LSSC: Season One All Episodes Talk

[peeayebee]

I'm a sucker for drums, so I loved the musical guests.

[Ladybugnine]

Have I lost my ever-loving mind? I just saw the episode with Neil DeGrasse-Tyson and Arianna Huffington -- they totally have chemistry! And I want them to be friends, and then boyfriend and girlfriend, then dating, and being together for-EVAH!   I feel like he could make me like her a whole lot more. I've never hated her, but, I just could never get quite on board with her.

[catrox14]

What would be their portmanteau?

 

Huff-deGrasse  gets my vote

[Gemma Violet]

Have I lost my ever-loving mind? I just saw the episode with Neil DeGrasse-Tyson and Arianna Huffington -- they totally have chemistry! And I want them to be friends, and then boyfriend and girlfriend, then dating, and being together for-EVAH!   I feel like he could make me like her a whole lot more. I've never hated her, but, I just could never get quite on board with her.

 

I loved that Friday Night Fights bit, especially when Arianna said, "I've never seen an ugly baby, but I've seen a lot of ugly brown guacamole."  It was all so silly and fun.

[peeayebee]

I love Fred Armisen. 

 

That Instagram girl was ridiculous wearing that dress. Of course lots of guys liked that, but how stupid to wear a dress that you always have to keep pulling at.

 

I FF'ed past the musical act, but from what I saw as it whizzed by made me glad I didn't listen to it.

[TV-junkie]

Most of the music Jon played was EWF, honoring Maurice White. That was sweet! 

[peeayebee]

Oh of course! I didn't catch onto that.

[mariah23]

I can't wait for the next Hungry for Power Games! Jim Gilmore finally dropped out!

[Latverian Diplomat]

That Instagram girl was ridiculous wearing that dress. Of course lots of guys liked that, but how stupid to wear a dress that you always have to keep pulling at.

 

 

It looked like there was a mike pack or something clipped to the back? If so, I think the weight of that was dragging it down. So, the dress probably worked for her without that, but the "engineering" of it was thrown off by something she wouldn't have anticipated, not being a TV person.  I feel sorry for her if that was the case. Stephen did a good job of riffing on it without making her the butt of the joke, I thought.  

Edited February 13, 2016 by Latverian Diplomat

[Shaynaa]

That dress looked like it would be problematic whether a mike was clipped to the back or not.  There was just nothing there.  I really thought she was going to have a serious wardrobe malfunction.

 

So no new show tonight? :( I guess we did get 5 shows this week so I can't complain.

[trow125]

I watched Thursday night's show last night, and the greeting-card bit was SO hacky and unfunny -- it seemed like something Jay Leno would have done in 1994 (and I say that as someone who loves Paul Dinello and usually enjoys his appearances, but not even he could save it). I FF'd through Kelsey Grammer, and then Fred Armisen came out and they did that wonderfully absurd segment with the box of Foghat stuff, which I thoroughly enjoyed. So, as usual, whenever I watch this show, I find myself torn. I want this show to be good, but for the most part, it's just mediocre. I can't imagine who they're trying to appeal to with stuff like "first draft Valentines." Is that really why Stephen wanted to do a more traditional late-night show, so he could do lame desk pieces? Also, I find myself cringing every time Jon "reacts" to something Stephen says. I wish they'd turn his mic off.

[peeayebee]

Completely agree about the greeting cards. I was baffled that Stephen would think that was funny.

 

I too am torn about this show. I'm almost to the point where I'm not going to watch but just keep an eye out for mentions of outstanding segments that I can find online. Or maybe I'll just continue to record but delete if I don't hear anything good about the eps.

[kib]

Completely agree about the greeting cards. I was baffled that Stephen would think that was funny.

I thought it was appropriate that he had his producer out there with him taking part in that dud.  I think in software development it's called "dogfooding".

Edited February 14, 2016 by kib

[possibilities]

Something is wrong with me. All your negative reviews about that segment make me want to see the clip.

[nowandlater]

It's usually a post-Super Bowl tradition for Letterman's  Late Show to have somebody (usually the QB) from the Super Bowl winner on.

 

(Last year, Letterman had on Patriots head coach Bill Belichick instead of Tom Brady.)

 

Also, Peyton Manning has never been on any other talk show except Letterman's Late Show (he first visited Dave in 1997 and was on his final show last year).

 

Yet, this year Super Bowl winner Peyton went on Fallon.

