LSSC: Season One All Episodes Talk

[FoundTime]

I kind of enjoyed watching Maher get taken down a peg or two, especially by someone like SC, who I saw as teasing Maher, knowing how to get at him in a way that would provoke a reaction. SC has done so much to be a voice for faith and intelligence being able to coexist and Maher is so simplistic and dismissive and full of himself.

 

The Acro-cats were fantastic. Agree with everyone above that I didn't know which was funnier, the cats being...well, cats; or SC adding to the routine, or the glee when a cat would actually do a trick. I was applauding and cheering in my living room, anyway ;-p

[BW Manilowe]

Burt Reynolds' problem may have involved the longstanding painkiller addiction he's admitted to in other interviews I've seen this week as well as the memoir he wrote, which just came out & is why he's suddenly back on TV after a number of years (he's promoting the book right now).

[Thumper]

Burt was odd. I expected more "life" out of him, telling more stories, etc., to make us want to read his book. SC was flattering him all over the place and Burt didn't really engage; instead making a one-liner here and there. I was uncomfortable during the interview., and did not come away with a favorable impression of Burt.

[Ruby25]

I'm not surprised Maher and Colbert dislike each other. Bill does not respect religious people, he thinks they're stupid if they believe in that stuff, and of course Stephen knows that. With him being so religious that he's a Sunday school teacher, I'm sure he was already on the defensive.

[zxy556575]

Perhaps I'm being unfair, because I liked the Mighty Carson Art Players and generally enjoy when Fallon inserts himself into sketches ... but Fallon has a nice voice. Stephen can carry a tune and all, but seems to fancy himself better than he really is. I'd prefer that the musical guests be allowed to sing unaccompanied, even if it's a comedy bit.

[Kromm]

So, that Maher/Colbert interview was....something.  I couldn't tell if they really don't like one another, if they were playing up for the cameras or what was going on but it simultaneously delighted me and made me deeply uncomfortable.  Stephen seemed to have a good time with it, and I thought took Maher's insults about religion pretty well (considering he practically called Stephen stupid), but Maher seemed like a sour grape.  I don't know if it was Stephen interrupting or if Maher considers Stephen a sell-out or perhaps feels like Jon Stewart and Colbert have stolen his thunder, or just two giant egos battling it out.  Any idea why Maher kept referring to Stephen as a Nixon-voting Republican?  I would love to know the history (if there is any) between these two.  I know that Maher felt that the Rally that Jon and Stephen did was useless, but beyond that I wonder.  

 

ETA - I was posting at the same time you were, thispersonstinks.  I'm glad I wasn't the only one who saw Maher as maybe having sour grapes/professional jealousy.

Maher's an asshole. I think everyone knows that.

[Milburn Stone]

[Colbert] is a Sunday school teacher...

 

I'm glad to find out he and I have something in common! :)

 

I'm also glad the idea to segregate positive and negative comments doesn't seem to have traction. The internet has enough silos in which people talk to and hear from only those people with whom they already agree.

 

As for me, it would never be possible to belong to one of those Colbert threads or the other. Because my take on him is a mix of practically unbridled awe and admiration combined with mild repugnance at what seems at times to be practically unbridled ego. The Maher interview was a perfect microcosm. Colbert was brilliant--besting the not-shabby Maher at every turn. But the evident pleasure he took in besting Maher was off-putting.

[Brandi Maxxxx]

Stephen likes Tropic Thunder? He's dead to me.

[peeayebee]

I adore the Hungry for Power Games. I couldn't stop laughing at the tree branch inserted in front of Jindal in all those clips, as well as in the Fallen image.

 

I get a little irked at people who don't know character names in shows they watch a lot of. I want to cut Obama some slack because it took me a long time to learn most of the names, and there are a heckuva lot of characters, but really... Tyrion? I'll just say that Obama has a lot on his mind.

 

My sister and BIL binged Breaking Bad and still didn't know the character names. One day they said they thought they saw one of the actors on a plane. I asked which one. They said "The bald one." I said, "Which one? Hank? Mike? Walter?" They said the one with cancer. Yes, they meant the main character. :rolleyes:

 

Anyway, I enjoyed the Sharon Stone interview and also Justin Theroux. As expected, he was very funny. However, that eyebrow contest bombed. Not funny.

