LSSC: Season Seven Episode Talk

[SusanM]

Last night's episode was a recent rerun and one I hadn't seen.  Stephen talking about the way people expect instant resuts had me laughing so much!  I really needed that.  He is in full Karen mode -  "Hello, America, I want to speak to your manager"!

[Annber03]

Loved the Hanukkah movies segment. I would watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rabbi and Shalom Alone :D. And the one with the woman who has eight suitors. 

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, Annber03 said:

Loved the Hanukkah movies segment. I would watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rabbi and Shalom Alone :D. And the one with the woman who has eight suitors. 

I ❤️Hanukkah Carol. LOL
And Hanukkah Carol II😁

[Annber03]

I also learned there's a ton of ways to spell "Hanukkah", so that segment was educational as well as funny :D. 

[ahisma]

I loved Casino Dreidl, with Bond and his rival having stacks of chocolate coins in front of them!

[Wilbur Whateley]

Sir Peter Jackson looks really sallow-eyed. Probably fine, but just saying, he looks bad around the eyes. Also I really didn’t like the way he answered questions - way too discursive for my tastes. Has he always been this way? I don’t recall watching many interviews with him back in the LOTR days.

[possibilities]

I enjoyed the Chanukah stuff last night, too. I also loved the popcorn business promo.

[freddi]

I cannot stand the spiel he does before “Meanwhile,” pointing at his monologue location, talking about curating the material, talking about the bits he left out, etc.  Tonight, Tuesday, I think the ramblings leading up to “Meanwhile” was longer than the material that followed.  I’ve started muting, but that also is interminable.  

Edited December 1, 2021 by freddi

[Red Bridey]

I found the Peter Jackson interview painful to watch. Stephen was so excited and such a fanboy, and I think Jackson is amazing as a movie maker, but I don't want to listen to him ever again. He's just not articulate or focussed enough for me. Too bad, but I hope to see the Beatles series eventually. I don't have Disney+ and don't know if I ever will. 

[Victor the Crab]

I get the impression that Monday's show was taped last week before the Thanksgiving holidays.

[ABay]

10 hours ago, freddi said:

I cannot stand the spiel he dies before “Meanwhile,”

Same here. I record the show and watch it in the morning, so I fast forward from the end of the monologue until the Meanwhile graphic appears.

[Annber03]

I like those opening bits before "Meanwhile" just 'cause I get a kick out of seeing how absurd and out there they get :p. I just keep wondering how he manages to rattle all of that off without tripping over the words much of the time. 

[opus]

2 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I like those opening bits before "Meanwhile" just 'cause I get a kick out of seeing how absurd and out there they get :p. I just keep wondering how he manages to rattle all of that off without tripping over the words much of the time. 

Do they do a Stefon SNL type thing here where he doesn't see it beforehand, and the writers try to make it as convoluted as possible?

[freddi]

5 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

I get the impression that Monday's show was taped last week before the Thanksgiving holidays.

OH yes, it definitely was an evergreen episode, not pegged to that particular Monday.  

[Blergh]

Is it just me or has Mr. Colbert become more openly crass in recent months? It used to be that he'd hint, do an eyeroll or maybe make a double entendre instead of going for the more blatantly tasteless options re monologues (and interviews) . I still like him overall but it's getting more and more difficult to see this happen. Wasn't one Letterman   quite enough?

 If I had the chance to talk to him I'd say to him:

Mr. Colbert, you're smarter than to have to resort to this and you're better than this! 

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, Blergh said:

Is it just me or has Mr. Colbert become more openly crass in recent months? It used to be that he'd hint, do an eyeroll or maybe make a double entendre instead of going for the more blatantly tasteless options re monologues (and interviews) . I still like him overall but it's getting more and more difficult to see this happen. Wasn't one Letterman   quite enough?

 If I had the chance to talk to him I'd say to him:

Mr. Colbert, you're smarter than to have to resort to this and you're better than this! 

I've observed this too, but I guess he has always been no-holds-barred in his monologues, it's just that you and I and others like it when Colbert directs his verbal barbs at those who we see as threats to life on earth rather than taking on tweenage boyish sex and potty humor.

Watching the interview right now with Javier Bardem re his role as Desi Arnaz. 
Bardem is such a wonderful interviewee that I can almost overlook his wardrobe faux pas, heh.

[deirdra]

Was Kristin Davis as full of alcohol as she was of facial fillers and giggles and bobblehead?

