"The Daily Show": Week of 8/25/14

[trow125]

8/25: DARK! (Emmy Awards)
8/26: David Rose (author – promoting book “Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire, and the Internet of Things”)
8/27: TBA
8/28: Todd Glass (comedian & author – promoting book “The Todd Glass Situation”)

[Wax Lion]

I'm really looking forward to seeing Todd Glass. He's pretty funny. He came out a couple years ago and I don't think I've seen him release anything since then. I'm looking forward to seeing his humor as an out gay man. I watched his last comedy special mentally replacing the pronouns in his relationship jokes.

[LADreamr]

I can't wait for tomorrow night.  It seems like they've been off forever.

[stillshimpy]

That's because it has been forever...and a day.  

 

Holy moly, it's almost always a depressing news cycle in late August, Jon is almost always off for an extended break and it always feels like the world has gone directly to hell in that period.  August appears to be the month where the universe just decides to fuck with the planet.  

 

How long has Jon been gone?  Megan Kelly has taken to bear swatting her fellow morons at Fox News about facts.  

 

Hurry Jon, the apocalypse is clearly nigh.  

[trow125]

Tomorrow's TBA has been filled in:

8/27: Hassan Abbas (author – promoting book “The Taliban Revival: Violence and Extremism on the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier”)

Oh boy, that sounds like it'll be nonstop comedy fun.

[LADreamr]

I really hope Robin Williams is more than just the MOZ.

[Victor the Crab]

What a way to return from a long break. By immediately covering the situation in Ferguson and unleashing righteous fury at the assholes, like O'Reilly and Hannity, who whine about race issues that wound the country and don't want to deal with it. Interesting story about the TDS crew dealing with such an issue in New York. No doubt that shaped Jon's anger about the whole thing.

 

Interestingly, we believe you Boehner.

[sunflower]

No one's anger is sexier.

Edited August 27, 2014 by sunflower

[Bastet]

I may have my issues, and will continue to note when I do, but there are so many times I absolutely love Jon Stewart and TDS.  Tonight was a shining example.

 

There was so much to cover in light of the show's absence, I think focusing on one story was the way to go.  And, boy, did they do it well -- the perfect blend of earnest "WTF is wrong with you people?" commentary and "space is the only safe place for a black man ... really, even here?!" comedy.

 

Welcome back, show.

[marceline]

I wonder who the correspondent was in the example Jon gave. It had to be Michael Che, right? Because Larry, to my everlasting disappointment, doesn't do field pieces anymore. 

[dubbel zout]

Bringing up the "war on Christmas" crap just elevated my blood pressure all over again. Of all the stupid, idiotic, unnecessary issues to whine about. Gah.

 

It's too bad that first segment won't be seen by the people who need to hear it the most.

 

David Rose was kind of elfin himself.

Edited August 27, 2014 by dubbel zout

[dusang]

The first two sections were really great.

 

I did turn off half-way through the interview though.  Like Jon, I consider the advent of "enchanted objects" to be the (potential) death of "human ability to function."  Like can we not take responsibility for any action anymore?  We need a pill bottle to guilt us into taking our meds?  We need social media to shame us into exercise?  (I actually turned off when the interviewee said he posts his FitBit data to Facebook. I just do not understand the mentality.)

[peeayebee]

I got whiplash going from the Ferguson stories to Enchanted Objects, but I will admit that I did get some chuckles out of it. I know this kind of stuff appeals to some people, like the author himself, but I agree with Jon's suggestion that this has the real potential for decreasing our own functionality.

 

I was hoping Jon would talk more about the "black-on-black crime" drumbeat. What about white-on-white crime? I don't know the percentages, but I believe that there's more white-on-white crime than the other.

 

Ferguson, racism, the whole topic is depressing, but it needs to be talked about.

 

Oh, and I don't know if anyone has used this phrase before, but I thought Missouri being the Shoot-Me State was pretty clever.