 

On the other hand, James Taylor and Stephen singing the updated Fire and Rain was fantastic.

 

BTW, the other night (maybe Monday night) Stephen did the VO introductions, but now it's back to the announcer. Maybe he was out sick.

[possibilities]

Skipping backwards a little bit:

 

I loved the Acro-cats and totally thought that the whole point was that many times, you just can't make a cat do what you want and what it doesn't want to do.

I love this way of thinking about it. If the "non-participation" was actually "true participation" by the cats, and a deliberate part of the act, I would actually think that was quite brilliant.

 

The complete indifference of the cats

The Acro-cats were fantastic. Agree with everyone above that I didn't know which was funnier, the cats being...well, cats; or SC adding to the routine, or the glee when a cat would actually do a trick. I was applauding and cheering...

At times, I thought some of the cats knew what was being asked of them and were consciously deciding not to do it. There was one in particular, a white cat I think, who I could practically see the thought bubble on: "I don't like the noise. Make it quiet. I don't want to grab the rope.... What will you give me? ... Oh, OK, I'll do it...." The beauty was that the cats didn't look scared, they just looked... indisposed.

 

Just finished watching Stephen with Burt Reynolds.   Don't know what was up with Burt

Burt was odd. I expected more "life" out of him, telling more stories, etc., to make us want to read his book. SC was flattering him all over the place and Burt didn't really engage

I couldn't tell if Burt was doing a curmudgeon bit, or if he was an actual curmudgeon. He has to know that people want to see his twinkle and will be more likely to buy his book if he offers up some tantalizing bait. I have never seen Stephen fawn over someone quite so drastically, and yet... Burt just wasn't going to play. It was rather like the cats, actually. "No thanks, I don't want to tell a story to get people excited about the book. I'm here, I'll sit here, but I don't have to like it. My days of playing for the camera are over. I had a magical rapport with Carson, who knows why? You just don't do it for me like he did, I guess. Are we done yet? I want to go home."

It was actually fairly amusing, if lacking in the juiciness I expected from a Burt Reynolds reminiscence.

[roseha]

I really felt awful during the Burt Reynolds interview.  He looked so very old and frail, it's kind of a shock to see him now.  I think it was probably a very difficult interview for Stephen under the circumstances, and that was why they had all those stills ready from Burt's career.  I'm not saying it's a mental issue, but I think Reynolds may be having a lot of issues just getting around, they didn't even show him walking to the desk.  What a contrast from John Cleese, who's only a few years younger but was so full of cheer and energy on Friday.

I was very moved by Stephen's segments in tribute to France, both on Friday at the end and starting off on Monday.  They did a great job paying tribute in Monday's opening.  Commenting on a tragedy has to be one of the toughest things any nightly host has to deal with and I thought he did an admirable job.

On a lighter note, I thought the aristocats segment was hilarious also.

[brgjoe]

Gosh those idiot Republicans like "Jeb!" continue to pizz me off about admitting refugees.  I can't believe in this day and age they are essentially religious tests on who gets admitted and who doesn't.   Not to mention, he doesn't have a clue how he would administer said test either.   That clip of him saying, "Oh, you'll just now it.." made him look like a total dufus.  And he's the "smart" Bush!? 

 

Speaking of dufus's (dufii?), Trump out there saying how hard it would be for them to endure the cold.  It can get near freezing or below in Damascus (with an average of around 34-35F).  I would think they would know how to put on a winter coat. 

 

The fear, ignorance, and xenophobia just astound me.  I can halfway understand it from some of the uneducated people around here.  But not coming from major candidates for office from a particular party.  Unreal.

[Kromm]

I kind of enjoyed watching Maher get taken down a peg or two, especially by someone like SC, who I saw as teasing Maher, knowing how to get at him in a way that would provoke a reaction. SC has done so much to be a voice for faith and intelligence being able to coexist and Maher is so simplistic and dismissive and full of himself.

