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Fremde Frau

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Posts posted by Fremde Frau

    S01.E18: Miss America

    in Last Week Tonight

    Oh, I agree. At least Jon knows what he's asking... even if his interviewee can't always follow Jon's train of thought. Hee.

     

    (Is the purpose of those questions simply to stump the contestants? I have no context outside of what John showed us.)

    S01.E18: Miss America

    in Last Week Tonight

    I loved that segment. The way he talked about their week gave me this image of them as terriers digging and digging at a hole, knowing the prey is down there somewhere and not giving up, nope, not even for dinner. The dismissal of Trump and criticism of the MAP's bullshit claims about scholarships were so well done.

     

    The only thing that bugged me a little was the bit about "ridiculously complex questions." Yes, they are contestants in a pageant that is about their beauty and marketability, but the initial joke sort of played on the old trope that (pretty) girls can't be expected to worry their pretty little heads about such weighty issues. Why is it "crazy" to ask these young women questions like the ones he showed? As opposed to what? Is it really "ridiculously complex" to have an opinion about government policies, privacy, torture, or crises around the world? Like he said, it's a little easier to mock the contestants for saying dumb things, and I realize that he was setting up the larger theme about scholarships, but it was still leaning on that same old trope. The bit with the "No" commercial last week hit that note better, I thought, by deconstructing it. I like that he included the answer to the ISIS question, admitted that it was good, and went on to point out that many of the contestants are impressive for more than their looks. Maybe I'm reaching... Maybe his amazement was just that any young American citizen of undefined education would be able to articulate a solid and globally-aware answer to a big issue in such a short amount of time.

     

    That said, the third question by Ian Ziering was convoluted. (It was almost like one of Jon's scenic-route questions. Heh.)

     

    Disclaimer: I don't watch the MAP, so I don't know if these questions were representative or if he chose mild examples.

    S01.E18: Miss America

    in Last Week Tonight

    They may or may not be touching on Scotland again. From their Twitter:

    Tonight's show will be full of exciting surprises if you've managed to avoid learning the result of Scotland's referendum on independence!

     
    There was also this "spoiler":

    @LastWeekTonight I'd like to report that @iamjohnoliver says many smart & hilarious things on the show. Oops, was that a #spoiler?

    Just got done w/ the taping of @iamjohnoliver's @LastWeekTonight. Watch tonite to hear me guffaw, giggle & cheer. And a #secretguest!

    "The Daily Show": Week of 9/15/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    It was pretty awkward. They referenced it in the bit, but it's hard for any farewell to live up to what John got last December. That one was just beautiful in so many ways. Even Stephen's "impromptu" tribute this year felt small by comparison... although I'm guessing they have something big and emotional in store for his last show. (I wonder what Jon's last show would be like? Would he try to sneak out the back door, so to speak, or would he get the grand send-off like Letterman or Colbert? I get the feeling that he'd rather retire with as little fanfare as possible.)

     

    Back on topic (sorta): I wonder how much of a given it is that Clinton will be the Democratic candidate in 2016. Who else could run with any hope of success? It's definitely not Biden. I wish Warren would run, as I frankly prefer her to Clinton, but she's said no pretty unequivocally, hasn't she?

    "The Daily Show": Week of 8/4/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    "Dr. Affleck" (Alexander van Tulleken) returns Jon's mancrush.

     

    In other news, I had no idea that the reach and reputation of TDS is such that even a medical doctor 1) considers it a potential nightmare to be mentioned on TDS and 2) volunteers his name to the list of people who "get their news" from it. This is freaking me out. Who put me under a spell for 14 years that it took me until last October to see TDS for the first time? That is some serious fail on my part.

    The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore in the Media

    in The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore [V]

    From the NY Daily News, here is a short interview with Larry Wilmore:

    “Being on the East Coast, it is easier to get guests in politics and some social areas we are going to be talking about,” says Wilmore. “It won’t be a celebrity-driven show as much as a political-social type of show.”

    And don’t expect “Minority Report” to be a knockoff of Colbert’s hit show, although both are produced by “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart.

    “It’s very early on, and we have had some discussions with Jon Stewart about it, and we have talked about what it is we want to do, and we will start very simple,” says Wilmore.

    “The show is really about having a conversation, and we will start with a simple idea and we will grow from that. I feel the pressure the night before the first show and I will feel my performer’s jitters,” says Wilmore. “At this stage it is very exciting to think about the things we are going to do.”

    In the Media: The Blogs Must Be Crazy

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    I made the mistake of reading the comments section.
     
    EDIT, from Mediaite: Thomas Ryan Red Corn, a comedian and one of the activists, posted two images on his Instagram account from the Daily Show shoot. Jason looks like he was up to his usual antics.