Edited August 27, 2014 by peeayebee

[dusang]

Oh -- since I turned off before the MoZ, was it Robin Williams?

[mariah23]

No, it was Boehner and his toy monkey in the room. At least his granddaughters were adorable.

[peeayebee]

I thought that was a very cute MoZ. I don't like Boehner, but it was nice seeing him in grandpa mode.

[dubbel zout]

His granddaughters resemble him, one quite strongly. Genetics!

[attica]

Let's hope they don't have the Orange gene...

[solotrek]

How good was that first segment? Wow.  Some real righteous anger with the right amount of anger thrown in. 

 

The "enchanted objects" interview was interesting.  The stone thing he had in the extended segment was cute...but also weird.

[Fremde Frau]

What an excellent episode last night. I love that he dropped the humor and spoke from the heart towards the end of it. I wish that it didn't take a white voice to stir up the kind of reaction that segment got, but given how that is so fucked up in our society, I think it's a good thing to have Jon, Stephen, and John in the current public sphere, using their platforms for good. I can't wait for Larry's show and for a time when he won't feel the kind of pressure he's described to be a perfect black host in a white landscape.

[Victor the Crab]

My Saturday morning TV watching memories ruined. Thanks ISIS, you evil douches. And thanks Bush. Your idiotic decision to invade Iraq created these creeps. Jon losing his pens was a great, unexpected bonus.

 

They should have at least showed us the clip where Michael Sam sacked Cleveland Browns QB and genial dickhole Johnny Manziel from Saturday night with Sam mocking Manziel's money rubbing hands gesture.

[peeayebee]

I thought Jon would include the Rams' Chris Long's twitter response.

[attica]

My Saturday morning TV watching memories ruined.

 

Hee! I bet I'm not the only one of a certain age who, whenever she hears reporting from the middle east, raises up her arms to the sky, touches her (imaginary, in my case) wristlets together and intones "O, Mighty Isis!" And then hears magical woooshing noises.

[Dagny]

I kept hearing...Isis..Isis. Isis.(echo-y) Okay, it was only in my mind.

 

But I usually bring up Shazam! about once every two months.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Dagny

[stillshimpy]

Yeah, where I used to live in Denver there was a metaphysical bookstore called Isis that I really loved (it's still there, I am not).  Instead, I am here: 

 

 

 

but I thought Missouri being the Shoot-Me State was pretty clever.

 

It was clever and just the right amount of witty.  Excuse me while I take to day-drinking to cope with where I currently am.  *glug*  Okay, not really (on the day drinking) but I once read an entirely alarming statistic that there are seven guns for every person in Missouri.  I don't own any guns.  I'm not fond of the things (understatement alert) so I assume that means someone has to be making up for the dearth of potentially deadly firearms in my home.  It's really rather alarming.  

It was such a good piece though and set just the right tone.  Admittedly, I nearly died of apoplexy watching the Fox News cretins braying about how they are so tired of hearing about a systemic and life-defining problem that shapes the reality of such a large portion of our population's experience here in the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Prone to Aggressive Denial".  Sorry guys, I know that sounds bitter and there's a reason for that:  Sean Hannity makes me despair in a way that incorporates impotent rage that he is given a platform to be that ass-ignorant and offensive, that frequently.  I want a void in the universe to open and swallow him whole, he's just that much of a human canker sore.  Then I feel bad about that, because that feels like the wrong thing to wish on a fellow human being.  Then he speaks again and the cycle of "GAHAAHAHA, shut up, shut up, shut up!! You represent the worst impulses and thoughts imaginable.  Why must you exist?"  starts all over again.  

 

So well done to Jon for making me laugh about it all.  His piece of Michael Sam was good too.  

I miss Jon so much when he's gone and I'm always so glad when he comes back.  I think Michael Che's piece was really well done and that he's settled into his role there very well.  