Edited December 8, 2021 by deirdra

[Annber03]

This conversation with Dr. Agus is the most optimistic, hopeful conversation I've heard about this pandemic in I don't know how long. It's so exciting to hear about all these new treatments and efforts that will help add to our efforts to combat this virus, and which will help people who really need it, like the immunosuppressed. Bless all the medical scientists and experts who've been working so hard to make these treatments possible and who've done so much to help keep people healthy and safe. Science is truly remarkable. 

Also, hey, Stephen and I are Moderna twins :p!

[freddi]

Oh, I wish Stephen would stop mentioning that the fake Friday audience is "there" on "Friday".  If he did not mention "Friday audiences" five or six times in the opening sentences, I would not be as focused on the idea that they are not there on Friday.  Really, I don't mind that they tape in advance, just don't need to keep getting hit on the head with it.  

Last night (12-11, Friday) they were not even trying very hard to patch together the segments taped with previous guests over several days.  Jon Baptiste's clothing initially was the same as Thursday (hard to forget the elaborate formal ensemble) for the monologue, then later he was in the outfit I assume he wore on the evening that Sting originally had appeared.  

[DXD526]

I know the Colbert Questionnaire is a 'thing' now, but they should consider switching up some of the questions. It was obvious Sting knew what was coming and had thought out his answers in advance. I liked it better when it was off the cuff.

And that "what number am I thinking of" question, has anyone ever managed to make anything funny out of that? Not that I can remember. It's a pointless waste of a question, and the first one that should go. 

[ahisma]

2 hours ago, DXD526 said:

And that "what number am I thinking of" question, has anyone ever managed to make anything funny out of that?

The closest I can think of is Jeff Goldblum saying a big, very specific number and then immediately saying something like, “It’s amazing, I was right!” And clowning about it for so long that Stephen didn’t even get to say, “No.” That’s about the only thing you can do with that, and it’s now been done.

[Dewey Decimate]

6 hours ago, DXD526 said:

I know the Colbert Questionnaire is a 'thing' now, but they should consider switching up some of the questions. It was obvious Sting knew what was coming and had thought out his answers in advance. I liked it better when it was off the cuff.

And that "what number am I thinking of" question, has anyone ever managed to make anything funny out of that? Not that I can remember. It's a pointless waste of a question, and the first one that should go. 

Definitely. The first couple times over the pandemic the question thing was cute, but now it's just scripted. (That said, Sting is freaking cool. He has aged amazingly well; it warms my Gen X heart.)

A further gripe: more than I think anything else on this show, I DESPISE the animated intros to the subsections of bits. Not the animation itself, but the dumbass, accents-muddled-beyond-recognition, worse-than-a-dad-joke lines they have the fucking horse or cargo ship or cow or whatever it is utter. (Or should I say "udder"? HAHAHAAHAHA the height of comedy!!) Leave in the animation if it's a necessary time-waster (as Colbert admitted) but please do away with the speaking parts. Horrible.

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, DXD526 said:

I know the Colbert Questionnaire is a 'thing' now, but they should consider switching up some of the questions. It was obvious Sting knew what was coming and had thought out his answers in advance. I liked it better when it was off the cuff.

I interpreted Sting's obvious preparation for the questions as a sort of drawing away the curtain to reveal the little man behind the Great and Mighty Oz (Wizard of Oz film reference). 
Meaning: They've probably all had the questions in advance, and any seeming "off the cuff" responses were just acting
——except, perhaps, for some who might have chosen to not prepare.
And now I wonder if they are given the questions with a note telling them to feel free to prepare or not.

6 hours ago, DXD526 said:

And that "what number am I thinking of" question, has anyone ever managed to make anything funny out of that?

3 hours ago, ahisma said:

The closest I can think of is Jeff Goldblum saying a big, very specific number and then immediately saying something like, “It’s amazing, I was right!” And clowning about it for so long that Stephen didn’t even get to say, “No.” That’s about the only thing you can do with that, and it’s now been done.

Jeff Goldblum has a hyperactive imagination, so I would bet he did a fair amount of ad-libbing in addition to any prep
——but there are a few others like him who might come up with something truly creative for that seemingly mundane question of "what number am I thinking of?" 
Jim Carrey comes to mind. Leslie Jones could be interesting too.

I guess that's the point of the  "what number am I thinking of?" question: It's a challenge to answer it in an interesting way.
But I'm mostly just playing the devil's advocate, and would be fine if they ditched that question.

I was glad Stephen didn't mention the peanut butter on apple slices with Sting. That was getting a little tired for me.

8 minutes ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Sting is freaking cool. He has aged amazingly well; it warms my Gen X heart.

