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 By Jack Lepiarz Feb. 8, 2006 I just finished watching an episode of Stephen Colbert's fake news show, "The Colbert Report," in which Colbert plays an obnoxious, self-righteous news anchor. He has a number of repeating jokes -- the imposing threat of bears, his distaste for the "liberal, tree-hugging media," and, of course, "truthiness." Truthiness, after being popularized by Colbert on his first episode in October, 2005, has gone on to become the 2005 word of the year. Not bad. Colbert's show is a spin-off of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," which receives an average rating of about 1.2 million viewers a night (double the viewership of Tucker Carlson's show). "The Colbert Report" gets roughly 1.4 million. However, whereas Stewart is generally very polite to his guests, Colbert is relentlessly obnoxious -- and hilarious. For example, when Barbara Boxer came on the show to promote her novel, she was greeted by Colbert running around in triumph before finally sitting down. Shortly thereafter, Colbert read a short passage out of her novel (before she snatched away his cue card) depicting a very detailed scene about a Senator's love affair with a conservative journalist. And no, the journalist does not represent Bill O'Reilly -- or so she says. What makes "The Colbert Report" so entertaining (and refreshing) is in Colbert's portrayal of a ruthless, narcissistic character who refuses to admit that he is anything less than, in his words, the Truth (with a capital 'C', of course). Of course, some will say that what Colbert does is childish. Barney Frank (who shouldn't have expected anything else) was upset at Colbert's poking fun at his sexuality. However, when taken in the right manner (light-hearted, late-night humor), "The Colbert Report" is really harmless. Honestly, the man denounced Hamas for being in league with bears and cited them as the greatest threat to American security. On another note (something that I personally enjoyed immensely), he also suggested that we publicly cane Tucker Carlson. He's also made several snide comments regarding the bow tie. This man is my hero. Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to get another angry phone call from Mr. Carlson again? Overall, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have created a wonderful show in "The Colbert Report." Better yet, Colbert has found a way to distinguish himself from Stewart in that he focuses more on making fun of the media, whereas "The Daily Show" focuses more on the news itself and mocking the people that are in the news. All in all, I have to say that "The Colbert Report" is an entertaining show. It isn't exactly the most intellectual program, although some knowledge of politics and the media is important. Otherwise, I recommend that everyone at least take a relaxed look at the program with the intent to be entertained. Mr. Colbert, I give your program a tip-of-the-hat-style tip of the hat. ------------ About the author: Jack Lepiarz is a senior at Madison High School. Born in Waco, Texas, he lived with the Big Apple Circus for much of his early childhood, eventually moving to Madison, New Jersey, where he now resides. Although he is often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open-mind towards new ideas and treat people the way he would like to be treated. Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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