ETA:  As for the "enchanted objects" interview it's like those crazy warning stickers on air compressor cans where there's a cutout figure holding it up to its ear, with a big red crossed out circle over it.  "Don't put this in your ear (although why in god's name you would think that's a good idea, didn't your parents teach you anything useful?" basically.  So it's like that graphic, with its assumption of stupidity, spun off "and since we know that you're entirely helpless too..." marketing.  It's sort of depressing as a concept.  A pill bottle that reminds you to take your meds.  Oh dear.  

Edited August 28, 2014 by stillshimpy

[dusang]

ETA:  As for the "enchanted objects" interview it's like those crazy warning stickers on air compressor cans where there's a cutout figure holding it up to its ear, with a big red crossed out circle over it.  "Don't put this in your ear (although why in god's name you would think that's a good idea, didn't your parents teach you anything useful?" basically.  So it's like that graphic, with its assumption of stupidity, spun off "and since we know that you're entirely helpless too..." marketing.  It's sort of depressing as a concept.  A pill bottle that reminds you to take your meds.  Oh dear.  

 

Every time I see a superfluous caution tag/sign I think of Homer Simpson:

 

Kent: Springfield has come down with a fever.  Football fever, brought on by the biggest game of the year: the Pigskin Classic between the Shelbyville Sharks and our own Springfield Atoms.  If you have the fever, there's only one cure; take two tickets and see the game Sunday morning.

 

Man: Warning: tickets should not be taken internally.

 

Homer: See?  Because of me, now they have a warning.

[iMonrey]

Sam Bee's piece was hysterical. Did anyone watch the extended interview with Hassan Abbas? I didn't get much out of the bit they aired. Just a lot of vague criticism without any constructive alternatives.

[Hanahope]

ETA:  As for the "enchanted objects" interview it's like those crazy warning stickers on air compressor cans where there's a cutout figure holding it up to its ear, with a big red crossed out circle over it.  "Don't put this in your ear (although why in god's name you would think that's a good idea, didn't your parents teach you anything useful?"

 

Unfortunately, they have to put these kindof warnings on products because stupid people do this sort of thing, and then sue the manufacturer claiming they weren't "warned" against doing this.

[cattykit]

Unfortunately, they have to put these kindof warnings on products because stupid people do this sort of thing, and then sue the manufacturer claiming they weren't "warned" against doing this.

Have you bought a ladder lately?  There aren't enough rungs for all the warning stickers they have to put on them to protect themselves from liability for every possible idiotic way a ladder can be misused.

 

Samantha's piece was great.  I want Michael Sam to make the team if for no other reason than if he doesn't, the crap will start all over again with the next NFL prospect who comes out of the closet.

[dubbel zout]

Unfortunately, they have to put these kind of warnings on products because stupid people do this sort of thing, and then sue the manufacturer claiming they weren't "warned" against doing this.

 

Common sense isn't common, alas.

[Victor the Crab]

You asking our opinion about how you look, Rick Perry? How about the same as you always do. Like a stupid douche. Sadly, Governor Smirkass will probably end up dodging any time in a jail cell just because...

 

I honestly didn't know who Todd Glass was before. But I should try and look into one of his stand up acts.

 

Yay for Jon giving us some unseen clips from his movie. I guess they couldn't get Brad Pitt to do the roll of Jason.

[annabel]

I kept hearing...Isis..Isis. Isis.(echo-y) Okay, it was only in my mind.

But I usually bring up Shazam! about once every two months.

I always hear the first line of the Dylan song "I married Isis on the fifth day of may, but I could not hold onto her very long" Edited August 29, 2014 by annabel

[LADreamr]

So, Jon's really not going to say anything about Robin Williams.  

[peeayebee]

In the movie clip they showed, when Jason held up his hand for a high-five I noticed he seemed to have a big scar on his palm. Did anyone else see this?

[marceline]

So, Jon's really not going to say anything about Robin Williams.  