There's a big difference between simply being a skeptic, and being a supercilious arrogant shit looking down your nose.  Maher served as an object lesson of that difference. There's a way to proclaim yourself atheist, and even to do the Full Dawkins bit, without being a deliberate asshole. But not if you are Bill Maher, because then your are already an asshole even outside of that.

As for me, it would never be possible to belong to one of those Colbert threads or the other. Because my take on him is a mix of practically unbridled awe and admiration combined with mild repugnance at what seems at times to be practically unbridled ego. The Maher interview was a perfect microcosm. Colbert was brilliant--besting the not-shabby Maher at every turn. But the evident pleasure he took in besting Maher was off-putting.

Wait. You thought Colbert was the more egotistical of the two? Does besting an egotist really make someone a bigger egotist?  I don't quite get that. And of course he enjoyed it. Enjoying taking someone arrogant down a peg SHOULD be fun, IMO. As long as you don't turn around and use those same skills at some other point on someone who isn't with the same sense of glee. But a righteous takedown?  Enjoy the hell out of it, I say.

[Inquisitionist]

Oddly enough I don't think he gets that many chances to do original comedy anymore. I think he's endless bugged about the old stuff, or if he's given something new to do it's like some lame, belabored SNL character based skit rather than the same kind of irreverent high concept comedy (aka "silly") Python actually represented. The Furry Hat is actually in that style, so it must have seemed refreshing to him.

 

Finally saw this last night.  Very funny, and I agree that John Cleese seemed to be having a blast.

 

I noticed that JC was already sitting on the guest couch when the show came back from commercial.  Someone told me they saw him at a museum in the past year and that he seemed to have difficulty walking/standing for any length of time.  For those of you who saw Cleese's recent live show, was he mobile on stage?

[Padma]

Gosh those idiot Republicans like "Jeb!" continue to pizz me off about admitting refugees.  I can't believe in this day and age they are essentially religious tests on who gets admitted and who doesn't.   Not to mention, he doesn't have a clue how he would administer said test either.   That clip of him saying, "Oh, you'll just now it.." made him look like a total dufus.  And he's the "smart" Bush!? 

 

Speaking of dufus's (dufii?), Trump out there saying how hard it would be for them to endure the cold.  It can get near freezing or below in Damascus (with an average of around 34-35F).  I would think they would know how to put on a winter coat. 

 

The fear, ignorance, and xenophobia just astound me.  I can halfway understand it from some of the uneducated people around here.  But not coming from major candidates for office from a particular party.  Unreal.

It's pretty astonishing that the GOP sounds like it's 1933 all over again in those clips. Special identify cards for Muslims. And apparently no one is remembering how disgraceful it felt later on, when people realized what the Holocaust was, to have refused Jewish refugees.  I'm not a big Hillary Clinton fan, but the contrast between her talking about how we -should- bring in refugees, how that's what we're about, was so refreshing compared with Jeb et al's ignorance, xenophobia and prejudice (so glad Colbert keeps showing it on late night "entertainment" television).  As for education, Germans were one of the best educated, most cultured people in the world. It didn't matter. Watching the GOP you can kind of see why.

 

This is on topic, I think, because it relates to Colbert showing the picture of the KKK with the cross burning and that wonderful clip of Jeb with absolutely no answer to the question, "How will they prove they're Christian?" other than, "You can tell."  (at the same time you could see him suddenly realizing, 'Wait a minute! How -will- we know?")  I haven't watched TLS for a few weeks but I enjoyed last night's show--that edgy political humor at the beginning and the "soft ending" with SC, Batiste and Andrew Lloyd Weber at the piano (and discovering I prefer JB's singing to Stephen's. Not sure he knew that was going to happen or not, but I thought it was a nice close for the show).

Edited November 20, 2015 by Padma

[peeayebee]

Apparently it can take 18 months to 2 years for a refugee to go thru the vetting process. It's very thorough. I don't know what more some people want -- I mean, those people who say there needs to be a slower, more deliberate process. Also, ISIS/ISIL/Daesh would love for us to refuse Muslim refugees. Let's go ahead and turn more Muslims against us by showing our xenophobia. The whole thing makes me angry.

