Wrapping Up

Stephen is back tonight and I will again be posting on my regular schedule.

Here's a real quick wrap-up of what has happened in the past few weeks.

Obama spiked the football. (Think Mission Accomplished and Bin Laden.) Paul Ryan talks about the poor or as Stephen said, "Tough love thy neighbor as thyself. Get your own loaves and fishes." U.S. Catholic Bishops said poppycock* about Paul Ryan's budget. (* Actual word was more descriptive than poppycock.) We got to see the Richard Branson ice cube. Kermit the Frog is in hot water in Germany. Jack White was on the show, and while he was not interviewed, Stephen and Jack did talk extensively before the musical portion of the show.

There you have it. You can get more details about past shows over at Colbert Nation.

Tonight Stephen is going to have Charlize Theron on the show. She plays a queen in an upcoming movie based on a fairy tale, so that should be cute. We'll find out more tonight.

This is Where the Magic Happens

Of course, you could say that about a lot of places in the Universe, but when Stephen asks, the answer will usually mean wherever he is. Anticipation was building all week for the debut of Stephen's new hit song. We were not disappointed. He sang "Charlene II (I'm Over You)" tonight with The Black Belles. By this time next week, it will most likely be number one on any chart and every chart in the world.

What's that you say? You want to buy the record? Easy - just go to Third Man Records and buy the vinyl record or download on Itunes.

We got to see Jack White one more time on The Colbert Report. They have spent a lot of time working together on the music and also the cover art for Stephen's new hit song. And so, the natural question to ask of Jack was, "What was it like for a Jack White to work with a Stephen Colbert?" And the natural answer for that was, of course, "It was very pleasurable from start to finish ... the finish, especially the finish."

After the creative process and the nuts and bolts production of a record, how can you publicize it? Best way is perhaps to hire a Publicity Firm of course. Or, tell everyone to go to Colbert Nation and download the publicity poster "Have You Seen Our Cat and Do You Want to Buy Our Record?", print it, and then plaster it all over the place. Yep, that's the Colbert way.

All in all, it was a great show and a great week. The only low spot was when Jack White asked, "What's a Colbert Bump?"

Talib Kweli

Last things first tonight. Talib Kweli was the musical guest tonight. From his album Gutter Rainbows, he performed "Cold Rain". He also was nice enough to give Stephen a cap which improved Stephen's already ruggedly handsome good looks.

And just a quick note about our former president, George W. Bush. He was among the people at a Texas Rangers baseball game who helped set a Guinness world record for most people wearing their sunglasses at night. Stephen called this the Greatest Contribution yet for Bush. Well done, sir, well done.

And the suspense is growing, the anticipation is getting unbearable. You probably all are aware that Stephen hasn't had a hit song since he recorded, "Charlene, I'm Right Behind You." That's about to change. Stephen has been meeting with and interviewing Jack White of Third Man Records. Well, Thursday will be the premiere of Stephen's new hit song. He will be singing with The Black Belles because Jack thought it would be a good idea to pair Stephen with some real musicians. (That seemed uncalled for, but I'll let it ride since Stephen did not make a big deal out of it.)

It's not all that surprising that he would agree to produce the hit song for Stephen. When Stephen was interviewing Jack White, Stephen grilled him about his musical heroes. Jack rattled off name after name, and if you watch the video of the interview, I think you will agree that he did say Stephen Colbert. Although Stephen is thinking this will win him at least one Grammy, Jack White would not commit to that, but I think it will be one of Stephen's biggest hits yet, so a Grammy is not out of the question.

Florence + the Machine

Yet more music for Stephen's Summer of Music with his StePhest Colbchella '011. Tonight it was Florence + the Machine. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

With the Presidential Race almost here (that's right - we only have to wait until November 2012), Stephen has found the perfect generic GOP candidate. So far, he's the only one who can win against Obama at this point. The perfect generic GOP candidate is a family man, athletic, loves flags, and only has one flaw.

Next up, Stephen interviewed Jack White of Third Man Records and will do so for two more shows this week. I'm assuming that will be on Wednesday and Thursday, but I might be wrong on that. I really wonder why someone would agree to be interviewed by Stephen. There's no way to win. There's no way to come out ahead when you go up against Stephen. I guess it's something that you do and put behind you, hoping that it will be worth the agony. Luckily for all of us, Stephen did sing during part of the interview.

For the musical portion of the show, Stephen dressed appropriately while Florence + the Machine performed. The song was "Dog Days are Over" and unfortunately, I don't think there is any bonus song at Colbert Nation. But the good news is that there are two more shows this week so that means two more musical performances to look forward to.