After all the excitement from Comedy Central and the web, I must say I was expecting a little more from the O'Reilly/Colbert appearance swap. Don't get me wrong, though, because I was definitely entertained. It's just that I didn't think the whole thing lived up to the hype. When it ended and the dust quickly cleared, I confusedly blinked and looked around. No carnage... Only mild scrapes, light bruises and the sound of my annoyingly exaggerated sighs. I wanted to see blood on those crisp French cuffs, damn it. Oh, well. I guess we can't get everything we want.Stephen Colbert on The O'Reilly Factor:
I didn't watch this until it was uploaded on YouTube, of course. Once, when I was very young and naive, I tried to sit through an entire episode of The Factor. That proved to be a terrible mistake, because, before the Talking Points Memo was even over, I could feel myself trying to will my brain to die. I also cried for about five days. Anyway, I had learned my lesson and decided to take the safe YouTube route, skip all the Factor stuff and get straight to the interview.
I thought Colbert did a great job, especially in handling O'Reilly when he kept trying to get Colbert all testy and defend Jon Stewart. He even got a lot of laughs from O'Reilly's crew, which was a pleasant surprise. I wonder if any of O'Reilly's viewers thought Colbert was a real guy. Oh, and, as much as I hate to do this, I must commend O'Reilly for being enough of a sport to bring Colbert on this program. It took balls, O'Reilly. Big, brass balls.
Some of my favorite quotes...
- Colbert: "I'm afraid of bears. I think owls are a waste of time."
- Colbert: "I'm doing you, Bill." (Immature, I know. I'm sorry, I can't help myself)
- Colbert: "They criticize what you say, but they never give you credit for how loud you say it."
- O'Reilly: "Who are you?! ColberT or Colbert?!"
Bill O'Reilly on The Colbert Report:
I never thought I would think such things, but I was expecting more O'Reilly. God, that sounds so wrong, but... it's true. I was tuning in for a full half-hour of Colbert on O'Reilly action (okay, that sounds wrong). Instead, we got six minutes. Six? Seriously? They devoted an entire episode to some silly guitar contest, but the man who inspired Colbert's entire persona (and therefore, show) got just as much time as any other no-name guest? That's no way to treat Papa Bear. I expected at least a sixteen-minute tribute to the Factor, not the usual Report material at the top of the show.
The oh-so-subtle sexual predator jab made me laugh so hard, I shot orange juice out of my nose... And I wasn't even drinking orange juice! Talk about walking the line. The pre-interview montage, 30% sticker, and O'Reilly's secular progressive picture were also hilarious. Oh, and, apparently, Colbert really did steal a microwave from the green room.
Again, I must commend O'Reilly for coming on the show, even though it was pretty obvious he tried to take down Colbert and totally failed.
Some of my favorite quotes...
- Colbert: "I am a deeply religious man who will do anything you say."
- Colbert: "Deal or No Deal? Pick a side! We're at war."
- O'Reilly: "I'm not a tough guy... This is all an act. I'm sensitive --"
Colbert: "If you're an act... then what am I?"
- Colbert: "What's destroying our country more? Activist judges, illegal immigrants, gay marriage, or NBC News?"
O'Reilly, without hesitation: "NBC News."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-19-2007 @ 11:14PM
Ytoabn said...
Why aren't episodes of the Colbert Report covered like episodes of the Daily Show. It seems that only when Colbert does a special that you guys review it.
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1-19-2007 @ 11:17PM
tricia said...
I saw the same show that you did. O'Reilly wasn't "trying to take Colbert down", it was an entertaining little exchange by two men in the public who both had a lot to gain by doing this little bit. No real news. No hard-hitting debate. Just a highly publicized "interview" which was quite amusing. Nothing more. Nothing less. Everybody who thought that the cosmos would open up because of this really needs to rethink their priorities. There are a lot more important things in the world to be worried about, such as whether Jim and Pam will get together, and whether Andy will be fired. That is just as "important" as the Colbert-O'Reilly exchange. A nice diversion from the real tragedies in the world.
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1-19-2007 @ 11:24PM
Annie Wu said...
Ytoabn: One of us used to do reviews for the Report, but I'm not sure why those stopped.
Tricia: I wasn't expecting a mind-blowing throwdown, but since there seemed to be just as much publicity about the event as the Decemberists thing, I thought it'd be a bigger deal. And I still stand by my opinion that O'Reilly looked like he was trying to break Colbert out of his character and make him mess up.
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1-19-2007 @ 11:27PM
bd said...
(paraphrasing)
Colbert: I had to leave because Jon Stewarts a sexual predator. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?
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1-20-2007 @ 12:28AM
GhaleonQ said...
Colbert was actually funny again, which was nice. After he stopped doing his O'Reilly impression (after the 2nd week, when critics said that it would "get tired"), it devolved into stupid fanbase fodder. And, like it or not, O'Reilly is far, far better at making for funny interviews than Colbert's non sequiters.
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1-20-2007 @ 12:09AM
Sam G. said...
O'Reilly wouldn't know irony if it hit him in the head with a 2x4.
Truth be told, I was kind of hoping Colbert would appear out of character and they would have something approaching a serious interview.
