gives millions of dollars to worthy causes. One of those worthy causes we were told was Colbert Super PAC, so that's a good thing.
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."
David Wildstein replied to Bridget Anne Kelly,
"Got it."
Some are claiming that this shows preplanning of this deliberate traffic jam. But isn't it also possible that it shows an incredible talent for communication? Could it perhaps be that the two of them, Bridget Anne Kelly and David Wildstein are so tuned in to each other and their jobs that they hardly need to use any words at all in order for one to understand exactly what the other one is talking about?
I just know we will hear about this for at least one more day or so. Especially since the main fallout from all of this is that Chris Christie is sad.
Robert M. Gates has a new book out called "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War." Stephen informed us that Duty would drop this week. It has created quite a buzz and Stephen tells us that Duty is on everyone's lips. Even though the book hadn't been out yet last week, a little bit of Duty has leaked out and is raising quite a stink.
Stephen's guest last Thursday night was Jeff Skoll. You may know him from Participant Media. If you did not watch the most recent episode of The Colbert Report, you should go watch it, either on your TiVo type device or online at Colbert Nation. He is quite an impressive guy, and the type of guy who gives millions of dollars to worthy causes. One of those worthy causes we were told was Colbert Super PAC, so that's a good thing.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Call Me Ishmael
Last night Stephen talked briefly about Bridgegate and Chris Christie. He promised he will have more team coverage on tonight's show. There are lots of articles floating around on the internet, so I'll just link to the first one I found here.
In medical news, tiny tiny magnets are in our future of health care but the whole idea made me a little uneasy so I'm not going to talk about it other than to mention that Prescott Pharmaceutical has improved Stephen's Formula 401. It is now Formula 4010101001.
How cold is it? While most journalists simply threw hot water out in the cold air to demonstrate, I don't know maybe science.... a creative journalist, Rachel Slavik in the Cherokee Heights Park area of St. Paul, Minnesota, demonstrated just how cold it is by hammering a nail into a board using a frozen banana. Now that is what I call real science that you can use!
And by the way, Al Roker showed everyone that the term "polar vortex" is at least as old as 1959. "So stuff it," he advised all the naysayers.
Ishmael Beah was Stephen's guest last night. It was an uplifting interview which seems hard to believe since Ishmael Beah spent his early teen years as a child soldier in Sierra Leone. He describes himself as a hopeful person. It was Unicef that removed him from the fighting. As frightening as that experience was for a young boy, he admitted he also finds the cold weather in New York's wintertime also quite scary. He previously wrote the book "A Long Way Gone." His newest book is "Radiance of Tomorrow."
In medical news, tiny tiny magnets are in our future of health care but the whole idea made me a little uneasy so I'm not going to talk about it other than to mention that Prescott Pharmaceutical has improved Stephen's Formula 401. It is now Formula 4010101001.
How cold is it? While most journalists simply threw hot water out in the cold air to demonstrate, I don't know maybe science.... a creative journalist, Rachel Slavik in the Cherokee Heights Park area of St. Paul, Minnesota, demonstrated just how cold it is by hammering a nail into a board using a frozen banana. Now that is what I call real science that you can use!
And by the way, Al Roker showed everyone that the term "polar vortex" is at least as old as 1959. "So stuff it," he advised all the naysayers.
Ishmael Beah was Stephen's guest last night. It was an uplifting interview which seems hard to believe since Ishmael Beah spent his early teen years as a child soldier in Sierra Leone. He describes himself as a hopeful person. It was Unicef that removed him from the fighting. As frightening as that experience was for a young boy, he admitted he also finds the cold weather in New York's wintertime also quite scary. He previously wrote the book "A Long Way Gone." His newest book is "Radiance of Tomorrow."
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Wait Outside
The Polar Vortex is going back where it belongs, up at the Polar North. And that fuels the Global Warming debate again. One person is getting tired of what Global Warming is doing to the planet though and that is Donald Trump. He thinks it is bs and that it has got to stop.
Thank you, the Donald. I'm glad you are among the people who want global warming, and all the bs that comes with it, to stop.
Sadly, so many people, and some of them should know better, think that one day of weather in their neighborhood is equal to climate over a long period of time and affecting the entire planet. For example, it has been cold in the old US of A and other places in the northern hemisphere. But Australia? It's bloomin' hot down there. Read more about it here.
How can a person judge what is a credible source of information? Stephen showed a clip of someone from Fox News talking about a picture of Al Gore's book, "An Inconvenient Truth." She was able to post a picture of the book with a price tag taped on it with $1. She has no idea where the picture came from which prompted Stephen to comment on the best news reports ending with, "I don't know where we got this." Leave it to Stephen to note that Steve Doocy's book, "Tales from the Dad Side: Misadventures in Fatherhood (Hardcover)" can be found online at Amazon for a penny!
