'Daily Show' descendant 'Colbert Report' airs with applause
James Tschirhart
Issue date: 11/10/05 Section: Entertainment
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The TARTAN
After 8 years of duty with Jon Stewart on the Emmy and Peabody award-winning TV show "The Daily Show" as the longest serving correspondent, Stephen Colbert (Pronounced cole-bear) finally serves up his irreverent humor on his own comedic news program "The Colbert Report". First airing on Oct. 17, and now running into its fourth week, "The Daily Show" descendant already seems to share the strong following of its ancestral roots (more than likely due to its time slot promptly following "The Daily Show"). The show airs 10:30 PM and re-runs at 12:30 PM from Mon. - Thurs.
Now, some people might wonder, "Isn't that too much humor and news to have back-to-back?" First of all, one can never have enough humor, and second, no, it's not an overdose or a repeat of news that "The Daily Show" might have already covered. It has been said that "The Daily Show" simply "presents" the news, while "The Colbert Report" "analyzes" the news, just as "The O'Reilly Factor" or "Scarborough Country." As much as both shows share a similar taste in satire, Stewart and Colbert differ in their styles of humor.
Stewart has a two-faced approach to his humor. In one moment he may appear to be a reserved and serious-minded journalist - which he can be when he tackles serious topics - but somewhere behind those sad-looking, blue, Woody Allen eyes lies a spring-loaded child that comes out often to play and surprises every time. He wears his sardonic wit well while reverting from anchorman to the average Joe kidding around. Whereas, Colbert wears a gung-ho, patriotic guise that makes him come off as an over-zealous, self-important crusader of truth. He is so self-absorbed and pompous to such an extreme, it is laughable and all in good fun.
How self-important is he? His set says it all, showing off his program's title in various locations and even his desk in the shape of a "C" that encircles his pedestal of journalistic glorification. As he interviews guests, behind him lies a fireplace mantle that displays his received Emmy and Peabody award, along with a portrait of himself with a another portrait of himself within the background. It must be kept in mind that this is all in good humor, but sometimes his irreverence proves to be too much. When interviewing guests, it begs the question, "How comfortable are these people?" The irreverent humor can be disconcerting at times, for even the viewer might squirm in discomfort from Colbert's gung-ho, carefree attitude. On that note, the guest list isn't very impressive either, but the show is still in its early stages.