 

The Super Bowl MVP, Von Miller, went on Corden. A few days later, three more Denver Broncos went on Corden.

 

Tonight, SNL also had on Von Miller.

 

Kimmel also had a player from the Broncos.

 

Yet not a single person associated with the Broncos visited Colbert. I wonder why? Is it because Colbert isn't a football fan?

[peeayebee]

Was there a show Friday night? My DVR doesn't have one, but I may have deleted by accident. Or maybe I don't remember watching.

 

Ah, it was a repeat.  Never mind.

Edited February 14, 2016 by peeayebee

[Victor the Crab]

Looking forward to Monday's show, and not just because Stephen will have CraigyFerg on as one of his guest. I want to see what he has to say about the death of Supreme Court justice and hairy ass for a body Antonin Scalia.

[zxy556575]

There's nothing necessarily wrong with this, but does it strike anyone that Stephen mentions being a Catholic a lot, both during his comedy bits and with guests?

 

Now that I think about it, the only hosts whose religion I know offhand are the Catholics, including Kimmel, Conan, Fallon and Carson Daly. Maybe that particular religion simply lends itself more to jokes about nuns and whatnot?

 

We certainly know that Jon Stewart is Jewish and Seth Myers has joked about everyone assuming he is.

Edited February 14, 2016 by lordonia

[possibilities]

Maybe because Colbert is from South Carolina? If the Panthers had won, maybe it would have been different?

Edited February 14, 2016 by possibilities

[catrox14]

Colbert is from South Carolina.  Not that it matters.

 

Didn't they do a remote broadcast immediately after with Jim Nantz and Von Miller?

[roseha]

Colbert is from South Carolina.  Not that it matters.

 

Didn't they do a remote broadcast immediately after with Jim Nantz and Von Miller?

 

They did do a remote with Von Miller but what seemed to happen was that they didn't get the feed for it when they were supposed to so there was this sudden  remote appearance with him in the middle of the Tina Fey/Margot Robbie interview.  I imagine something went wrong with the satellite transmission or the timing of it that the remote didn't happen earlier. 

 

As far as sports go, Stephen has pretty much admitted not being a sports person though he's done sports satires on both his shows.  Still I doubt that had anything to do with Peyton Manning going on Fallon's show instead.  

[kib]

Looking forward to Monday's show, and not just because Stephen will have CraigyFerg on as one of his guest. I want to see what he has to say about the death of Supreme Court justice and hairy ass for a body Antonin Scalia.

I'd be willing to bet a bag of Skittles any comments about Scalia will be nothing but respectful, perhaps a little eyebrow raising in a polite cocktail party kind of way, but above all respectful. If you want carnage, go read about Scalia on Gawker because very little blood gets drawn at 11:35 on CBS anymore.

I don't know if I'll have the heart to see what might have been when Ferguson takes the stage at the "Ed".

Edited February 14, 2016 by kib

[Slovenly Muse]

It's funny, I've seen a lot of mentions on these boards about Jon's little comments and interruptions, but honestly, I love his contributions. Jon is a major draw for me on this show. I adore his music, and his energy, and even his interactions with Stephen. It's like, Jon and Stephen just have very different styles, almost like they speak different languages. And every time Stephen asks Jon a question, and Jon responds with some vague nonsense about being "on a vibe," I know EXACTLY what he means, like he's totally speaking my language, and then I find myself getting a bit irritated with Stephen for pushing him for a more factual, direct, Stephen-style answer. I agree their interactions are a bit awkward when they try for banter, but I don't blame Jon for that. I think it's Stephen's job as the host to facilitate that conversation and figure out how to communicate with Jon, rather than expecting Jon to change his style to match Stephen's when HIS job is really the music (and he does it so unbelievably well). I don't think cutting Jon's mic is the way to go. His little comments and "yeah"s have never detracted from Stephen's monologues for me, in fact, Jon is a more reliable source of joy for me on the Late Show than Stephen is, as crazy as that sounds. Some of Stephen's segments have left me shaking my head (that BLT one will live on in my mind for a long time. How wrong-footed was that entire idea?), but whatever Jon is doing on the show ALWAYS makes me glad I tuned in. From what he's wearing, to what he's saying, to the music he's playing, I am all about Jon Batiste! I can't imagine LESS Jon being an improvement.

