LSSC: Season One All Episodes Talk

[ABay]

I will never forget where I was when the new record for the Galilean Canon was set. 

If I'd been the woman whose thoughts McAvoy was "reading" when he said "we'll do that later", I would've turned bright red and probably sueed a little.

[kib]

Sweet Chocolate Jesus I'm not sure who I'm more embarrassed for, Neil Young for participating in that dumb ass Ear of Corn skit or Colbert for asking a bona fide music legend to run lines with show staffer wearing a $75 Broadway costume shop rental. WTF?

...on a lighter note, Lizzy Caplan is pretty darn adorable.

Edited May 27, 2016 by kib

[CaliCheeseSucks]

3 hours ago, kib said:

Sweet Chocolate Jesus I'm not sure who I'm more embarrassed for, Neil Young for participating in that dumb ass Ear of Corn skit or Colbert for asking a bona fide music legend to run lines with show staffer wearing a $75 Broadway costume shop rental. WTF?

...on a lighter note, Lizzy Caplan is pretty darn adorable.

That was painful. Wondered if I was the only one reacting poorly to spectacle. 

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

I must say Stephen was right to lie down on the floor and assume the fetal position when announcing Trump had clinched the GOP nomination. 

Edited May 27, 2016 by Milk-Eyed Mender

[kib]

No wowie-zowie background behind stand-up comic Marina Franklin.  Thanks lurking LS staffer!

[ABay]

Although I'm enjoying LSSC, I'm missing TCR a lot right now. "Stephen" would've been a sharp and valuable tool against the horror of Trump in ways only a fake conservative pundit could be.

[trow125]

I wonder if the fake pundit "Stephen" would have been a gung-ho Trump supporter? It seems like he would have, and maybe that would've been a bridge too far for the real Stephen.

The bit with Trump's young advisor was silly (though the kid's obviously a good actor). I guess they pulled the plug on Friday Night Fights.

[Grommet]

Friday Night Fights was the only comedy bit I liked, so I'm sorry they've stopped doing it.

I don't watch The Bachelorette but that bit made me laugh.

Brian Greene is a great guest. I hope he shows up regularly.

[Cyranetta]

I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of Friday Night Fights was due to the showing being on vacation for a couple of weeks.

[roseha]

4 hours ago, Cyranetta said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of Friday Night Fights was due to the showing being on vacation for a couple of weeks.

I had the same thought; also they seem to want to bring in a new surprise guest for it each time so maybe they need to wait on that.

 I love the Brian Greene segments also, he has such a great way of demonstrating new discoveries and his and Stephen's enthusiasm is infectious.

[Bruinsfan]

On 5/5/2016 at 9:09 PM, Kromm said:

Lets be honest. Despite technically being a one-time Academy Award nominee, her mother's acting is pretty bad too. I know people love "Working Girl", but it certainly was amazing that she got nominated for that.

God help us if she inherited her mother's singing talent, I watched that abysmal Viva Laughlin show and Griffith made all the other non-singers sound like Broadway stars by comparison.

Stephen couldn't get the slightest bit of interest from Sebastian Stan either, and he's usually pretty good in interviews. I was wishing I could get a few shots of that tequila they were passing around.

[Hanahope]

I'm catching up on episodes I missed over the last couple of weeks.  Most episodes were samo-samo and frankly I just fast-forward through most of the celebrity interviews.

I did really enjoy Weird Al.  I enjoyed the interview with Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, two of my favorite comedy actors.

[ABay]

Hey, @Victor the Crab congrats on the new anthem!

[Jaded]

Bill O’Reilly was his usual disgusting self tonight. Was relieved to read in the other thread that his appearance had been booked before this weekend.

[Muffyn]

I understand Bill O'Reilly was booked a month ago.  I wish he was bounced for someone who is not a loudmouthed douche.  His "facts" are wrong.  He spouts this garbage like it's real and people fall for it.  He does not need another venue from which to spew this misinformation. I really wish they had either brought on someone else who could address the pain we are feeling or they had gone the comedy route and brought on someone who would not have talked about the shooting.  I can at least say that Bill's new series, Legends and Lies, is well named.  I am sure it will be full of lies.   

[kib]

17 minutes ago, Muffyn said:

I understand Bill O'Reilly was booked a month ago.  I wish he was bounced for someone who is not a loudmouthed douche.  His "facts" are wrong.  He spouts this garbage like it's real and people fall for it.  He does not need another venue from which to spew this misinformation. I really wish they had either brought on someone else who could address the pain we are feeling or they had gone the comedy route and brought on someone who would not have talked about the shooting.  I can at least say that Bill's new series, Legends and Lies, is well named.  I am sure it will be full of lies.   