 

I enjoyed the Jane Fonda interview when she was talking, but Stephen just... He needs to work on his interviewing technique. I know I say this frequently, so sorry to repeat myself. She was saying some interesting stuff, but Stephen just stuck to his script instead of following up on what she was saying. Bugs me. Also, I wish he had been more light-hearted about her previous flirtatious visits. Instead, he came across as a prude and, imo, kind of rude. I read somewhere (probably at TWoP forum) that his wife wasn't pleased, but he still should have been more amused about it on air than he was.

 

He also needs to hold his women guests' hand as they walk up the steps.

[Babalooie]

OH, how I would love to sit at the piano and sing with Andrew Lloyd-Webber!

Edited November 21, 2015 by Babalooie

[possibilities]

I thought Stephen did better interviewing Michael Caine; fewer interruptions and ill-advised re-directs.

 

Wanted to see him compliment Bernie Sanders on his appearance after he did it for Clinton and O'Malley. Seemed like a missed opportunity for humor. He also could have used cotton candy as a visual stand-in for Bernie. His hair always looks like cotton candy to me.

 

Appreciated the plug for The Nightly Show, especially since they're on at the same time. I thought Larry chose his story well, to flatter Stephen while still plugging his own show. I was disappointed though that the audience seemed to doubt or not get what Larry was saying about needing to become a writer and producer in order to create non-stereotypical roles. I guess I'm too much of a nerd, but I like when there's seriousness as well as humor in the interviews.

 

If they are going to apply the Equal Time rule to SNL, I think they should tell applicants that they need to host, because that's the comparable situation. I didn't watch the Trump-hosted SNL because I hated that they did it, but if they were forced to have some of these other stiffs host, it would be a just punishment both for the show and for the candidates.

[Gemma Violet]

 

He also needs to hold his women guests' hand as they walk up the steps.

 

Oh, I have been thinking this very thing.  Why doesn't Stephen do that?  I've seen female guests teeter precariously in 4-inch heels as they maneuver up those two steps, and also older women, like Jane Fonda, who had low heels, but at 78 years old, was obviously being very careful going up.  I was even thinking there should be a little hand rail or something there.  

[peeayebee]

Since I've been noticing this, he's done it once, but now I can't remember who the guest was. I'm so puzzled as to why he doesn't do it all the time. 

[walnutqueen]

The Canadian in me squeed at the curling contretemps coverage, because Olympic curling rocks my world.  :-)

[roseha]

I thought he offered his hand to Jane Fonda but she declined it?  I might have to check that again.

 

I loved the Olympic curling story, including the hacky-sack demonstration by Stephen.

[Gemma Violet]

I thought he offered his hand to Jane Fonda but she declined it?  I might have to check that again.

 

 

I just rewatched it.  He extended his open palm to the side, sort of in a "Step right this way..." way, but I don't think he was extending it for her to hold on to, although he did seem to hover protectively near her more than younger women, so I'm sure he was at least concerned about her getting up the steps.  I'd just like him to get into the habit of extending a helping hand when needed before someone trips and hurts herself.

[Inquisitionist]

Hard to believe Jane Fonda is less than two years younger than Burt Reynolds.

[Inquisitionist]

A show is usually on for a few seasons before a "Bitterness" topic starts up...

 

Late Show with Stephen Colbert has already aired over 50 episodes, which is two to three seasons' worth for scripted series.  ;-)

[kib]

I just rewatched it.  He extended his open palm to the side, sort of in a "Step right this way..." way, but I don't think he was extending it for her to hold on to, although he did seem to hover protectively near her more than younger women, so I'm sure he was at least concerned about her getting up the steps.  I'd just like him to get into the habit of extending a helping hand when needed before someone trips and hurts herself.

Worth noting, Fonda's hip and one knee are now made of titanium and ceramic. She's also had an amount of back surgery.

Just sayin'

[Kromm]

A show is usually on for a few seasons before a "Bitterness" topic starts up...

 

Late Show with Stephen Colbert has already aired over 50 episodes, which is two to three seasons' worth for scripted series.  ;-)

Hmm. That would be more convincing if there were bitterness topics for Fallon, Kimmel. Cordon, etc.!

[Inquisitionist]

Hmm. That would be more convincing if there were bitterness topics for Fallon, Kimmel. Cordon, etc.!