 

But on the topic of Stephen, I'm glad to see that he's lightening up a little on interrupting his guests. I notice he does interrupt a lot more when he has a celebrity on who is promoting a TV show or movie, but is generally better at letting his guests who are scientists, experts, entrepreneurs, activists, etc, talk more freely about their passions and areas of expertise, and is more content to listen to them share what they do. I know it's kind of annoying to listen to, but I wonder if some actors who are there to promote a project actually PREFER Stephen to dominate the conversation. Often they are obliged to be there, and may not really want to talk about their lives, or say the same thing over and over on every show they appear on, or even really care about the project they're promoting, and they're actually happier when they can't get a word in edgewise and Stephen does all the work for them. This is only speculation, but I have heard some actors express their feelings of awkwardness and anxiety about appearing on talk shows, because what they really excel at is giving a calculated, measured performance in front of a camera (in fact, a lot of great actors who can really internalize the material come across in real life as more withdrawn or "blank slate" personalities. Dynamic extroverts often have a harder time suppressing their natural personalities and fully inhabiting a character), and feel out of their element when expected to "make conversation" and appear spontaneously witty and charming and interesting in what is essentially a televised social situation that could impact their reputation or career if they say the wrong thing. What comes off as arrogance or a need to be the centre of attention on Stephen's part might actually be an attempt to "minimize risk" for the celebrities that appear.

 

However, whatever the reason, it still comes across as a bit obnoxious to the viewers. I'm glad to see that the last few celebrity interviews he's done are flowing a bit more naturally. it's slow-going, but it looks like he is figuring it out.

[roseha]

 

I wonder if some actors who are there to promote a project actually PREFER Stephen to dominate the conversation. Often they are obliged to be there, and may not really want to talk about their lives, or say the same thing over and over on every show they appear on, or even really care about the project they're promoting, and they're actually happier when they can't get a word in edgewise and Stephen does all the work for them.

 

 

I think there may be some truth to this; also, I do think the show needs to resolve the issue of the number of guests they have on.  I really don't think they need four guests on any given night (counting the musical act) but it's happening more than I would have thought.  I can see where Stephen and his producers would want to make room for the authors, experts, activists and others that he's interested in (and Neil deGrasse Tyson is already becoming a great recurring guest) but I think what is happening is that Stephen seems to be conscious of finishing the interview on time with the celebrity and not letting it run over (especially since it would usually be the first interview), so the questions in those interviews may seem rushed.  

 

I'm glad to see that the last few celebrity interviews he's done are flowing a bit more naturally. it's slow-going, but it looks like he is figuring it out.

 

 

Again, I agree with Slovenly Muse that he is getting better at it, and I think he will continue to do so with time, but I suspect they may have to break down and maybe do some shows without a musical guest (though the hip-hop and Japanese drum players this week were both amazing) and others with only two one-segment interview guests to allow more time.    Of course that also leaves open the question of the time for the desk or remote segments but I think they will have more time to work on them and tape some of them if they go to the taping two shows on Thursday route they seem to be considering.

 

In regard to Jon's commentary, it doesn't bother me either, and I did like the recent moment when Stephen was making a joke about the Iowa corn subsidies and Jon exclaimed "Shucks!"  Needless to say, Jon's performance of Blackbird this week was brilliant.

Edited February 15, 2016 by roseha

[zxy556575]

Jon seems like a sweet guy and I appreciate his personality, enthusiasm and musical talents; my only beef is that the show seems to be forcing him to interact with Stephen instead of allowing it to be natural.

[peeayebee]

And every time Stephen asks Jon a question, and Jon responds with some vague nonsense about being "on a vibe," I know EXACTLY what he means, like he's totally speaking my language, and then I find myself getting a bit irritated with Stephen for pushing him for a more factual, direct, Stephen-style answer. I agree their interactions are a bit awkward when they try for banter, but I don't blame Jon for that. I think it's Stephen's job as the host to facilitate that conversation and figure out how to communicate with Jon, rather than expecting Jon to change his style to match Stephen's when HIS job is really the music (and he does it so unbelievably well).

I agree. I think it would be fine if Stephen just left Jon's short responses as is, but the problem is that Stephen is trying to force a conversation to happen. It just doesn't work.

[peeayebee]

Well, that was a pretty good show.

 

First off, Craig Ferguson! I didn't realize how much I missed him. And now I've got another show -- Join or Die -- to check out.

 

The swimsuit models were actually enjoyable. I had heard that there would be a plus-sized model on the cover. She was a lot of fun and funny. The other model was great too. I liked how they posed in front of the black hole and hell backgrounds.

