Stephen Colbert

Sunday Summary #36: What’s on the Internet

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The Stephen Colbert Edition, apparently

The only way I can stand to keep up with American politics (and I am SO thankful that I’m not living in the US right now and having to hear all this nonsense on a daily basis) is through late night talk shows hosts.  So imagine my UTTER DELIGHT when Stephen Colbert went to Jon Stewart for help in this time of political crisis (their spit takes of surprise when hearing that Donald Trump is the Republican nominee are WONDERFUL) and came back with “Stephen Colbert” the most egotistic conservative until, well, Trump. MY SOUL IS SO HAPPY, even if our nation is not.  But that’s what the Internet is for, right?

Of course “Stephen Colbert” would return in a chariot pulled by topless Uncle Sams, omg, I love him (which is why, like, I GET why people are all about Donald Trump, because spectacle is entertaining, but only for TELEVISION, people, NOT THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN OUR COUNTRY).

And here, one more!  Stephen Colbert singing is always great, and this one is particularly absurd and delightful.

 

Sunday Summary #33: What’s on the Internet

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ARTICLES

1|  Lol lol, here you go – a user’s manual for befriending INFJs!  The whole thing is hilarious, but I especially enjoyed the sections on “Advanced Interactions” and “Troubleshooting and Support.”

Q: What if I think my INFJ suffers from “special snowflake” syndrome?

A: Many INFJs grow up feeling misunderstood and embrace the uniqueness of the INFJ label when they discover Myers-Briggs. If you attack their sense of individuality, the INFJ will react defensively (often by shutting you out of their life rather than direct confrontation). Let your INFJ know you understand that they feel rare, unusual, and out of place, but remember they may also need a reminder that they really are part of the human race. Healthy INFJs won’t insist that they are better than other people or push you away for reminding them that they’re human.

2|  This review of Captain America: Civil War is AMAZING.

The Catboy mourns his dad. Handsome Soviet Assassin Husband buys plums. He is an innocent boy. He just likes to eat fruit alone in his gross bed. He is so sad. He is arrested for being sad. Everyone is arrested and in trouble, even The Catboy even though he is a king. Maybe they are in trouble for destroying Romania. I think it’s because they are sad. Sad handsomes. 😦 Handsome SOviet Assassin Husband has Handsome America picture in his journal. I faint. I want them to be together so bad. I clutch my face in the dark. I flex and relax my muscles. They are so handsome and unhappy.

3|  The Mary Sue does a fun look back (and wish forward) at Disney princes and how they evolved into having personalities.  I was most interested in the idea that as women started contributing to the creative process, the princes stopped being Cardboard Cutout Providers  and started being Floppy Haired Fun Guys.

VIDEOS

1|  Alexander Skaarsgaard has the biggest crush on Stephen Colbert.  Seriously, I have never seen anyone make heart eyes at someone so hard for so long, and I am HERE FOR IT. (Bonus:  watch their follow-up clips in which they have a little slap-fight over food and Stephen tries to convince Alexander to take off his shirt).

Tom Hiddleston Sings with Stephen Colbert

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I was going to post this in my Sunday Summary blog post, because that’s where it belongs. BUT there is nothing that is so exactly designed to suit my tastes as this video of Stephen Colbert gently coercing Tom Hiddleston to sing as a guest on his talk show, and I couldn’t wait to share it.

My dear friend Elizabeth, who knows me so well, messaged me about this video’s existence only hours after it was uploaded to YouTube.  She couldn’t watch it immediately because she was at “work,” but I convinced her to stop being productive and fangirl with me.

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This video is a gift to humanity, and although life can be bleak and confusing and traumatizing, there is also THIS:  Tom Hiddleston and Stephen Colbert singing old country gospel songs while grinning into each other’s faces.

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Colbert?  Hiddleston?  Are you listening??  PLEASE CATER TO MY WHIMS AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

And Nothing But the Truthiness by Lisa Rogak

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I am tangentially obsessed with Stephen Colbert.  I’ve never really watched Colbert Report (except for the week he interviewed The Hobbit actors), nor have I read any of his parody books.  But.  I kind of circle his existence, watching a video clip here, noting a passing fact (he teaches Sunday School) there.  He seems like a hilarious and decent human being, which is enough to make me slow down whenever I pass a magazine with him on the cover.

That was a very long introduction to say:  I read Rogak’s biography of Stephen Colbert (the person, but also sometimes the character), and I can feel the obsession deepening.  I mean, why would I spend 260 pages reading about the conception and execution of a show I have never really watched?  Because Stephen Colbert is a fascinating individual who is both pompous and humble, hilarious and sincere, self-obsessed and family-focused.  Of course, this because Stephen Colbert (decent human being) plays Stephen Colbert (patriotic idiot).  I love them both, and all iterations between.

While I enjoyed reading about The Daily Show and Colbert Report, I was much more interested in the earlier chapters, covering his years as a child and teenager.  Once his career overshadowed his family life (in the biography, if not in real life), I found myself wanting more personal information.  I loved reading about his siblings, his amazing parents, his tragedy, his bullied years, his escape into fantasy, and his discovery of humor as a defense mechanism.

Now I need to fill in my Colbert gaps and watch everything he’s ever done.

51RhWuDYBVL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_Book Jacket

No other comedian can generate headlines today the way Stephen Colbert can.  With his appearance at a Congressional hearing, his rally in Washington, D.C., his bestselling book, his creation of the now-accepted word truthiness, and of course his popular TV show, nearly everyone (except the poor Congressional fools who agree to be interviewed on his show) has heard of him.

Yet all these things are part of a character also named Stephen Colbert.  Who is he really?  In And Nothing but the Truthiness, biographer Lisa Rogak examines the man behind the character.  She reveals the roots of his humor, growing up as the youngest of eleven siblings, and the tragedy that forever altered the family.  She charts his early years earning his chops first as a series acting student and later a budding improv comic, especially his close connection with Amy Sedaris, which led to the cult TV show Strangers with Candy.  And Rogak offers a look inside how The Daily Show works, and the exclusive bond that Colbert and Jon Stewart formed that would lead to Colbert’s own rise to celebrity.

A behind-the-scenes look into the world of one of the biggest comedians in America, And Nothing but the Truthiness is an illuminating read for any resident of Colbert Nation.

Release Date:  October 2011

A Lazy Thursday – Excellent!

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After the glamour of yesterday’s DC adventures and the horror of waiting two hours to get into a locked car, today’s blog post will be pretty tame. Which is kind of the point, because Elizabeth and I both wanted a lazy day to emotionally recuperate. We are both introverts, after all.

Screen Shot 2015-10-01 at 12.44.31 PMThis morning was slow, and when we finally left the apartment, it was to take Elizabeth’s car into the shop. We crossed the street in the rain (finally, a chance to wear rainboots, a jacket, and carry an umbrella!) and spent three hours blogging and Internet-ing at the Asian Bakery Cafe. I had bubble tea, and we admitted we weren’t done with the Asian theme begun yesterday. We grabbed bahn mi (a Vietnamese sandwich) on the way home, and we almost crashed.

We rallied, though, for the all-important trip to….the library! I know, I know, we are such nerds. But this is why I love Elizabeth so much. A slow day culminating with a library visit is equally as satisfying to both of us. And what a library! Rockville’s is two stories, very fancy, and I immediately wanted to read everything. Instead, I simply got a children’s book on St. Francis, since this Sunday is the Feast of St. Francis and I love him.   Continue reading →