I agree with you.  If the new EP considers bringing Bill-O on as an attempt to gain some 'news' cred, it would seem to be a misguided effort if for no other reason than exactly what unique or thoughtful perspective is Bill-O going to be bringing to the proceedings?  From what I saw, his contribution was little different than what he pontificates a few hours earlier each night on his own program.  So what exactly was the point, when as Muffyn rightly points out, the EP could have presumably pulled out his old Rolodex when he was working the news side of CBS and mined the name of someone who actually has some expertise in how these events manifest themselves.

A lost opportunity and further evidence that "The Late Show", a year in, still hasn't a clue as to what it wants to be or do.

[Delwyn]

Me during Blows O'Really segment: Still choked up over the Sunday school teacher style intro, immediately transitioning to holding my middle finger up to the screen even though no one can see but me. Face palm. Head scratch and beleaguered sigh. Oh, back to the middle finger. String of super profane words. "That's Secretary Clinton a-hole, not Mrs." Nope nope nope nope. This guy can go fuck himself.

Despite my rage, I still stick by my thesis that Colbert will just let guests he doesn't agree with embarrass themselves by being the levelheaded one and will lead them into dead ends to prove his own point. O'Reilly almost always falls into that trap, contradicted himself many times and came off as that drunk guy at a party just spitballing about how the country should really be run. I think Colbert trusts his audience enough to smell the bullshit and maybe that was the point of this?

That being said, after listening to Colbert's touching words, I found it really inappropriate and discordent that it was immediately followed by 20 minutes of squabbling. 

[brgjoe]

Yep, Bill-O frequently talks out of both sides of his mouth.  He says gun control isn't the answer, the talks about controlling different types of guns.

He talks about having to "destroy ISIS", but is pretty darn vague about going about it.  He talked about getting NATO more involved.  But they ain't going to get more involved unless we get more involved.  Which means putting troops on the ground.  And I don't think the American people would be thrilled about yet another unending war getting started in the Middle East.  To say nothing about how much that would cost.  My guess is too that he wouldn't raise taxes to pay for that either.

And that he won't be going over to join in on the fight.

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, brgjoe said:

but is pretty darn vague about going about it. 

That's the same MO as most conservative politicians, so of course Oh, Really? does it too. That's the shtick. Big sweeping statements with no actual plan explained. And money falling out of the sky, because per them you can't tax for it (especially from rich people), and they'll talk about "cutting spending" but never explain how blood is supposed to come from a rock, so to speak, because there's little to nothing in our system currently that can afford further cuts (short of military budgets, of course, which is what they want to grow to pay back their favors to certain companies... er... I mean to "defeat ISIS"). 

[Hanahope]

I had to echo Colbert's facepalm when Billo starts talking about how the colonies/USA defeated the British because everyone had a gun and we could do the same thing against the "Muslim jihad."  It is not the same thing at all.   

[candall]

On ‎6‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 11:25 AM, Hanahope said:

I had to echo Colbert's facepalm when Billo starts talking about how the colonies/USA defeated the British because everyone had a gun and we could do the same thing against the "Muslim jihad."  It is not the same thing at all.   

I was trying to imagine what this country would be like if there had been automatic weapons back then. 

A vastly different ecosystem since all predators and large mammals/birds would have been wiped out immediately--no wolves, cougars, bobcats, coyotes, bison, elk, eagles, hawks, vultures.  (So maybe bubonic plague from rats would have killed everyone, the end.)  Maybe several animal species evolving to survive nocturnally against human artillery.  

Lots of rumors and theories about indigenous people and tribal culture, based on mysterious artifacts. . .

[futurechemist]

I was impressed with how quickly the audience figured out what Stephen would be drawing, and Stephen being able to simultaneously reassure them while continuing the bit.

I do love sharp jokes that make the audience gasp uncomfortably.

[EyewatchTV211]

On 6/14/2016 at 0:25 PM, Hanahope said:

I had to echo Colbert's facepalm when Billo starts talking about how the colonies/USA defeated the British because everyone had a gun and we could do the same thing against the "Muslim jihad."  It is not the same thing at all.   

It's not the same, and that isn't even how the colonies defeated the English in the first place. We barely won. Just having guns didn't give us the win. It would not even be the same as people claiming they need guns to protect themselves from our own government. Guns can't exactly compete with missiles, bombs, and other more advanced weaponry that I'm sure I do not even know about.

[Delwyn]

I saw Paul Mercurio was on tonight and actually let out a squee because I have watched Strictly Ballroom an unhealthy number of times and still love it unironically. I was absolutely guttered during the opening credits when Stephen clarified "comedian" Paul Mercurio. Cruel bait and switch, show. 

