TVSquad

The Daily Show decided to give Alan Greenspan a great send-off so they started up the "Irrationally Exuberant Tribute to Alan Greenspan". Yes, ladies and gentlemen and you two hardcore Greenspan fans, TDS had a full episode dedicated to Greenspan (except for the Charles Barkley interview). Jon expressed his love for Greenspan and his manly features ("I would totally do that guy!") and filled us in on the basics (Age: 79; Sign: Pisces; Porn name: Chad Lexington; Drag queen name: Buttons Manhattan; Jewiness Per Square Inch level of 59). Throughout the rest of the episode, correspondents joined in with their favorite Greenspan stories (Rob Corddry took Greenspan's idea once and dumped a girl he really liked, only to find Greenspan and the same woman having sex later).

Resident Expert John Hodgman (yay! He's back!) joined in to talk a little about what's in store for America now that Greenspan is gone. He used his handy crystal ball (which is slightly out-of-date, I believe, because it seemed to run on dial-up) and showed us that the future upper westside of Manhattan will look like something right out of the Dust Bowl (with hovercrafts). That's kind of crappy... but at least we'll be able to fly... in style.

The night's guest was Charles Barkley, basketball star and author of the book Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? (and, if you've been stuck with raising your kids for the past ten years or so, you might know him as "that guy from Space Jam"). To spare Barkley from having to think too much about Greenspan, Jon turned the conversation towards basketball and entertainment. Barkley jumped right on it, mentioning an earlier part of the episode when Jon said that he would "totally do" Greenspan. "Brokeback Mountain got me feelin' you right now," Barkley said to Jon. HA! Brilliant move, good sir. Jon grinned and replied, "We would make the worst couple ever!" It's not often that you get to see famous basketball stars and late-night comedians awkwardly man-flirting with each other, but when you do catch it, it's amazing. Anyway, Barkley then talked about watching certain movies (like The Perfect Storm) and thinking, each time, that maybe the good guys will make it in the end. The interview was pretty funny and left me feeling like I actually had something in common with Barkley. Hell, I would've totally started off my interview flirting with Jon if I was on the show. Good for you, Barkley.

Jon checked in with Stephen Colbert, who shared his own Greenspan anecdote (which was more about Colbert than Greenspan). Jon and Stephen were both wearing red-and-white polka dot ties! Cute. And then Jon didn't do a Moment of Zen! I mean, I guess it could have been considered a Moment, but he didn't say it. It made me sad. They ended the episode with a Greenspan montage.