Jokes are no laughing matter to the brain. They are a type of release valve that enables us to think the unthinkable, accept the unacceptable, discover new relationships, adjust better and maintain our mental health. They are also funny. Without them we probably would be a dull, dimwitted society, trapped in a harsh world too serious to bear.
I instantly thought of Comedy Central when I read this quote. Especially The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. When our crazy world becomes too overwhelming, laughter is our release and allows us to overcome our crazy world.
It is a crazy world, indeed, when the laughter dies. I remember when I heard Phil Hartman died. It was if a part of the world had died. Yes, we have healed and we move on, with humor at our side. Again, today I read that Richard Jeni passed away. And another rift in the world laughter continuum has formed. And again, we will heal.
We are blessed to be able to rekindle the laughter from Hartman and Jeni, and all the past comedians like John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Richard Pryor, with their recorded performances. Those performances that helped us heal in times of stress and trial. In a way, comedy has saved us from (and in spite of) ourselves.
To those comedians, all I can say is: Thanks for the memories!
Showing posts with label The Colbert Report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Colbert Report. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2007
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
The Best of 2006
It's 2007! And it is time to review the best of 2006. Let' s see what 06 gave us:
Best Science Book Edit: Pluto, formerly known as a Planet
Best Moment in Satire: Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent's Dinner
Best Dictionary Addition: Truthiness, again, thanks to Stephen Colbert
Best Political Coup: Democrats winning majority in both House and Senate
Best Presidential Boo-boo: "The only way we can win is to leave before the job is done"
Best Repetitive Ad: Head On, apply directly to the forehead; Head-On, apply directly to the forehead...(repeat, repeat, repeat)
(My) Best Epiphany: One who looks for the truth in the world will look forever and never find it. One who looks for the truth within, will see the truth for what it is to them.--Me
Best Reincarnation of Edward R. Murrow: Keith Olbermann
Best Time Person of the Year: Me (And you thought it was going to be You! Kind of selfish, isn't it!!)
Oh, I could go on, but I'll end it there, because 2007 is already here and it is beginning to be such an excellent year already.
Best Science Book Edit: Pluto, formerly known as a Planet
Best Moment in Satire: Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent's Dinner
Best Dictionary Addition: Truthiness, again, thanks to Stephen Colbert
Best Political Coup: Democrats winning majority in both House and Senate
Best Presidential Boo-boo: "The only way we can win is to leave before the job is done"
Best Repetitive Ad: Head On, apply directly to the forehead; Head-On, apply directly to the forehead...(repeat, repeat, repeat)
(My) Best Epiphany: One who looks for the truth in the world will look forever and never find it. One who looks for the truth within, will see the truth for what it is to them.--Me
Best Reincarnation of Edward R. Murrow: Keith Olbermann
Best Time Person of the Year: Me (And you thought it was going to be You! Kind of selfish, isn't it!!)
Oh, I could go on, but I'll end it there, because 2007 is already here and it is beginning to be such an excellent year already.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Pope's Turkey Visit is This Week!
Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Turkey is this week! Apparently, the article I read from last week made it sound like it was to happen last week, which, of course, it didn't. I was just one week ahead of the times.
Or maybe the Vatican has decided to postpone the trip to this week, as many of the media spinners and satirical news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report had the week of Thanksgiving off to truly enjoy some turkey. Good thing, because all the talk this week will be about what to do with that leftover turkey.
Speaking of leftover turkey, the pope's visit to Turkey will likely not be a leftover affair. And hopefully, Pope Benedict XVI will not use leftover remarks during his speeches in Turkey, as he did several months ago during his German lecture that sparked the Muslim controversy with the pontiff. (Just because the pope quoted from an old byzantine saint that claimed Islam was a violent religion, doesn't mean that Muslim need to prove it, does it??)
After reading stories about this historic visit, I realize that this visit has more to do with the future of Turkey, than the remarks the pope will make. Sure, each word that the pope speaks in this Muslim country is going to be scrutinized to pieces, but this visit is bigger than that. It is going to deal with differences between what the pope represents and the Muslim people. Look at it this way, Turkey has more to lose than the pope if this visit goes down horribly.