    We had a blast shooting with @thedailyshow Jason Jones is a master of his craft. We will keep you in the loop as to when the show airs but many thanks to them for amplifying our voices to #changethename


    Here's an additional quote from the Post on what the experience was like for the Native American activists:

    “My heart goes out to them because they are people, too,” said Tara Houska, an Ojibwe from Couchiching First Nation who lives in the District and works for the grass-roots group Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry. “But it’s a weird position for them to take, because someone is crying over the loss of their offensive mascot when I am right there, standing in front of them. I don’t think they’re racist. I think their mascot is racist.”

    The Native Americans endured some abuse, too, when they were taken to FedEx Field on Sunday to interact with Redskins fans who were tailgating before the home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That also got ugly. At several points, according to one of the Native Americans, Redskins fans yelled obscenities at them, and one guy shouted, ‘Thanks a lot for letting us use your name, boys!’”

    "The Daily Show": Week of 9/15/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    Is it odd that Michael's brief time on TDS mostly made me realize how badly I miss Aasif, Al, Wyatt, and even John? As much as we get of John on his own show, I still miss his interactions with other correspondents and with Jon at the desk. I've been missing Larry lately, too. Hopefully, they'll do some crossovers next year. I wish they would do more to troll each other's shows from time to time, the way Stephen sometimes does with TDS.

    • Love 2

    In the Media: The Blogs Must Be Crazy

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    @purist, you might like this one, too. No kitten, but it's a nice shot.

    Here is a Washington Post article on an upcoming Jason Jones piece about the "Redskins" issue.
     

    The four die-hard Redskins fans thought the opportunity was as golden as the vintage helmets of their favorite football team: “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” wanted them to appear on the Comedy Central program to defend the team’s name, which has been under relentless attack.

    The Redskins Nation citizens eagerly signed up, most of them knowing they might get mocked in their interview with correspondent Jason Jones. But several hours into the Sept. 13 taping of the yet-to-air episode, the fans, all from Virginia, said they were suddenly confronted by a larger group of Native American activists — all of whom were in on the showdown prearranged by “The Daily Show.”

    The encounter at a Dupont Circle hotel was so tense that an Alexandria fan said she left in tears and felt so threatened that she later called the police. She has told “The Daily Show” to leave her out of the segment but doesn’t know whether the producers will comply.

    "The Daily Show": Week of 9/15/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    Maybe he'll not-ask him that question by asking him, instead, what he thinks of his wife undoing decades of accomplishments in women's rights by leaving an important job in the public sphere to work the most thankless of all jobs from inside their House.

     

    p.s. I cannot wait for this interview. Because BILL CLINTON.

    Rosewater

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    I don't know what's wrong (perhaps it's geoblocked?), but I can't get the interview to play no matter how many different browsers I try. My life hates me. It's as though it's telling me, "Stop playing! Go back to your studies!" But I want to play once in a while.

    S01.E17: Scottish Independence

    in Last Week Tonight

    While Thursday will decide our fate, if it is a Yes vote, independence won't come into effect right away. They're aiming for March 2016 for that to happen. So, it shouldn't really have any impact on your visit - unless, by 'attend', you mean like attending University? In which case, it might.

     

    Yes, I meant attend as in attending a graduate program at Edinburgh. I've been working on my application paperwork since the summer and plan to submit it by December. I'm still going to try, because the only way for sure it won't happen is if I don't try, but now I'm nervous about my chances as an international grad student.

    • Love 2

    The Colbert Report in the Media

    in The Colbert Report [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    For what it's worth, there is actual research on the topic.

    "The Irony of Satire: Political Ideology and the Motivation to See What You Want to See in The Colbert Report"

    Abstract
    This study investigated biased message processing of political satire in The Colbert Report and the influence of political ideology on perceptions of Stephen Colbert. Results indicate that political ideology influences biased processing of ambiguous political messages and source in late-night comedy. Using data from an experiment (N = 332), we found that individual-level political ideology significantly predicted perceptions of Colbert's political ideology. Additionally, there was no significant difference between the groups in thinking Colbert was funny, but conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements. Conservatism also significantly predicted perceptions that Colbert disliked liberalism. Finally, a post hoc analysis revealed that perceptions of Colbert's political opinions fully mediated the relationship between political ideology and individual-level opinion.

     
    I guess they believe he's mocking the perception by liberals of conservative icons like Bill O'Reilly by playing the character over the top and speaking truthiness to power (i.e., the liberal monolith that is everyone in the universe who thinks differently from them)?

    In the Media: The Blogs Must Be Crazy

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    I feel like a horrible fan of comedy saying this, but I've never watched Weekend Update. Actually, I've only seen a handful of clips from SNL. It wasn't something that I had access to for most of my childhood in Japan, and when I moved to the States, I had other interests that took up time. I basically only know the clips that make the news, like the Sarah Palin parody, and clips from various "best of" lists. Is it anything like TDS/TCR/LWT? How badly am I missing out?

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