 

Yeah, I have to admit I'm a little surprised there's been no acknowledgement of his passing. I know that the TDS website put his interview on the homepage after it happened but given how active Williams was with the troops and other charities, I'm shocked that we haven't gotten something from either TDS or TCR.

[dubbel zout]

I'm going to be churlish and say that while it's great Todd Glass came out, he still has some work to do if he considers the phrase "being in the closet" and setting tables "feminine."

[Latverian Diplomat]

I'm going to be churlish and say that while it's great Todd Glass came out, he still has some work to do if he considers the phrase "being in the closet" and setting tables "feminine."

I'm not sure that you should take remarks that he is using for material at face value.  

[Latverian Diplomat]

I'm not the biggest fan of the biggest of "Daily Show correspondent punks unsuspecting interviewee" segments, and I really felt the interview with the German guy was an example of that just not working. The only part I liked was convincing him to taste the second most horrifying American beer they find (the worst being the unsampled strawberry version used in the followup joke).

[VCRTracking]

I admit to being surprised too, having seen him on Comedy Central and Last Comic Standing over the years. It's like when Graham Chapman of Monty Python came out and friend and fellow castmate John Cleese was  surprised, years later saying("It's as if Michael Palin told me he was Chinese. 'No offense there Michael, but it IS a surprise.'"And about his comments about It's also the otherwise masculine Chapman, who was a rugby player and mountaineer, describing himself as "a raging pouffe, but a butch one, with a pipe."

 

I hope when Ben Stiller inevitably comes on the show to promote the third Night at the Museum, he and Jon get to talk about Robin.

Edited August 29, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Latverian Diplomat]

those crazy warning stickers on air compressor cans where there's a cutout figure holding it up to its ear, with a big red crossed out circle over it.  "Don't put this in your ear (although why in god's name you would think that's a good idea, didn't your parents teach you anything useful?" basically.  So it's like that graphic, with its assumption of stupidity, spun off "and since we know that you're entirely helpless too..." marketing.  It's sort of depressing as a concept.  A pill bottle that reminds you to take your meds.  Oh dear.  

The compressed air in the ear thing isn't something someone is likely to do to themselves, but I could definitely see someone think it could be a prank, thinking a squirt of compressed air near the ear would be uncomfortable, not injurious. It's hard not to think that someone who goes from "my best friend's an asshole" to "my ex-best friend's an asshole and I'm deaf in one ear" wouldn't be sympathetic to a jury.

 

I take a single pill once a day, first thing in the morning and my biggest issue with is remembering whether or not I've taken it today. The low tech solution is a little pill organizer with one compartment per day. No need for anything more elaborate than that. I'd say that at least half of what goes at MIT Media Lab is "cool" solutions looking for problems.

[ABay]

They should've used Hans from TCR instead of the real ambassador.

[ganesh]

I really felt the interview with the German guy was an example of that just not working.

 

I thought the guy was a good sport. His sense of humor was very droll, but he seemed aware that it was partially a comedy piece and played along. I'd rather that the interviewees be in on the joke more than not. 

[iMonrey]

I didn't know Todd Glass was gay, but I've heard his stand-up material before and I never thought he was very good. We used to have a comedy radio station here so I became familiar with a lot of stand-up comics out on the circuit. If he and Stewart started out together, it must be somewhat daunting to go on Jon's show considering what a huge star he's become, compared to Glass, who I'm willing to bet few people have ever heard of before.

[LADreamr]

 

Yeah, I have to admit I'm a little surprised there's been no acknowledgement of his passing. I know that the TDS website put his interview on the homepage after it happened but given how active Williams was with the troops and other charities, I'm shocked that we haven't gotten something from either TDS or TCR.

 

I'm sure it's something I am taking too personally because I loved him so much, but the void from a lot of places really bugs me.  I felt that way at the Emmys, too.  I knew the tribute from Billy Crystal was coming, but there were a lot of comedians onstage before that (which came up more than two hours into the show), and no one breathed a word in his honor.  

