Comedy | December 23, 2009 | 9 comments

Steven Colbert: Glenn Beck 'Raised The Stupid Bar' To 'Nearly Inapproachable'

source: http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/james_warren/2009/12/a_special_colbert_report_a_comic_...

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When Chicago's Second City comedy troupe held a weekend-long 50th anniversary bash, the obvious highlights were Friday and Saturday shows with Martin Short, Steve Carell, Bonnie Hunt, Jim Belushi, George Wendt, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, Shelly Berman, Rachel Dratch, Robert Klein, Jack McBrayer and tons more.

There were also panel discussions, including one in which alumnus Stephen Colbert and writers on his "The Colbert Report" held forth. Along the way, they revealed what didn't get said at a controversial Washington engagement, underscored the impossibility of parodying Glenn Beck and wondered just a bit about the comedic forays of serious-minded news hosts like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow.


http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/james_warren/2009/12/a_special_colbert_rep...
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    Glenn Beck,  Keith Olbermann,  Rachel Maddow,  Media News,  19 more
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9 comments // Steven Colbert: Glenn Beck 'Raised The Stupid Bar' To 'Nearly Inapproachable'

  • WhiteNoise
    • 0
      WhiteNoise  

    • HAVE A GREAT ONE CURRENT & ALL ;)

      FATHER CHRISTMAS, give us some money
      Don't mess around with those silly toys.
      We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over
      We want your bread so don't make us annoyed
      Give all the toys to the little rich boys

    • 2 years ago
  • WhiteNoise
  • idealist
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  

    • Comedians don't heal nor help the world in the long run. They neither solve problems or start revolutions. They don't think outside of their audiences laughs and they certainly don't stand up for much.

      Actually that's not true. I can think of one comedic person that put his life on the line to stand up for what he believed in and his name did not start with a J for Jon or a S for Steven.

      It's a C for Charlie Chaplin.

      And maybe Bill Cosby. But that's about it.

      Pandering to the audience wants isn't doing much for anyone other than being a slave to everyone else's views.

    • 2 years ago
  • cupcakewithsprinklez
    • 0
      cupcakewithsprinklez  
    • J_Jammer:

      I agree. I think Stephen Colbert is very funny and has thought provoking commentary from time to time but there will never be another Charlie Chaplin. I forget what his filmed was called about Hitler but if you haven't seen it you should rent it. His commentary on Hitler and the Third Reich was dead on long before the general public really knew what Adolf was doing to the Jews. Let's not forget the amazing speech Chaplin makes at the end of the film. There needs to be more people taking risks for what they believe in instead of feeding into the p.r. bullcrap they're made to say.

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  
    • J_Jammer:

      I want to see comedians actually risk something other than pretend to risk something. Pandering to the masses and pretending you're giving a message that'll last throughout history is the best joke most of them ever do.

    • 2 years ago
  • Guyatthebusstation
    • 0
      Guyatthebusstation  
    • J_Jammer:

      great post! I 100% agree. Albeit i haven't watched much Chaplin, Cosby is a stone cold stud. Cosby has been bashed for being an uncle tom for years, by the likes of shaprton and j. jackson. However, he stands by his guns, strong home life, and a strong education will bring you to a happier life.

    • 2 years ago
  • JonRaymond
  • WhiteNoise
    • 0
      WhiteNoise  
    • Image

    • STEPHEN IS A LIVING SEX GOD ;)

      ...AND THE SHARPEST POLITICAL COMMENTATOR IN AMERICA !

      PROOF OF CONCEPT...

      COLBERT NAILS IT !

      The Word - Let Freedom Ka-Ching
      http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/249055/september-15-2009/...

      September 15, 2009
      The Word segment & the Jeffrey Toobin one that follows & finishes with a knock-out punch to Supreme Court Jester Scalia...

      I'M NOT ALONE TO HAVE NOTICED ;)

      Colbert Goes There - The Only Media Figure In America To Call Out Corporate Control Of Government
      http://crooksandliars.com/dday/colbert-goes-there-only-media-figure-america

      The Colbert Report last night featured one of the most subversive and brutally honest half-hours of television in recent memory. It's a sad commentary that it takes a comedy program to provide more news and information on one of the most critical subjects in American politics that anywhere else in our broken media and political landscape, but I'll take this argument wherever I can get it.

      Colbert spent two full segments of his show focusing on the Citizens United Supreme Court case, which could - and probably will - lead to deregulating the entire campaign finance process, allowing corporations to give unlimited money to any candidate of their choosing. This severe step backwards with enormous implications has been barely discussed in any traditional media setting, but Colbert went after it vigorously, discussing the consequences and even the flawed legal rationale, a true third rail of American politics, corporate personhood.

    • 2 years ago
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