Colbert sells out?

[anton pulisov]

Not sure what I think of this.

Stephen Colbert to replace David Letterman

It's been confirmed today...

[G-Man]

Colbert sells out?

Well, that's the end of the Colbear Repore as we know it, and the beginning of Stephen Colbert having to play it straight.

If he carries that "Stephen, Stephen" chanting along, I'll be done with him.

[Incandenza]

Colbert sells out?

CBS and Comedy Central are both owned by Viacom. He hadn't sold out before?

[anton pulisov]

Colbert sells out?

Speaking of him playing it straight, I am reminded of what is by far his finest moment, when he refused to play it straight.

[Incandenza]

Colbert sells out?

Bryaniek wrote: Speaking of him playing it straight, I am reminded of what is by far his finest moment, when he refused to play it straight.

He wasn't as popular in the US back then as he is now, and most of the media, not just the right-wing, said that he didn't do a good job and he wasn't the right kind of person to host that mutual tongue bath.

[Wouter D]

Colbert sells out?

Well, I'm sad to see the Colbert Report go, but he deserves an even bigger break. Good for him.

[WOM]

Colbert sells out?

Same sentiment here. He's a smart and thoughtful guy, and I think he's probably more Carson-like than most people would imagine.

[Reed John]

Colbert sells out?

It's great. Rush Limbaugh is saying that CBS has declared war on America's heartland. Fuck yeah.

Honestly, I don't watch the Daily Show or the Colbert report anymore. I've reached complete liberal outrage fatigue. I don't need to be told any more about how awful our government is or how evil the GOP is. Even jokes about it just make me depressed. At that hour, I prefer watching Conan, Jimmy Fallon et al. Just turn my mind off and enjoy the schtick.

Maybe Colbert feels the same way. And this will give him a much bigger platform. He'll have to pick his spots, but I suspect that, as Letterman has occasionally done, he'll occasionally break the fourth wall and speak honestly about stuff that really matters. Doing so on CBS at 11:30 will create a lot more stir than doing so on a cable show only watched by young liberals.

He's a great ad for the Church too.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/12/quiet-faith-behind-colber_n_760316.html

[WOM]

Colbert sells out?

Yeah, but none of us is perfect.

[G-Man]

Colbert sells out?

The return of the Catholics. First Fallon, who once wanted to be become a priest, gets the Tonight Show, now Colbert is the new Letterman.

Talking of Fallon, I'm very much in two minds about him. His stand-up is not great, his interviews are fluff, and his games are silly. Occasionally he comers up with genuinely great stuff, like the lip synching stuff, but mostly it's pretty soft.

On the other hand, he is such a nice guy, you feel good having him in your living room. And he exudes such infectious joy. After Jay Leno, he's rather appealing.

[Reed John]

Colbert sells out?

Well, yeah. It's all soft. I don't know what it was like in the old days, but this is how late night talk shows have generally been in my time and I'm fine with that. The interviews are supposed to be soft. But that's OK. It makes it easier for the subjects to come across as human and sometimes they tell funny stories.

I like Fallon's silly games, especially the shoot-a-random-object through a basketball hoop. I also like his impersonations of famous musicians singing 80s TV themes. He's actually very good at impersonations.

Also, as I may have mentioned, I went to high school with the guy playing sax with The Roots on the Fallon show.

The monologues of all these guys are dumb. But sometimes that's funny anyway. Like Letterman has always done, Conan, Fallon, and Seth Myers all seem to be doing an homage to Johnny Carson or, like Steve Martin, they're doing an impersonation of a comedian rather than actually trying to do cutting-edge stand-up. I feel like Jay Leno never quite got that nuance.

Seth Myers' show is Ok. Not for everyone, but I like it. Except, the chair he has for guests looks a bit uncomfortable.

[WOM]

Colbert sells out?

In between Turner Classic Movies, they air 10 minutes segments from the old Carson Tonight Show. Like, if it's between two Charlton Heston movies, they'll air some clip of Carson interviewing Heston in 1978 or something.

The thing you notice is that Carson would ask a question and then shut the fuck up while the actor got out some long, interesting thoughts. They'd let them pause and then carry on without the need to kill the dead air with some wisecrack. It was just plain interesting to watch. I'd love to see more of that.

[WOM]

Colbert sells out?

The other thing, which my dad still talks about, is that he'd have guests on who had nothing to promote. They'd just be there because they were interesting or funny or whatever. Or they'd just walk on, and Ed McMahon would make room.

If you have any interest in Carson, this is an interesting read.

http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/03/janet-de-cordova-201103

[Wouter D]

Colbert sells out?

Reed John wrote: Also, as I may have mentioned, I went to high school with the guy playing sax with The Roots on the Fallon show.

Nice.

[G-Man]

Colbert sells out?

I love The Roots.

[OnceGaza]

Colbert sells out?