So, it's going to be all about differences in ideals and religion, right? It's more than just those basic issues. It's about civilization. Western civilization vs. Eastern civilization, specifically. Right now, Turkey is vying to become a part of the European Union (EU). Turkey officials apparently feel that it would be advantageous for them to be a part of this economic union.
However, to connect with the EU, Turkey would be connecting with predominantly Christian countries. Not only are they Christian, but they are a part of Western civilization, a culture that most Muslims would consider repulsive. It is a clash of cultures.
Beyond the clash, it is about Turkey's past, present and future. Turkey is a historically pivotal country between Western and Eastern civilizations. Turkey is where Christianity saw its rise into prominence with mandated state and country religion, thanks to Emperor Constantine, and it is this role that changed Rome's stance from burning Christians to embracing them. It was at this point in history that Turkey (Byzantine Empire) affected both Eastern and Western civilizations.
Then, Turkey's Byzantine traditions were taken over by the Ottoman empire and changed from Christianity to Islam. Another pivotal moment for Turkey, as Constantinople changed to Istanbul and the Haghia Sophia, Church of Holy Wisdom, was converted to a mosque with minarets and all (and within the last century has been restored and is now a public museum).
Turkey is now facing another pivotal moment. On one side, there's the East with primarily Muslim belief, culture and government states. They offer Turkey their traditions and views of proper Muslim societies, along with isolated cells of muslim extremists. On the other side, is the West, with their free-thinkers, Christian fundamentalists, and (perspectively corrupt) capitalist (and some socialist) countries with their advanced technologies and crazy middle classes.
My personal hope is that the pope sees this visit like a good samaritan. I also hope that Muslims in Turkey will show and prove to the pope that their beliefs are not about violence. Non-violent, peaceful acts can go a long way to prove a point of non-violence. I also hope that Turkey's decision is what truly is best for its country considering their prospects with the EU and working with both Western and Eastern neighbors.
Last thoughts:
I do hope that the pope can enjoy Turkey this week. And I do hope that Turkey will enjoy the pope's visit.
Or maybe the Vatican has decided to postpone the trip to this week, as many of the media spinners and satirical news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report had the week of Thanksgiving off to truly enjoy some turkey. Good thing, because all the talk this week will be about what to do with that leftover turkey.
Speaking of leftover turkey, the pope's visit to Turkey will likely not be a leftover affair. And hopefully, Pope Benedict XVI will not use leftover remarks during his speeches in Turkey, as he did several months ago during his German lecture that sparked the Muslim controversy with the pontiff. (Just because the pope quoted from an old byzantine saint that claimed Islam was a violent religion, doesn't mean that Muslim need to prove it, does it??)
After reading stories about this historic visit, I realize that this visit has more to do with the future of Turkey, than the remarks the pope will make. Sure, each word that the pope speaks in this Muslim country is going to be scrutinized to pieces, but this visit is bigger than that. It is going to deal with differences between what the pope represents and the Muslim people. Look at it this way, Turkey has more to lose than the pope if this visit goes down horribly.
So, it's going to be all about differences in ideals and religion, right? It's more than just those basic issues. It's about civilization. Western civilization vs. Eastern civilization, specifically. Right now, Turkey is vying to become a part of the European Union (EU). Turkey officials apparently feel that it would be advantageous for them to be a part of this economic union.
However, to connect with the EU, Turkey would be connecting with predominantly Christian countries. Not only are they Christian, but they are a part of Western civilization, a culture that most Muslims would consider repulsive. It is a clash of cultures.
Beyond the clash, it is about Turkey's past, present and future. Turkey is a historically pivotal country between Western and Eastern civilizations. Turkey is where Christianity saw its rise into prominence with mandated state and country religion, thanks to Emperor Constantine, and it is this role that changed Rome's stance from burning Christians to embracing them. It was at this point in history that Turkey (Byzantine Empire) affected both Eastern and Western civilizations.
Then, Turkey's Byzantine traditions were taken over by the Ottoman empire and changed from Christianity to Islam. Another pivotal moment for Turkey, as Constantinople changed to Istanbul and the Haghia Sophia, Church of Holy Wisdom, was converted to a mosque with minarets and all (and within the last century has been restored and is now a public museum).