Heh, he warms my Boomer heart too: google.com/search?q=how+old+is+sting 

Edited December 12, 2021 by shapeshifter
because the quotes within quotes are hard to read

[ahisma]

42 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Leslie Jones could be interesting too.

😂 I immediately pictured her saying, “Oh, mmm, mmm. I ain’t playing that with you. How the hell I’m supposed to know what number you thinking!”

[JustHereForFood]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I guess that's the point of the  "what number am I thinking of?" question: It's a challenge to answer it in an interesting way.

They could maybe say "even", or "prime number", just to see whether Stephen pauses to think or not, then we would know that he either has any specific number in mind or just automatically says No.

[possibilities]

I don't really think there is any interesting answer available to any of the questions. Apples vs oranges? Favorite sandwich? Who cares? 

If they need fillers, bring on more stand up comedians to tell jokes for a few minutes, or hire some writers who actually have something interesting to say and let them do bits like the other late night shows do. 

Having Stephen sit at the desk and ask completely boring and meaningless questions over and over again is a waste of everybody's time. Is his ego so fragile that he can't let anyone else be on camera, without him, ever?

[catlover79]

Stephen's evisceration of former GH star Ingo Rademacher last night was a thing of sheer  beauty. 🥰😂

[theredhead77]

The LotR rap had me cracking up. 

[Victor the Crab]

As a baptized Lutheran who attended a Catholic wedding, I concur with Catholicman Stephen's opinion about how too God damned long Catholic weddings are!😪

Enjoyed the animated segment. The only thing that would have made it even better is if John McClane had flown in and yelled "HO-HO-HO, MUTHAFUCKAH!!!"

[Brandi Maxxxx]

17 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

The LotR rap had me cracking up. 

I'm left imagining how weird it must have been for Anna Kendrick's agent.

[theredhead77]

49 minutes ago, Brandi Maxxxx said:

I'm left imagining how weird it must have been for Anna Kendrick's agent.

 I'm guessing not that weird. She always seems like a good sport and up for random stuff.

[Raradra]

Loved the animated segment. Any animation that includes Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene being dropped hundreds of feet from a sleigh is awesome in my book (love how those parts were the only parts audience cheered for, lol). Also, Ted Cruz's eyes look like CBS logo, which I doubt is accident. 

[possibilities]

I don't drink, but even I knew about the salt with tequila shots. I can't figure out if Anderson Cooper is genuinely naive about booze, or if it's an act. But he seems to hate all the drinking segments he does for TV, so I wish he'd just not do them. Maybe I just don't get why it's fun to see him gag after each one.

[theredhead77]

I'm so glad last week was the last week of shows for the year. I think it will kill his performer soul he has to go back into the storage closet and no audience.

[anna0852]

After SNL last night I was wondering if the late night shows will be affected.  I hope for Stephen's sake that things get better over the break.

[Ms Lark]

On 12/1/2021 at 3:01 AM, freddi said:

I cannot stand the spiel he does before “Meanwhile,” pointing at his monologue location, talking about curating the material, talking about the bits he left out, etc.  Tonight, Tuesday, I think the ramblings leading up to “Meanwhile” was longer than the material that followed.  I’ve started muting, but that also is interminable.  

I hate that word salad thing and try to avoid it by any means! I guess he thinks it makes him sound intelligent and erudite, but I think it's just irritating.

[Ailianna]

The Meanwhile intros (for mostly not that interesting of bits after) is part of why I keep thinking I should stop watching. I started in late March of 2020, and the show, from his house, with limited tech and polish, was what I needed--more honest, more sharp, and at the same time more human than so much regular news. I feel those qualities are slipping away and it's just fluff and sarcasm.

[Blergh]

On 12/18/2021 at 9:12 PM, possibilities said:

I don't drink, but even I knew about the salt with tequila shots. I can't figure out if Anderson Cooper is genuinely naive about booze, or if it's an act. But he seems to hate all the drinking segments he does for TV, so I wish he'd just not do them. Maybe I just don't get why it's fun to see him gag after each one.

I agree! I don't drink and I've made it clear that if folks don't like my company sober, they/I can head for the door- and I have a much lower income than Mr. Cooper so I don't see why he keeps doing that. It's not as though Mr. Cooper is depending on Mr. Colbert to get into a college fraternity! 

26 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

The Meanwhile intros (for mostly not that interesting of bits after) is part of why I keep thinking I should stop watching. I started in late March of 2020, and the show, from his house, with limited tech and polish, was what I needed--more honest, more sharp, and at the same time more human than so much regular news. I feel those qualities are slipping away and it's just fluff and sarcasm.