[purist]

I feel your pain. But the comedian's name is spelt 'Mecurio' (without the first R).

[paigow]

On 14/06/2016 at 0:25 PM, Hanahope said:

I had to echo Colbert's facepalm when Billo starts talking about how the colonies/USA defeated the British because everyone had a gun 

I thought Mel Gibson & Heath Ledger won that war...

[Delwyn]

12 hours ago, purist said:

I feel your pain. But the comedian's name is spelt 'Mecurio' (without the first R).

That's a fact that my inner fourteen year old failed to acknowledge. All I could hear was the crowd at the final dance competition clapping the flamenco. BRB, pulling out my DVD for a re-watch. 

At least I had a Quantum Leap sketch as an apology. (Navally.)

[Grommet]

I'm so old I have Strictly Ballroom on VHS.

On topic: I continue to watch only for the opening segments and the occasional interview with a guest I really like or find interesting. I appreciate that he has kept targeting Trump and his insanity.

[ChelseaNH]

On 6/15/2016 at 9:14 PM, VMepicgrl said:

that isn't even how the colonies defeated the English in the first place

Washington spent most of the Revolutionary War retreating because he couldn't afford a real battle with the British forces.  Once his army was defeated, the revolution would be over.  He needed to keep the army intact as a potential threat.  Basically, he was stalling until diplomacy could come to the rescue.

Washington's greatness lies in having the discipline to NOT do things:  NOT get trapped in a battle with the British forces, NOT accept an offer to be made king of the newly independent colonies, NOT to run for a third term as president.

[Pollock]

On 20/6/2016 at 7:07 PM, ChelseaNH said:

Washington's greatness lies in having the discipline to NOT do things:  NOT get trapped in a battle with the British forces, NOT accept an offer to be made king of the newly independent colonies, NOT to run for a third term as president.

The anti-Jon Snow.

[possibilities]

I stopped watching the show months ago, because I was finding it unfunny and annoying. Occasionally I'll tape it if the guest is particularly interesting to me, but I've found myself more andmore unable to get through Stephen's monolgoues or the "comedy" bits they do-- I just really find his whole persona irritating and unfunny. And then his interviewing skills... well, it's already been said enough times that I'm not going to repeat it here.

But I tried again last night because of the double billing of Uzo Aduba and Neil deGrasse Tyson. I looooove Aduba, and Neil dGT is usually strong enough to not let Stephen interrupt him totally off track.

And I actually made it through the whole show and enjoyed myself! So maybe it was a fluke or maybe they really are making some progress on getting the show to work (for me).

I did think it was rude and off-putting for hem to just give the hollerin' "award" to Aduba -- she's great, but it was obvious they were planning to push aside the NC hollerers and just give it to Aduba because she's famous or something. They could have just not done the "award" at all, or let the audience decide by applause level. Or just not had Aduba participate. I thought the way they did it, it came off looking like a bait and switch, pretending to want to save the tradition but really wanting to mock it and shunt the NC practitoners aside. And I love Aduba, but it just felt wrong how they handled it, bringing her out and handing her a trophy which was obviously scripted from the start.

[ChelseaNH]

If they didn't really want to save the tradition, why did they say, "If you want to keep it going, contact so-and-so"?

[brgjoe]

This really has been a rather interesting week.  We get the usual Trump news, the Demo-sit-in, the Brexit it vote, PM Cameron resigning, etc..  Basically a newsworthy event every day.

But my one takeaway?  "Animals do not <bleep!> on CBS!"  :)

[Brandi Maxxxx]

The "Hot Harriet Tubman" closed captioning bit made me miss The Word.

[opus]

I liked how during Jenny Slate he pointed out he had only asked one question. "How did you get the dog?"

[Victor the Crab]

That was a Stephen I never saw before, when he was talking about Brexit. There seemed to be a combination of anger and despair wrapped in a chocolaty coating of comedy.

[Grommet]

5 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

That was a Stephen I never saw before, when he was talking about Brexit. There seemed to be a combination of anger and despair wrapped in a chocolaty coating of comedy.

I agree. He seemed to be genuinely stunned and sad. I laughed at the Cadbury creme egg joke, even though I can't afford one with my 401k taking such a hit.

[ebk57]

The Sturgill Simpson Waffle House song was fabulous. 

[Miss Dee]

I also liked his mention of Istanbul, and asking the media to have a little restraint on showing disturbing video. It's pretty much futile, but at least he's on record.

[Victor the Crab]

Everyone, Stephen included, was talking about the awkward handshake Obama, Trudeau, and the Mexican president were attempting. But I loved that Stephen included the Canadian Parliament chanting "FOUR MORE YEARS" after Obama's speech to Canada's House of Commons. I watched Obama's address to Parliament, and he kept getting standing ovations. Even among conservatives. No way U.S. Republicans would do likewise in that scenario.