Turkey is now facing another pivotal moment. On one side, there's the East with primarily Muslim belief, culture and government states. They offer Turkey their traditions and views of proper Muslim societies, along with isolated cells of muslim extremists. On the other side, is the West, with their free-thinkers, Christian fundamentalists, and (perspectively corrupt) capitalist (and some socialist) countries with their advanced technologies and crazy middle classes.
My personal hope is that the pope sees this visit like a good samaritan. I also hope that Muslims in Turkey will show and prove to the pope that their beliefs are not about violence. Non-violent, peaceful acts can go a long way to prove a point of non-violence. I also hope that Turkey's decision is what truly is best for its country considering their prospects with the EU and working with both Western and Eastern neighbors.
Last thoughts:
I do hope that the pope can enjoy Turkey this week. And I do hope that Turkey will enjoy the pope's visit.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Ah... Gravitas!
Seriously... We need to get serious. And finally Keith Olbermann is giving true gravitas to the grave concerns of the state of the union.
As I read about the references to the traditions of network television news after Katie Couric's premiere performance, the accomplishments of those early pioneers in television news are indeed amazing. They were cowboys of their era, riding into a new frontier of journalism, with the ability to truly make a genuine difference to better this world because of their honest reporting.
Where have all the cowboys gone? Up until now, I thought they had gone to Comedy Central, because it seems in our culture today, the only way to say there's a major SNAFU here, is to pepper it with laughter. It takes balls to call out someone's bluff, or to point at authority and say they've done wrong, or to do some serious investigative reporting and publicize the real truth behind the smoke screens.
It was such reporting by CBS News that changed the tide for Nixon and quite possibly ended the Vietnam War. We, as the collective people, do not fully understand the impact television news has when they offer us their reporting perspectives on today's stories. And we should be concerned when the rhetoric of governmental offices are echoed in the evening news without the least bit of questioning, probing, or indepth independent investigation. We do not understand the full impact of the reprimand CBS News received after the whole investigation into the president's alleged time in the national guard. This was grave.
Maybe that is why people are turning to the lighter side for their news. We all need a laugh ever so often, and sometimes we like to know what's going on around us, too. Thank goodness for Comedy Central's Daily Show and Colbert Report, where gravitas is spoken with a sprinkling of jest.
A new cowboy is riding on the horizon. Keith Olbermann. I've watched his show a couple of times, as I get a chance, since he is one of a few television newsmen that tries to tell it like it is, beyond the propaganda from biased agencies. Thanks to another cowboy, I've been able to see the continued rise of prominent people to speak up about the concerning state of our country. A couple of days ago Olbermann spoke up about his concerns on the direction of our country, lead by President G.W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
At the end of Olbermann's perspective look, he quoted Edward Murrow: "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty." Olbermann continues with a strikingly mellow and sobering countenance, in the fashion of those old cowboys, like Cronkite and Murrow: "We must remember always that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear - one, of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of un-reason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men; Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were - for the moment - unpopular."
If you look up Murrow's quote, some sources take that first sentence and end it with, "When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it." Murrow is not talking about terrorist opposition, but loyal opposition--a big difference. Loyal opposition, in my humble view, are among "we the people" who honestly question, research, and investigate actions and intentions that stray from our Constitutional foundations. Loyal opposition defends our Constitution.
Keith Olbermann is bringing television news back to the journalistic integrity of days gone by. (And for those naysayers who think the past is irrelevant to day, just look to our Constitution if you want relevence to your own freedoms.)
Keith Olbermann delivers gravitas! (And he does carry out, too! Check out his blog!)
As I read about the references to the traditions of network television news after Katie Couric's premiere performance, the accomplishments of those early pioneers in television news are indeed amazing. They were cowboys of their era, riding into a new frontier of journalism, with the ability to truly make a genuine difference to better this world because of their honest reporting.
Where have all the cowboys gone? Up until now, I thought they had gone to Comedy Central, because it seems in our culture today, the only way to say there's a major SNAFU here, is to pepper it with laughter. It takes balls to call out someone's bluff, or to point at authority and say they've done wrong, or to do some serious investigative reporting and publicize the real truth behind the smoke screens.
