The Colbert Report is a late night satirical current affairs program aired on Comedy Central, featuring Stephen Colbert as a right-wing pundit in the model of Fox News broadcaster Bill O'Reilly. The show covers contemporary political, social and cultural topics.http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Colbert
The idea for the program as well as the Colbert character came into existence in 2005 as a result of The Daily Show's popularity and a desire to keep Colbert on and for that franchise to expand. The Colbert Report was launched on October 17, 2005 for an eight week trial without a pilot. Colbert admits that his show persona is a blend of Stone Phillips and Geraldo Rivera.http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-10-13-colbert_x.htm
Report Format
The program opens with various patriotic imagery to depict the tone as well as a clever quip. Here is where The Word is presented and defined. Next come the daily headlines and Colbert's tongue in cheek take on them along with an occasional interview relating to one of the stories. This leads into a skit or some laughter evoking graphics. The celebrity interview is a favorite segment featuring famous politicians, authors and musicians. The show is taped before a live studio audience and is very interactive, with Colbert engaging the audience during various portions.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colbert_Report#cite_note-USATodayLevin-8
Certain episodes focus on one topic for their entirety while others take a broader stroke to current affairs. Sometimes the show travels to foreign destinations as with the June 2009 USO tour.http://www.colbertnation.com/about
Cultural Influence
The Colbert Report frequently makes reference to modern American culture, notably through the spread of ideas via the Internet. A Wikipedia-esque site, Wikiality, is a Colbert-themed encyclopedia where "truthiness" is more important than fact.
Colbert also initiated a web-based campaign, urging viewers to vote for him to win the name of a Hungarian bridge. Although Colbert did win the contest and was presented with a victory declaration from the Ambassador of Hungary, the bridge was ultimately named the Megyeri Bridge.http://www.bridgesofbudapest.com/bridge/megyeri_bridge
The Colbert Report: A Rare Behind-the-Scenes Look
This is a clip of Stephen Cobert's interview of John Kerry for The Colbert Report. There's some preparation that takes place before the show and the studio is very small. But the guests are big. Stephen Colbert states that during the interview he will be in character, acting like an idiot. He also indicates that he will be willfully ignorant during the discussion. They discuss the concept for the show mentioning John Kerry's candidacy for president and suggesting that Senator Kerry try to let loose and really be himself.
References
Fast Facts
-
Pronounced
"Cole-bare Reporr"
-
New Episodes
M-Th, 11:30/10:30c
-
Network
-
Current Season
6
-
First Aired
-
Starring
-
Theme Song By