Many people are talking about income inequality. One of those persons is Barack Obama. Another one is Pope Francis. Here to argue with Stephen, best Catholic, was the Colbert Nation's Chaplain, Father Jim Martin. As usual, Father Jim was gracious, but Stephen was able to trip him up on many points that he tried to make. I'm sure the two remain good friends.
Stephen had a time traveler on the show. I knew that he was going to be there even before he showed up. Anyway, it was Time Traveling Brandy Thief. Although researchers could find no evidence of time travelers, somehow this Time Traveler was able to steal Stephen's brandy and to even know, before Stephen picked a card, that it would be the Three of Clubs!
Stephen's guest last night was John Seigenthaler, new news anchor for Al Jazeera America. Stephen grilled him, while still promising to give him The Colbert Bump. John Seigenthaler worked hard to help Stephen understand what Al Jazeera America is all about. It's about news. He asked if Stephen had been watching journalism. "I am journalism," responded Stephen. And Al Jazeera is about a peninsula. So, now everyone knows.
Thank you, the Donald. I'm glad you are among the people who want global warming, and all the bs that comes with it, to stop.
Sadly, so many people, and some of them should know better, think that one day of weather in their neighborhood is equal to climate over a long period of time and affecting the entire planet. For example, it has been cold in the old US of A and other places in the northern hemisphere. But Australia? It's bloomin' hot down there. Read more about it here.
How can a person judge what is a credible source of information? Stephen showed a clip of someone from Fox News talking about a picture of Al Gore's book, "An Inconvenient Truth." She was able to post a picture of the book with a price tag taped on it with $1. She has no idea where the picture came from which prompted Stephen to comment on the best news reports ending with, "I don't know where we got this." Leave it to Stephen to note that Steve Doocy's book, "Tales from the Dad Side: Misadventures in Fatherhood (Hardcover)" can be found online at Amazon for a penny!
Many people are talking about income inequality. One of those persons is Barack Obama. Another one is Pope Francis. Here to argue with Stephen, best Catholic, was the Colbert Nation's Chaplain, Father Jim Martin. As usual, Father Jim was gracious, but Stephen was able to trip him up on many points that he tried to make. I'm sure the two remain good friends.
Stephen had a time traveler on the show. I knew that he was going to be there even before he showed up. Anyway, it was Time Traveling Brandy Thief. Although researchers could find no evidence of time travelers, somehow this Time Traveler was able to steal Stephen's brandy and to even know, before Stephen picked a card, that it would be the Three of Clubs!
Stephen's guest last night was John Seigenthaler, new news anchor for Al Jazeera America. Stephen grilled him, while still promising to give him The Colbert Bump. John Seigenthaler worked hard to help Stephen understand what Al Jazeera America is all about. It's about news. He asked if Stephen had been watching journalism. "I am journalism," responded Stephen. And Al Jazeera is about a peninsula. So, now everyone knows.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Again.... Salisbury Steak
Welcome back Stephen. Stay warm. Also Happy New Year. I'm sure 2014 will be the best year yet.
Stephen reminded us that it is cold and this is due to a polar vortex. By Thursday, it will be in the mid-40s for a "Partly CloudPocalypse with a 20% Chance of Rain-A-Geddon." (Okay, that's a safe prediction. Somewhere it will be 40 degrees.)
In what is a great idea for Fisher Price and iPad, there is now a Fisher Price Bouncy Chair that can hold an iPad above baby's head. Even better than that is the iPotty. Oh, yeah, you can just figure out what that is, right? Your baby and your iPad locked together on one device while both do their stuff. Oh, the possibilities. For example, a typical Skype Scenario: "Gramma, Gramma, Gramma. Guess where I am. Guess what I'm doing right now. Do you wanna see it?"
Stephen's guest last night was Ken Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. While Stephen wondered at the idea of just watching while Human Rights abuses occur, Ken Roth explained that shining a spotlight on such abuses can actually bring about change. For example, dictators would like to work in secret. When abuses are exposed, positive change can come about. Go look at the website. You can even find information about the upcoming Olympics here.
Stephen reminded us that it is cold and this is due to a polar vortex. By Thursday, it will be in the mid-40s for a "Partly CloudPocalypse with a 20% Chance of Rain-A-Geddon." (Okay, that's a safe prediction. Somewhere it will be 40 degrees.)
In what is a great idea for Fisher Price and iPad, there is now a Fisher Price Bouncy Chair that can hold an iPad above baby's head. Even better than that is the iPotty. Oh, yeah, you can just figure out what that is, right? Your baby and your iPad locked together on one device while both do their stuff. Oh, the possibilities. For example, a typical Skype Scenario: "Gramma, Gramma, Gramma. Guess where I am. Guess what I'm doing right now. Do you wanna see it?"
Stephen's guest last night was Ken Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. While Stephen wondered at the idea of just watching while Human Rights abuses occur, Ken Roth explained that shining a spotlight on such abuses can actually bring about change. For example, dictators would like to work in secret. When abuses are exposed, positive change can come about. Go look at the website. You can even find information about the upcoming Olympics here.
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