[Morrigan]

I watched the very first Colbert Late Show and just couldn't take it. So much tension it made me feel nervous.

Tried again last night and instead of tension, I felt a kind of rage festering inside Stephen. Even when he took a moment to comment on the horrible terrorism in Turkey, he was rapidly drumming his fingers in a distracting and again - sort of angry - way. I mean, I understand him being angry about the killings, but the anger was palpable through the lame jokes that preceded -- I mean, once again, he made me so uncomfortable I had to give up.

I've also seen a couple clips of interviews and he interrupts, doesn't listen - like he's thinking about what HE is going to say next, makes it about himself - I'm so disappointed. I was a huge Colbert Report fan. That was his niche. This, imo, isn't.

[Hanahope]

Sorry, but asking a male coworker about a woman's claims of sexual harassment against their boss is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.   Of course he didn't experience the same behavior.

Edited July 14, 2016 by Hanahope

[Delwyn]

I guess Colbert can't tease Rick Perry about his "Smart Boy Glasses" anymore...

[Brandi Maxxxx]

10 hours ago, Hanahope said:

Sorry, but asking a male coworker about a woman's claims of sexual harassment against their boss is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.   Of course he didn't experience the same behavior.

I don't think Stephen actually asked about that, his question was about what's been happening at Fox News since the claims were made.

[ZoqFotPik]

Does anyone know what the taping schedule for the show is? At first it seemed like they were taping 5 days a week, then went to 4 day schedule like Letterman. However, based on Stephen and Bill's conversation, it was clear that last night's show was tapped earlier in the week.

[Jaded]

24 minutes ago, ZoqFotPik said:

Does anyone know what the taping schedule for the show is? At first it seemed like they were taping 5 days a week, then went to 4 day schedule like Letterman. However, based on Stephen and Bill's conversation, it was clear that last night's show was tapped earlier in the week.

I use the various show's ticket sites to kind of figure out taping schedules for different shows. The site only has taping days listed as Monday-Thursday so it looks like they've stopped taping on Fridays. Who knows if the Friday thing is for good or maybe just for the Summer.

Edited July 15, 2016 by Jaded

[ZoqFotPik]

If they tape Mon-Thurs then what was all the tomorrow is Friday *wink*wink* stuff between Bill Maher and Stephen about? Was that not taped on Thursday?

[kassygreene]

They tape four days a week.  If you go to the CBS website for the show and click Tickets, you will get a list of taping dates.  Usually the double tapings are on Thursday, but during the conventions they appear to be on Tuesdays....  The "wink wink" is what often happens when a show is being taped for later broadcast.  My absolute favorite example of this is a Kathie Lee  / Hoda Today show episode where they did a live broadcast on Christmas Eve, and then taped a show for Christmas Day intending to pretend that it would be live.  "Unfortunately" one of the staffers who was asked to describe her family's Christmas morning talked about it in the future tense, as in what they would be doing tomorrow, forgetting that they were all pretending it was Christmas morning....

Edited July 15, 2016 by kassygreene
(i do know how to spell kathie lee, really, i do)

[CaliCheeseSucks]

13 hours ago, ZoqFotPik said:

If they tape Mon-Thurs then what was all the tomorrow is Friday *wink*wink* stuff between Bill Maher and Stephen about? Was that not taped on Thursday?

They've been taping Monday to Thursday for a while now but on Buzzfeed today, Stephen said the Maher interview was taped on Monday. I really only tuned in on Thursday to see Bill Maher, so I can't recall if it was obvious from the pre-interview material that the entire show was taped earlier in the week, just Maher's portion or what. Of course on Friday night's show with Charlie, Gayle and Norah, Stephen did mention that it was Thursday night and the tragedy in Nice had just hit the wires as they were getting ready to film. 

Earlier this year, there were several instances where Stephen had new shows Monday to Thursday and then ran a rerun on Friday. It started Super Bowl week - and in that context it made sense (as he was live on Super Bowl Sunday) but the other times it has been extremely random and very peculiar. It's a show struggling to find balance and an audience - taking liberties with when people can expect new and timely material doesn't seem particularly wise until he's built up a stronger vehicle.

[roseha]

I don't know why Bill Maher taped Monday since I find him too offensive to watch him in anything, but the move to double taping on Thursdays was made so that Stephen could have a chance to make pre taped skits which they had no time to do previously.  Obviously they want to comment on the news but they also want to vary the program and Stephen I thought was straightforward in revealing that they were pre taping in discussing the tragedy in Nice in particular.