It was such reporting by CBS News that changed the tide for Nixon and quite possibly ended the Vietnam War. We, as the collective people, do not fully understand the impact television news has when they offer us their reporting perspectives on today's stories. And we should be concerned when the rhetoric of governmental offices are echoed in the evening news without the least bit of questioning, probing, or indepth independent investigation. We do not understand the full impact of the reprimand CBS News received after the whole investigation into the president's alleged time in the national guard. This was grave.
Maybe that is why people are turning to the lighter side for their news. We all need a laugh ever so often, and sometimes we like to know what's going on around us, too. Thank goodness for Comedy Central's Daily Show and Colbert Report, where gravitas is spoken with a sprinkling of jest.
A new cowboy is riding on the horizon. Keith Olbermann. I've watched his show a couple of times, as I get a chance, since he is one of a few television newsmen that tries to tell it like it is, beyond the propaganda from biased agencies. Thanks to another cowboy, I've been able to see the continued rise of prominent people to speak up about the concerning state of our country. A couple of days ago Olbermann spoke up about his concerns on the direction of our country, lead by President G.W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
At the end of Olbermann's perspective look, he quoted Edward Murrow: "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty." Olbermann continues with a strikingly mellow and sobering countenance, in the fashion of those old cowboys, like Cronkite and Murrow: "We must remember always that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear - one, of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of un-reason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men; Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were - for the moment - unpopular."
If you look up Murrow's quote, some sources take that first sentence and end it with, "When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it." Murrow is not talking about terrorist opposition, but loyal opposition--a big difference. Loyal opposition, in my humble view, are among "we the people" who honestly question, research, and investigate actions and intentions that stray from our Constitutional foundations. Loyal opposition defends our Constitution.
Keith Olbermann is bringing television news back to the journalistic integrity of days gone by. (And for those naysayers who think the past is irrelevant to day, just look to our Constitution if you want relevence to your own freedoms.)
Keith Olbermann delivers gravitas! (And he does carry out, too! Check out his blog!)
Friday, February 03, 2006
US Press Ignores Danish Cartoon Freedom Issues
Did you notice? No one major media outlet in the US is touching the whole controversial Danish cartoon story. Not even with a ten-foot pole.
Even on the satire news outlets. Jon Stewart--nothing. Stephen Colbert--nada. (Ok, ok...update: so they are now reporting about it, but very carefully, as if walking on glass with bare feet.)
Why?
Well, right click on the title link and read that article. Is it fear? Fear of retalliation? I thought we were fighting so we would be free, and so would Iraq and Afganistan.
I think it is culture clash. I'm sure that the hit "Rock the Casbah" from the 80s rock band The Clash is offensive to Islam, too. But then again, we had Ronald Reagan in the White House, who scared the living daylights out of anyone who dared to harm us with his iron clad phrases like:
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
Ronald Reagan
It is the Soviet Union that runs against the tide of history.... [It is] the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism- Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.
Ronald Reagan (Replace Soviet Union with current "evils")
Coersion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.
Ronald Reagan
I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves.
Ronald Reagan
It is the Soviet Union that runs against the tide of history.... [It is] the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism- Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.
Ronald Reagan (Replace Soviet Union with current "evils")
History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.
Ronald Reagan
You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream -- the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order -- or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits."
Ronald Reagan
The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas-a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.
Ronald Reagan (Boy, isn't that the truth!)
If you want to read more quotes from Ronald Reagan, check out one of my favorite sites: Wikipedia's Wikiquote!
Don't be surprised when you read these quotes that your head starts to shake from side to side. It seems just about all great leaders contradict themselves or their political party's beliefs at one time or another.
Even on the satire news outlets. Jon Stewart--nothing. Stephen Colbert--nada. (Ok, ok...update: so they are now reporting about it, but very carefully, as if walking on glass with bare feet.)
Why?
Well, right click on the title link and read that article. Is it fear? Fear of retalliation? I thought we were fighting so we would be free, and so would Iraq and Afganistan.