Also, I don't know if anyone watched the segment after Stephen came on, but Bernard Goldberg looked like he just ate a Sour Patch Candy through the whole discussion. i think he might hate Jon Stewart more than O'Reilly.
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1-20-2007 @ 12:26AM
David said...
O'Reilly is a dummie. If you agree with to do the interview than go in it 100%. He didn't make any jokes at all and was completely serious. The only good part is when O'Reilly admited he was an act and Cobert went "Then what am I?".
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1-20-2007 @ 12:55AM
Donnie said...
I think I'm falling in love with Annie Wu.
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1-20-2007 @ 1:29AM
Akbar Fazil said...
After O'reilly was on TDS and John was almost nice to him I didn't expect anything special out of this at all.
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1-20-2007 @ 3:58AM
Joseph said...
As a Barnes and Noble employee, the 30% sticker over O'Reilly's face made me lose it, because I have done that to O'Reilly's book many times just to amuse myself, as have many other people I know. It's one of those gags that 90% of the audience got a chuckle out of, until they notice that if you go into ANY barnes and noble, you'll see about 50 examples of that at work.
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1-20-2007 @ 7:26AM
andy said...
WAKE UP PEOPLE....it was funny and both guys actually know and like each other. Stop thinking the right and left all hate each other. If Al Sharpton has no problem with O'Reilly ( they are often on each others radio shows)why should we who disagree with him. When I was young it was the conservatives who came across as intolerent and rude, now it is the liberals who have no patience for those they disagree with.
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1-20-2007 @ 8:44AM
Susan F. said...
Most were hoping for Colbert’s wonderful audacity, displayed so admirably at the White House Press Corp dinner, where he astonished everyone by blatantly taking the President all the way out with undeniable truths. His routine was a perfect moment of comedy and commentary. Colbert had the blatant nerve to unexpectedly speak comic truths in that previously duplicitous arena. He cemented himself as a principled and outrageous comic. Bill O'Reilly has recently and disgustingly played Satan's psychiatrist, attacking and publicly, disgracefully analyzing the rescued Sean Hornbeck's motives for not running from his captor. If O’Reilly causes a kid’s suicide in the name of ratings of the rich and pious, will it just be right wing road kill? I think Colbert failed miserably by not addressing the audacity of that self proclaimed hypocritical advocate of illusory decency. Doesn’t Bill O’Reilly (affectionately referred to by Colbert as Papa Bear) sit at the right hand of our born again President as the devils advocate? What a disappointment the touted guest spot exchange turned out to be! I thought the shows would be, at least more than reciprocal ass kissing. Where was the Stephen we all know and love? It was like Colbert on valium limited by a mysterious prenuptial agreement. I guess Colbert is just a “fun kinda guy after all” – pure fluff!
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1-20-2007 @ 9:22AM
Dan said...
Colbert proved himself at the correspondents' dinner. No lightweight could have have pulled that off.
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1-20-2007 @ 10:58AM
David said...
WAKE UP ANDY!!! If Bill-o makes fun of Cobert's show all the time and how it lame and yadda yadda then he really doesn't respect Cobert.
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1-20-2007 @ 11:08AM
erroneous_nick said...
It's funny to see the anger generated by a couple of entertainment spots. These guys are both entertainers and that's what you got. If you want blood, maybe you're looking in the wrong place.
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1-20-2007 @ 11:49AM
DanGarion said...
Wow some of these comments are funny. Do you people really think that if these two "acts" hated each other they would had each other on their shows. This was a publicity stunt that helped both shows. This isn't a right wing / left wing thing. These are two guys that are playing parts in their shows. Is it true O-reilly is a right winger? Yes, but that doesn't mean he lacks respect for Colbert. Just as Colbert has respect for O'Reilly. They realize that they both exist and continue to exist by feeding off each others shows. It makes money... Which is all it boils down too.
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1-20-2007 @ 2:13PM
DiRT said...
Considering that Colbert points to Keith Olbermann and Anderson Cooper as part of his character, why do you think he's as simply defined politically as Jon Stewart?
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1-27-2007 @ 2:04PM
Daniel said...
Colbert can definitely do a better comedy routine then this bill o'Reilly's parody. He has been a great comedian and will still be no matter what bill o'Reilly's throws at him. People like o'Reilly's need to be brought down because really all they are, are bullies. When one or two people want to stand up against such a hot head like o'Reilly's, o'Reilly's has to do what he has to do to keep his ratings high as he wants them to be so he can dress nice and be the great bully that he will always be. He has to portray Colbert's audience base as reject pot smokers because he wants to look good in front of the cameras. Hey bill just cause you want to get rid of the Mexicans and everything else you hate by yelling and disgracing it does not mean your above everybody. So go ahead and have your secretary or interns tell you your better then everybody else and try and keep your cool until it all goes away bill and you can be in your own version of ignorant America. That's the only reason you went on his show in the first place because we can have big bad bill o'reilly not standing up to people who don't believe in him. Well bottom line Bill o'reilly is an actor and Colbert is an actor. Neither of them should be held in high regard. They are both show dolls and just because you get amusement or safety from listening to these people does not mean you should change what you think so you can be all happy and stupid because if one person does that it's gonna happen all across America so fucking wake up and believe in what you believe and not what the fucking media believes.
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