 

Cory Booker was pretty good, though too on-message. I really liked that Stephen pulled him back to the Court appointment question.

 

The dart champion had a good sense of humor. It was nice to see Craig again.

 

I even liked a couple of the jokes from the Big Furry Hat segment. The sequel to Foxcatcher will be Wolf Blitzer. People who refer to pets as their babies must breastfeed their pets.

 

Oh, and I liked the monologue joke about Hillary's new campaign slogan: the modem connecting noise from old dial-up days.

[stonehaven]

I watched the Scalia segment and thought it was a perfect tribute..none of the other late night hosts did anything to my knowledge...

I thought it would have been fun for Colbert and Ferguson to compare their Correspondents Dinner experiences...Still, glad to see Craig...

[Victor the Crab]

Watching the way Craig Ferguson bantered with Stephen shows how much I miss CraigyFerg on late night.

[roseha]

I had kind of forgotten about it, but Ferguson and/or Stephen had mentioned running into each other sometime before, anyway they seemed to be having a great time together and I could really see Craig coming back a lot.  It was great that he was brought back for the dart segment (I confess to having not much idea about the scoring they were attempting, but it clearly didn't matter much).

 

My theory about Big Furry Hat is that the writers use it for funny lines they can't fit in elsewhere.  Maybe that's why I enjoy it, the lines are too good to pass up and Stephen is having fun with them.

 

 

[possibilities]

I tuned in last night because I miss Craig Ferguson; I'm going to check out his "Join or Die"" show, but I really didn't learn anything about it from the interview, which was disappointing.

 

I stayed for the Corey Booker interview as well. I generally like CB, but he really was in robotic talking point mode, and this is one time when I loved Stephen interrupting. Following the interruption with an additional "calling you out for evading the question" commentary also seemed more than warranted, and I was glad he did it.

 

I FF the furry hat stuff and almost left for the darts, but decided to stick it out to again see CF and SC working together.

 

I loved how short Stephen was next to the models, though they were wearing heels and he wasn't. But I enjoyed their interview and photoshoot, also, which surprised me. Most model interviews I've seen have seen have been dull.

 

I really love Jon B and Stay Human. I wish I could see/hear them sometime, where they were playing more than just the entrance/exit moments, and were the main act doing an entire concert of their own.

 

The show still seems mysteriously flat to me, even when I'm enjoying some of the segments. I guess it's no more boring than Letterman, but I rarely watched him, either. Stephens' monologue is nothing special to me, and his interviews are often frustrating. I felt like he handled Corey Booker, but the rest of the guest seemed to be interesting despite Stephen, not because of him. It's a real problem. I think Colbert needs a carefully crafted script and a well-defined character to give him flavor. Otherwise he just comes off as a fake, douchey guy with ADD and too much ego.

[purist]

 

The show still seems mysteriously flat to me, even when I'm enjoying some of the segments.

 

I think it's just that the whole 'late-night chat show' format is so very, very tired. It started with Johnny Carson in the early 1960s, right? 

[BW Manilowe]

I think it's just that the whole 'late-night chat show' format is so very, very tired. It started with Johnny Carson in the early 1960s, right?

Responding to the bolded. I believe The Tonight Show was the first late night talk show, yes. But Steve Allen was actually the first host of the show, from 1954-57. Johnny Carson was actually the show's third host, from 1962-1992 (Jack Paar was between Allen & Carson, from when Allen left in 1957 to when Carson started in 1962).

Edited February 17, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[TV-junkie]

Liked the HfPG, but what about that delay? Cruella DeVil dropped out 10 February, Ricochet Santiago 3 February, Jimminy Gillicuddy 12 February, Crying Circumvention February 10. For a daily show reporting it yesterday was pretty late. Other than that, still by far the most enjoyable part of the show.

Let's see when Annoying Orange drops out. Will the GOP implode? A few months of fun are guaranteed. Thanks for the three-ring circus, Republicans! ;-)

Edited February 18, 2016 by TV-junkie

[MrWhyt]

Liked the HfPG, but what about that delay? Cruella DeVil dropped out 10 February, Ricochet Santiago 3 February, Jimminy Gillicuddy 12 February, Crying Circumvention February 10. For a daily show reporting it yesterday was pretty late. Other than that, still by far the most enjoyable part of the show.