I think it is culture clash. I'm sure that the hit "Rock the Casbah" from the 80s rock band The Clash is offensive to Islam, too. But then again, we had Ronald Reagan in the White House, who scared the living daylights out of anyone who dared to harm us with his iron clad phrases like:
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
Ronald Reagan
It is the Soviet Union that runs against the tide of history.... [It is] the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism- Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.
Ronald Reagan (Replace Soviet Union with current "evils")
Coersion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.
Ronald Reagan
I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves.
Ronald Reagan
It is the Soviet Union that runs against the tide of history.... [It is] the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism- Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.
Ronald Reagan (Replace Soviet Union with current "evils")
History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.
Ronald Reagan
You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream -- the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order -- or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits."
Ronald Reagan
The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas-a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.
Ronald Reagan (Boy, isn't that the truth!)
If you want to read more quotes from Ronald Reagan, check out one of my favorite sites: Wikipedia's Wikiquote!
Don't be surprised when you read these quotes that your head starts to shake from side to side. It seems just about all great leaders contradict themselves or their political party's beliefs at one time or another.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
The Daily Show & Colbert Report: One Hour of Stinging News
I've always enjoyed watching The Daily Show for its ability to poke fun at the obvious, and last night Jon Stewart delivered the blatantly obvious to his guest, Mr. Bill O'Reilly (aka O'Really) from Faux (formerly Fox) News (you know, the fairly unbalanced news network).
The proverbial sparks began with Colbert's french name, and O'Really spewed his hate France agenda. Stewart then asked "why so angry?" The sparks flew when Stewart began to sting O'Really about "fighting the bad guys" and the media's inability to investigate the Iraq War. As O'Really retorted his rhetoric, Stewart, in his finest hour, whispered "they didn't find the weapons of mass destruction."
O'Really's response wasn't that of backing the president or mentioning anything about getting Iraq back on its feet. Nooooo. O'Really showed his true colors with his "you believe that leftist crap" comment. That kind of comment really shows who you are, O'Really. You are a Bushie/neocon loyalist media whore. Whoa, did I really say that? (This is probably why Stewart did not reply to O'Really's leftist comment.)
Ok, ok. O'Really, if you really weren't a media whore, then you would have stuck to the issues at hand and made intelligent comments on a truthful statement. But noooo, you played the bully on the playground and attacked a group of people that had nothing to do with the topic at hand. (Pssst. The true left in this country did not want to be in this Iraq War in the first place. Secondly, the fact there were no WMDs was not a fabrication of the leftists, it is fact. Unlike the fabrications that led us into this war in the first place.)
And I can't forget to mention Stewart's wonderful analog of France as Charlie Brown's Marcy. Yeah, O'Really, stop fighting with Marcy and go after Lucy.
Bravo, Jon Stewart!
On to The Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert shows how incredibly cocky he can be while delivering his version of pertinent issues of the day. Somehow I smell the essence of the old Daily Show anchor Craig Kilbourne in this revitalized version of Colbert. That poise of confidence when a man wears cologne that overwhelms a room when they enter. It's that sort of testosterone fever right before they trip on their ego. It's funny alright. But, just as Kilbourne over-did it, Colbert better watch his step so he doesn't fall prey to his ego, too. (In layman's terms, his delivery would be better if he'd just tone it down a bit.) I'm sure I'll either get used to it, or he'll just go back to being the expert reporter on the Daily Show.
On to his finest 6 minutes with Leslie Stahl last night. Ooooo, Colbert. You hit the nail on the head. The comparison with the Nixon scandal to the Plame leak so nicely brought to the light the issues that most media outlets forget to pose: how this insignificant Plame leak could indict more than just a few kids low on the Bush todem pole. Leslie Stahl and her experience with Watergate showed that there are some similarities, and a few differences, between Whitewater and the Plame leak. What wonderful discourse!
Bravo, Colbert! (Just don't let the accolades get to your head, young man.)
Truly stinging news programs. When will Comedy Central post transcripts of the interviews for both shows, anyway? Or, better yet, when will comedy central spin off a comedy news channel to rival Faux, CNN, MSNBC, etc.?
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