Not to mention, since Mr. Colbert has returned to the studio audience, it seems for the most part, he's quit trying to even attempt   keeping the dialogue and, specifically, the monologue from becoming base and tasteless but instead seems to be deliberately diving into crassness! As I said in another post, someone needs to tell him he's smart enough to find ways to entertain and inform without resorting to this- and he's better than this. Hence for    these reasons, I especially hate seeing this happen and am not sure how much longer I am willing to endure this galloping coarseness. 

[Hanahope]

Lol that LOTR rap was great!

[Dewey Decimate]

23 hours ago, Hanahope said:

Lol that LOTR rap was great!

I ADORE that clip. Have watched it 5 times so far and am saving it on my dvr for when I need future cheer. I love the movies and books (though do not have the encyclopedic knowledge of Stephen) and completely squee through the whole rap.

[shapeshifter]

I watched last night to catch Utkarsh Ambudkar from Ghosts, and wound up adoring CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

I was freaking out at Stephen and these 2 awesome guests being much less than 6 feet apart without masks, but then I realized they probably have access to tests.
 

[catlover79]

I'm shocked that Stephen is doing his show with an audience at this point. Seth was, too - until he tested positive and the rest of his shows this week have been scrapped. The View has gone remote again. I was shuddering watching live audiences in NYC. We may be seeing the converted storage closet again sooner rather than later.

[Victor the Crab]

4 hours ago, catlover79 said:

I'm shocked that Stephen is doing his show with an audience at this point. Seth was, too - until he tested positive and the rest of his shows this week have been scrapped. The View has gone remote again. I was shuddering watching live audiences in NYC. We may be seeing the converted storage closet again sooner rather than later.

Stephen did bring that up with Jon B tonight, and said that if they were put in the same position as they were at the start of the pandemic, that he'd FUCKIN'NOT go back into that closet. He was most emphatic about it!

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

Stephen did bring that up with Jon B tonight, and said that if they were put in the same position as they were at the start of the pandemic, that he'd FUCKIN'NOT go back into that closet. He was most emphatic about it!

Did he say anything about possibly canceling audiences and filming with just the chuckles of the crew in the theater like they did after the closet but before the return of the audience?

Edited January 5, 2022 by shapeshifter

[SG429]

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Did he say anything about possibly canceling audiences and filming with just the chuckles of the crew in the theater like they did after the closet but before the return of the audience?

At the time, when Jimmys and Seth returned to empty studios, he said he was in The Closet instead of on stage because it's not a theater/show without an audience or respect for the theater or something like that. If I'm remembering correctly he only returned to the stage when he had an audience.

Edited January 5, 2022 by SG429
adding a memory

[ABay]

He said he would do the show in the studio even without an audience because he won't go back into the closet. So to speak.

I can't find the clip on YouTube although they have every other segment.

From Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/stephen-colbert-the-late-show-covid-19-ed-sullivan-theater-1235070110/

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by ABay

[possibilities]

I was really angry about Walensky minimizing how serious the Omicron outbreak is. Healthcare workers are begging people to take it MORE seriously, because hospitals are collapsing. It's worse than in 2020 in some states. 

I missed Stephen saying he would not go back to the closet, but I heard him say he would not wear a mask. So I guess he'd rather cancel the show for 10 days than come back with a mask or do it from quarantine. 

Continuing to have an audience packed like sardines strikes me as tempting fate, but I guess he likes to live on the edge.

[ABay]

I don't remember him saying anything about a mask. I did hear him say, as the HR article I linked to above reports, that if he tested positive he would not do the show. Otherwise, he will continue to do the show from the theater with or without an audience, crew, make-up, etc.

[possibilities]

He said the mask thing during the Walensky interview. He asked her how long he would have to stay out if he tested positive. She said 5 days, and then he could come back and wear a mask for 5 more days. He said he wouldn't do that, so she said he'd have to stay home for 10 days.

I was a day behind when I posted earlier, so I only just saw him talking about not going back to "the closet" when I watched last night's show this afternoon.

[theredhead77]

I can't blame him for saying he'd do the show alone, with no make-up, in sweats and a GoPro before going back into that closet. I always figured it was a small office, but now I'm thinking it really was a converted storage closet. My office (when I went into the office) was a converted storage closet, and I cannot blame him at all for not wanting to go back.

I also didn't read too much about him saying he would stay home the full 10 days instead of wearing a mask. It's one thing for on-air journalists to mask-up, it's another for a performer.