 

David Letterman's tribute was beautiful and genuine; Conan was visibly shaken and stretched the remembrance out over several nights; Craig Ferguson comes back from break next week, and I can't imagine him not saying anything, after all the great interactions they had.  I even could sort of let it go with Stephen, because it's a different kind of show.  But for Jon not to say anything seems really strange.  I think the window of opportunity has closed now.  He could easily have done something for him last night.  The Rick Perry stuff could have waited; it kind of came off as filler, anyway.  

 

I'm not saying everyone has to throw themselves on his coffin, especially if it wouldn't be sincere.  I'm just really surprised that even last night, with two stand-up comedians together who, at the very least, were on the circuit at the same time as him, and knew all the same people and experiences and everything, that his name wasn't even mentioned.  

 

It's Jon's show.  He should run it as he sees fit.  I'm just surprised, and a little disappointed, because I thought he would have done it really beautifully.

[ABay]

I already got smacked elsewhere for suggesting that perhaps the death of a celebrity, however beloved and however shocking the death, did not merit breaking into programming (a news crawl is sufficient, imo) so I'm numb to another blow and will offer my unpopular opinion. 

 

I understand that Williams meant a lot to many people and I'm sorry for the sorrow this loss has brought those people. I sincerely mean that; I've certainly felt that deep personal loss over the deaths of authors and actors who touched my life without them ever knowing. Please stop reading now if you're one of those for whom Robin Williams held a special meaning.

 

As someone who enjoyed some of his performances and not others, to whom he meant no more or less than any other human being, the tributes have been over the top, overdone, and should be over. I fast-forwarded through the Emmy tribute because for my taste, the public mourning had already passed the point of credibility. I'm generally against huge displays of public grief--like the "spontaneous" mounds of teddy bears and flowers and whatnot that accumulate on sidewalks whenever someone's death hits the news--because it seems to me that it's either attention-whoring on the part of the supposed mourner or we've reached the point where private expressions of emotion have no value; it doesn't matter what you feel but what you're seen to feel.

Edited August 29, 2014 by ABay

[scarynikki12]

Does Billy have any projects coming up?  If so, I could see Jon choosing to wait and see if he'll stop by the show so they can have a belated wake.  Or, since Jon will be doing press for Rosewater, he could be waiting for his next Letterman appearance so that the two can reminisce together.  He and Robin seemed very fond of each other so it could also be that he took his death much harder than we expected and chose to contact the family and do his grieving in private.  I'm not concerned.

[Bastet]

I found Jason Jones' Russia piece rather sophomoric, but the ambassador's reaction to that beer/margarita thing was worth it.

 

The Rick Perry segment was pretty good, but just about any opportunity to mock Governor Goodhair (TM the late, great Molly Ivins) tickles me. 

 

All in all, none of this week's subsequent episodes lived up to Tuesday's for me, but it's just so nice to have the show back.

[trow125]

The reason I found the lack of a Robin Williams tribute particularly odd is because Robin co-starred with Jon in "Death to Smoochy." And he's appeared on the show several times since then, so it's not like there was any animosity there. (I actually think "Smoochy" is a highly underrated film.) I was never a huge Williams fan--he was always a little too over-the-top for me in his talk show appearances, though I do think he did superb work in some of his more understated roles ("Good Will Hunting," for example)--but I agree with LADreamr, it would have been nice to have acknowledge him somehow. Jon didn't need to eulogize him; a MoZ with a clip from one of his TDS appearances, as they have done for David Rakoff and other guests who passed away, would have been appropriate and sufficient.

[dubbel zout]

Jon's entitled to mourn Williams any way he wants. He's not obligated to do it publicly.

[Victor the Crab]

If TDS had been on the week that Robin Williams died, I have no doubt he would have paid tribute to him. And it would have been a good one. But being off for a little more than two weeks, I don't know. They didn't pay tribute to Christopher Hitchens when he died because it happened over the extended Christmas break.