OT - Colbert officially named David Letterman's replacement
CBS has finally announced who David Letterman's replacement will be when he steps down in 2015. Stephen Colbert! Not the most U of M centric news at the moment, but I'm sure there are few late night tv fans on here that were waiting to find out who the lucky person would be. There is no set timetable just yet for when this transition will take place (waiting on Letterman to decide exactly when he's leaving), but apparently the contract inked is for 5 years.
I personally haven't watched late night talk shows since the whole Conan/Leno fiasco, and I never really cared for the Late Show, but now I just might be intrigued enough to tune in.
Link? Link.
Happy for Stephen Colbert the person/actor, but losing Stephen Colbert the character is a terrible blow for satire.
As a fan, I am disappointed. He'll likely be asked to follow the late show "format." Delivering a nightly monologue doesn't seem like the best use of his strengths. At the same time, maybe he's growing tired of acting in the same role nightly; I understand that going mainstream could be a professional step forward for him.
It seems like a nightly monologue is the perfect time for him to use his character.
I agree. His show on Comedy Central is one of a kind and will be missed, but I'm excited to watch him in a different setting and see his true personality. The guy is a very funny man and his interviews are always entertaining. I'm sure just like every other TV and radio persoality we will now get to read through twenty posts of how horrible he is at his job and how much torture it is to watch him.
Agreed, good move for him professionally but I view this as bad news. I love the Colbert Report (more than the Daily Show) and he is just not going to be the same on the Late Show.
WoW! I'm torn. I think he would be great but what happens to the Colbert Report?
Hopefully it will no longer exist. This is where all the college-aged kids get their "news", though, so this could be a devastating blow to the industry.
Yes, apparently everybody's meter is broken today. Or, clearly, my ability to use it.
John Oliver just got his own show on HBO so he won't take over but how would giving the 30 minutes that unfunny girl be a solution?! I'd rather give it to ben wyatt or asif mandvi or someone with some talent than her.
I didn't think of Asif Mandvi, but that would be a strong choice. I like the idea of Al Madrigal having his own show, you would get a couple of years out of him mocking the two parties pandering to the Hispanic vote (actually that could be a never ending supply). Larry Wilmore and Wyatt Cenac could do well hosting their own shows. The lazy choice would be John Hodgman just stepping in and doing a similar 1% angle. They have lots of great choices and if Colbert is just going to do the same monologue 3 guest routine that Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are already doing then he can enjoy his enormous checks without me watching that show.
Jason Jones and Samantha Bee doing a husband wife combo show? That could work too.
April 10th, 2014 at 10:03 PM ^
Dude, Oliver killed it. I think Stewart has pretty lame the past few years unless he's going off on a tirade.
The black girls name is Jessica Williams. I think her race-based reports are especially funny and revealing, but that's just my opinion.
I actually would like to see Samantha Bee given some more face time.
It wouldn't come off as racist at all if you had just called her by her name and left race out of it.
you are obviously a real student of the show. And Jessica is fucking hilarious.
[edit: sorry, this was in response to the earlier post denigrating jessica and John--not yours, obviously]
Is he taking his Character with him to the Late Show? Can't decide if I'd even want him to or not.
He's not.
If true, he is making a big mistake.
His character would make no sense in a Late Night setting. I don't think "Stephen Colbert" is dead, but he will be used minimally. This is a professional move. It would be tired if he kept the character. If he can prove he can reinvent himself and do the whole late night thing with success, it will be amazing.
Colbert is witty and charming. He will do great on the new show. He will be a comedy legend when his career is over.
April 10th, 2014 at 10:05 PM ^
He'll be retiring his character and playing the Late Show as himself, so I consider this a giant loss for comedy.
Not going to stay up that late to watch the Late Show.
Too old and grumpy for me to think his schtick on Colbert was funny anyways.
Don't have a DVR? The only thing I watch live anymore is sports and I sometimes start watching 30 minutes after the game starts so I can just fast forward through the commercials and halftime. One of my favorite shows is Red Eye and that's on at 3am ET.
Have any of you guys ever read "I am America, and So Can You?"
That almost book was funny as all get up. I love Colbert but I probably won't watch him on Network Television. I save those channels for sports.
Now it's #promotedcolbert.
I was hoping for Drew Carey.
April 11th, 2014 at 11:59 AM ^
The burning question is . . . will he still be doing ads for pistachios? Inquiring minds want to know.
“I'm thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me,” Colbert said in a statement. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go grind a gap in my front teeth.”
According to a few articles, this is a five-year deal, but it doesn't look like any numbers are out yet. It will definitely be an interesting shift for the show, and I think Colbert (as himself) can give the show an edge. Indeed, he even got the endorsement of his Comedy Central competitor Jon Stewart:
“He is a uniquely talented individual,” the long-time “Daily Show” host told NY Magazine of the “Colbert Report” host. “He's wonderful in ‘Colbert Report,’ but he's got gears he hasn't even shown people yet. He would be remarkable.”
Per Rush Limbaugh, this hire is an assault on the Heartland of America. An interesting take, and in keeping with the site's rules, that's all I'll say...
I guess CBS is giving up on the cantankerous, bitter, old white guy demographic.
If CBS lost old white people, suddenly they would not get to run those America's most watched network ads.
A different white guy!
Gosh, must be, because I can't think of any other way I'd have heard about it...
Obviously I can't say with certainty, but I'm at least willing to wager that not everyone reading this discussion listens to Rush or knew about his comments. But, if they've read the whole thread, now they do!
I think that's enough clues, I'll leave you to solve the rest of the puzzle.
There is a cottage industry on the internet devoted to publizicing Rush Limbaugh's more inflammatory comments.
He's awful.