 

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything.  ;-)

[peeayebee]

I couldn't care less about Sylvester Stallone, but I sure was charmed by him in that interview.

[StatMom]

I couldn't care less about Sylvester Stallone, but I sure was charmed by him in that interview.

I just came here to post the same thing. The StatFamily takes great pleasure in mocking Sly in general, with his ridiculous diction and one-note acting, but he had charm and charisma to spare here. 

[kib]

Based on the "Butterball Turkey Hotline" segment it appears Conan is the last man standing willing to leave room for chance, edge or serendipty doing 'away from the desk' bits.

(BTW - Hey, we're 50 shows in... when the hell will Brian Stack go to work?)

[nowandlater]

Based on the "Butterball Turkey Hotline" segment it appears Conan is the last man standing willing to leave room for chance, edge or serendipty doing 'away from the desk' bits.

(BTW - Hey, we're 50 shows in... when the hell will Brian Stack go to work?)

 

 

I guess they hired Brian Stack to not be in front of the camera. Just to write.

 

Conan doesn't do as many outside bits as he used to. But he loves them and he thrives on them, as he did with last week's Armenia episode.

 

It seems like late-night hosts rarely go out of the studio these days.

 

Early CBS Letterman would showcase the neighborhood. But I don't think we've been outside the theater with Colbert.

 

Fallon is almost never outside his studio. Not even in the hallway. (Unless he's recreating Empire.)

[kib]

I guess they hired Brian Stack to not be in front of the camera. Just to write.

Conan doesn't do as many outside bits as he used to. But he loves them and he thrives on them, as he did with last week's Armenia episode.

It seems like late-night hosts rarely go out of the studio these days.

Early CBS Letterman would showcase the neighborhood. But I don't think we've been outside the theater with Colbert.

Fallon is almost never outside his studio. Not even in the hallway. (Unless he's recreating Empire.)

It would be a shame to leave Stack solely in the writers room. He's a hilarious performer.

I understand it's something of a PITA to let the hosts run afield, but the "Butterball" thing appeared to be tightly managed. As noted, Conan definatly has the freedom and desire to let things unfold as they might and Kimmel seems to leave room for events to run amok if it brings the funny. Guess the stakes are too high these days to allow things to run off the rails on occasion.

It's going to make for a pretty dull Christmas party reel.

Edited November 24, 2015 by kib

[BookThief]

I couldn't care less about Sylvester Stallone, but I sure was charmed by him in that interview.

 

I just came here to post the same thing. The StatFamily takes great pleasure in mocking Sly in general, with his ridiculous diction and one-note acting, but he had charm and charisma to spare here. 

And I came here to post the same, same thing! I was watching and thinking...wait a minute...do I actually like Sylvester Stallone? And maybe I do. I don't care for a lot of his roles which may have been coloring my opinion. But I really did enjoy that interview!

[nowandlater]

It would be a shame to leave Stack solely in the writers room. He's a hilarious performer.

I understand it's something of a PITA to let the hosts run afield, but the "Butterball" thing appeared to be tightly managed. As noted, Conan definatly has the freedom and desire to let things unfold as they might and Kimmel seems to leave room for events to run amok if it brings the funny. Guess the stakes are too high these days to allow things to run off the rails on occasion.

It's going to make for a pretty dull Christmas party reel.

 

Perhaps Stack is too assoicated with Conan to put him on screen?

[Kromm]

Perhaps Stack is too assoicated with Conan to put him on screen?

Possibly. But people don't even assume that of Smigel.

[Blergh]

Not a bad spot with Carly Simon. Interesting that she admit writing her autobio brought back her childhood stuttering and I could tell that she is STILL somewhat a shy person. Ironic, though, that her impromptu(?) duet with Colbert doing "Mockingbird" highlighted a much wider range of vocalization for her than the latter song she did with her grown kids which seemed rather narrow in scope and one could barely hear her daughter's contributions. While Colbert did a fairly good job with "Mockingbird", he was far from James Taylor and IMO it would have been better had her son Ben (who most folks  would agree sounds a great deal like his father) had participated in that  instead of the closing number.