It's not a news show it doesn't have to be super timely. i can imagine they waited until there was enough people to fill out a segment.

[futurechemist]

I think that the wheel segment last night with the model wheel was about 10 times funnier than it could possibly have been with the actual ceiling wheel

[Colbert News Hub]

What happened to the interview with Richard Dreyfuss? He is still listed as a guest on the 'Late Show' website, and someone who attend the taping said he was indeed there and taped an interview.

 

Is being rescheduled, and they just haven't update their website yet?

[peeayebee]

I FF'd thru the interviews, except for Triumph. Tea Leoni got two segments?!?! I guess that's because hers is a CBS show. As I said, I didn't watch the interview, so I don't know what they were talking about.

 

But TWO SEGMENTS?!?!?!

 

The wheel on/in the ceiling was a ridiculous idea. Woooo. Technology. Bah. The tabletop wheel was better.

[zxy556575]

I didn't even understand what "dome" was missing from the ceiling wheel that made it nonfunctional -- the thing did spin -- but there was still no need to explain it. Just bring out the small wheel to start with. I did wonder during the Bernie sandwich segment who had the job of crouching down there and handing Stephen so many plates.

 

And honestly, powdered cellulose is sold as a dietary/bulking aid to eat more fiber. If I'm taking it by the tablespoon, why would I care if it's added to cheese.

[trow125]

What happened to the interview with Richard Dreyfuss? He is still listed as a guest on the 'Late Show' website, and someone who attend the taping said he was indeed there and taped an interview.

 

Is being rescheduled, and they just haven't update their website yet?

The Dreyfuss interview is now scheduled for Monday.

[Muffyn]

I skipped the Tea Leoni interview.  I do not find her interesting or talented.  In fact, I think she creates a talent sucking vortex that's makes everyone near her seem less talented.  

[TV-junkie]

Nice. Loves me some more political segments on LSSC. Stephen should send that child to Rubio's campaign headquarters. At least somebody then who's more grown up in order to handle Rubio's campaign. Do they smoke the Havannas by the truckload over there or why are the brains so lacking in oxygen?

[peeayebee]

I skipped the Tea Leoni interview.  I do not find her interesting or talented.  In fact, I think she creates a talent sucking vortex that's makes everyone near her seem less talented.  

I thought she was very good in Flirting with Disaster. 

[peeayebee]

I enjoyed the Friday Night Fights segment with John Hodgman. I don't think I've ever seen him laugh so much. (But that beard has got to go. I guess he's just experimenting with different facial hairstyles.) I wonder how Hodgman would be as an interviewer on a talk show.

 

I skipped the interviews, but I saw that Chelsea Handler got two segments. Ugh.

[trow125]

I skipped the interviews, but I saw that Chelsea Handler got two segments. Ugh.

I am not a Chelsea fan (never watched her old E! show or her new Netflix show), but I did watch her interview with Stephen and thought it was actually pretty good. I enjoyed their bonding over being the youngest kids in big families, and LOL'd at her suggestion that she form a "thruple" with Stephen & his wife (Stephen: "I don't know what that is").

 

I LOVE John Hodgman and was so excited to see him on "Friday Night Fights," though I think he was set up to lose by having to pick the Tooth Fairy. Bigfoot vs. Chupacabra would have been a fairer fight.

[SomeTameGazelle]

I LOVE John Hodgman and was so excited to see him on "Friday Night Fights," though I think he was set up to lose by having to pick the Tooth Fairy. Bigfoot vs. Chupacabra would have been a fairer fight.

 

 

I don't care who wins as long as it means John Hodgman makes the requisite second appearance for the results episode. Love him, love the Judge John Hodgman podcast.

[trow125]

Awww, Jeb! dropped out. Here's hoping we get a new Hungry for Power Games next week.

It's interesting to note that Jeb! was a guest on Stephen's very first Late Show. I guess he did not get the Colbert Bump.

[mariah23]

Trow, I was just coming to post this!  Bye Jeb! 

[nowandlater]

Awww, Jeb! dropped out. Here's hoping we get a new Hungry for Power Games next week.

It's interesting to note that Jeb! was a guest on Stephen's very first Late Show. I guess he did not get the Colbert Bump.

 

I remember Colbert, speaking at the TV Critics press tour, just hoping nad praying that Trump stuck it only long enough for his premiere.

[TV-junkie]

Donald Trump, the last clown standing? GOP, you got a problem ... ;-)