[peeayebee]

Mockingbird was a lot of fun.

 

I also enjoyed Stephen's "Seeing into the future." Knowing the knowable? What that it? Anyway, all the stuff with the Snapple lid, fortune cookie, newspaper, cootie catcher was great. 

 

However, I'm having a hard time really laughing at Trump. His dangerousness is feeling too real.

[ChelseaNH]

There's a part of me that wants to see Trump elected so he can take office, discover it's nothing like being a CEO, have a massive snit fit, and try to find a way to get out of the job without looking ridiculous.  The rest of me recognizes that while this would be hugely entertaining, it's not worth the consequences.

[walnutqueen]

I did not enjoy the Colbert Mockingbird duet with Carly Simon - at all. 

[roseha]

Mockingbird was a lot of fun.

 

I also enjoyed Stephen's "Seeing into the future." Knowing the knowable? What that it? Anyway, all the stuff with the Snapple lid, fortune cookie, newspaper, cootie catcher was great. 

 

However, I'm having a hard time really laughing at Trump. His dangerousness is feeling too real.

 

I just loved "Stephen Colbert will be unable to find his fortune cookie prop"  "And then he will find it moments later".  Ha. I guess it would be easy to lose a fortune cookie in the dark like that.

[paigow]

There's a part of me that wants to see Trump elected so he can take office, discover it's nothing like being a CEO, have a massive snit fit, and try to find a way to get out of the job without looking ridiculous.

First POTUS that asks to be impeached.....

[Inquisitionist]

Sylvester Stallone looks like a walking wax impression of himself. 

[peeayebee]

I thought he looked better than when I first saw him post-surgery. I think that's probably true for most celebrities who've had plastic surgery -- Things relax and fall more into place.

 

I enjoyed Gloria Estefan, though I found myself longing for Esteban. I'm glad Stephen didn't let her put the medal on him.

 

That turkey porn was thankfully brief.

 

I love when the band members all talk at once. I don't think I'll tire of that joke.

[Gemma Violet]

I wish Ted Koppel would have had a longer interview like on CBS Sunday Morning a couple of weeks ago where his segment on grid hacking was a good seven or eight minutes and was so interesting and so terrifying.    

[Victor the Crab]

I'm just watching the repeat of LSSC from earlier this month, that I did not watch. And there's a couple of things that need to be said:

 

Paul "Tad" Dinello as himself on LSSC = Paul "Tad" Dinello the building inspector on TCR.

 

Daniel Craig spoofing himself on LSSC trying to get a rental car is massively awesome! Good luck to Idris Elba, or whomever replaces Craig a the next Bond in coming up with that!

 

Stephen making Dr. Eugenia Cheng adorable is awesome.

[Muffyn]

I am surprised they didn't blur the turkey insertion.  That was so funny.  I absolutely love Daniel Boulud.  One of the best meals I ever had was at his restaurant Daniel in New York.  I really enjoyed Stephen calling Daniel "Dad" when he would treat him like a child.  They meshed very well together.  

 

Gloria Estefan looks great.  When she said she had know her husband for 40 years and was married for 37 years, I was shocked.  I looked it up.  She married at 21.  She could pass for  damn fine looking 40.  

 

Now I want turducken plus squab and quail.

[peeayebee]

I really like Steve Carell, but I wish that interview was better. 

 

I don't care much for Jennifer Hudson one way or the other. I didn't think she was all that good in the bit from The Color Purple. She can sing, but she didn't have the magnetism the role requires, imo.

[Victor the Crab]

I liked watching "Stephven" reminiscing about the good times they had during their Second City days. But honestly, it felt like an afterthought after their "papa" Jon return to TDS earlier to plead/shame Congress in extending the Zadroga Bill.

[zxy556575]

It's slowing dawning on me that what Stephen really wants to do is host "Best Time Ever" so that he can sing, dance, do skits, and indulge his inner theater geek. He's been trying to twist the decades old, die-stamped template of a late-night talk show to suit his dream, and while I enjoy the show as is, I think what I really need is to make peace with the fact that it's actually a variety show. There. No more dissonance.

Edited December 9, 2015 by lordonia