Colbert!!

From a diehard Letterman fan - I must say Stephen is doing a great job - Trump is on tonight.

Here's Cruz:

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..

When Cruz walked onto the stage there was no loud applauding like the crowd there usually does. I was impressed that Colbert stopped the booing. He said Cruz was his invited guest and that it was wrong to boo him. He seems like an upright guy.

I don't often stay up late enough to watch Colbert but based on that clip, I think I should. And tonight, based on your recommendation, Jamie, I will [try].

I was wondering when someone was going to start a thread. I am a huge Colbert fan, but I can't find much good to say about The Late Show With... I've watched every show waiting for it to get funny, but it's a big disappointment to me all around. And someone should tell Jon Batiste that it's not his show and he should stop hogging the camera.

As for this episode, Cruz first spouted about being a strict Constitutionalist blah blah blah, and then later said the Supreme Court, which was created in Article III of the Constitution, should be done away with because they're not elected officials -- and Colbert didn't call him on it. I understand why (CBS, among other reasons), but it adds to my disappointment.

OK, rant over...

I really liked him on the Colbert Report, what a great piece of political infotainment/satire.

But I'm not sure if the late night format is right for him. IMHO Letterman was better and so is Fallon for late night, keeping it light and entertaining. Colbert's guests are to 'heavy', to much serious political talk.

And don't get me started on Batiste flirting with the camera all the time.

I was hoping for more of a Dick Cavett or David Frost vibe, and less of the usual late-night silliness, but I do like Colbert as a person. Whether I'll come to like the show or not, I can't yet say. And I do find the cult of the bandleader (not just Batiste, ALL of them!) has passed me by.

Yes - Batiste is a bit annoying - but the opening segments are good - very Daily Showesque.

And he's a decent interviewer.

I think the level he's at - only 2 weeks in - is really good.

i agree Jamie. And for those who cannot stay up late...DVR!!! We have ours set to always have recorded the most recent 2 shows, so then we watch when we want to.

He had some excellent schtick and interviews last week. (I've watched every show so far!) CArol Burnett was great. Kevin Spacey - great. Stephen Breyer, great. Amy Schumer, great. etc. And the music is excellent! Each night it seems like he has a 'fluff' guest, a 'serious' guest, and a musical guest.

I think by end of week 2 he was really starting to hit his stride. As for Jon Batiste - he's okay. I was glad when he dropped that toot horn for the grand piano.

The Donald is guest this week I think on the 22nd. Hey, it's the 22nd today!

I love his lifestyle brand parody!

I am enjoying it.

I'm staying up for it.

I really dislike the celebrity interviews - I could care less about what Scarlet Johansson says. Stephen Colbert is awesome and quick witted. I hope as time goes on he will be able to move a bit further away from the usual "late night" celebrity interview model.....and have more humorous and thought provoking guests. I have tickets to his show and look forward to going!

He looks a bit like Stan Laurel

mumstheword said:
....
As for this episode, Cruz first spouted about being a strict Constitutionalist blah blah blah, and then later said the Supreme Court, which was created in Article III of the Constitution, should be done away with because they're not elected officials -- and Colbert didn't call him on it. I understand why (CBS, among other reasons), but it adds to my disappointment.
OK, rant over...

I suspect Colbert didn't pursue the Constitutional argument because peoples' eyeballs glaze over and their heads begin to nod when the intricacies of the Constitution are discussed.

ALso, I notice lots of edits on those interviews...could be he did call him out on it but ended up on the editing floor per jerseyjack's glaze over rationale.

carrielogo- that Johansen interview was not good but that was the first night ! I hope you've tuned in since then. have fun at the show!

ffof said:
ALso, I notice lots of edits on those interviews...could be he did call him out on it but ended up on the editing floor per jerseyjack's glaze over rationale.


carrielogo- that Johansen interview was not good but that was the first night ! I hope you've tuned in since then. have fun at the show!

The Johansen interview was awkward, I think, because she didn't have anything to sell. Not too much to find to talk about when they're not promoting themselves.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

mumstheword said:
....
As for this episode, Cruz first spouted about being a strict Constitutionalist blah blah blah, and then later said the Supreme Court, which was created in Article III of the Constitution, should be done away with because they're not elected officials -- and Colbert didn't call him on it. I understand why (CBS, among other reasons), but it adds to my disappointment.
OK, rant over...

I suspect Colbert didn't pursue the Constitutional argument because peoples' eyeballs glaze over and their heads begin to nod when the intricacies of the Constitution are discussed.

Very true, indeed. However, people are quick to jump on the bandwagon when they want to use the Constitution (falsely) to bolster their lies.

So, I stayed up to watch it (yawn) and was glad I did. Trump is quite a trip. The show doesn't seem to know exactly what it wants to be, a comedy show with skits, costumes, etc. like the other late-night shows or a semi-serious venue for current affairs discussions. I guess it can be both. I'd love to see a focus on the latter though, since I'm a news and current events obsessive. There's enough broad comedy on late night already.

I think Colbert knocked it out of the park with his opening monologue tonight (Fri, Oct2). Check it out on CBS.com

he is getting better. but he still cuts his guests replies short. this bugs me.

oots

I was skeptical, but I'm really enjoying it. Him and John Oliver together made my heart full..

sorry, I can't help it.....Him made your heart full?

I think any criticism of the show at this point is kind of silly. He just started and it will take a while to find his legs.

But I firmly believe that Colbert will revolutionize late night tv.

It's been the same basic shtick for decades. Letterman stretched out the format quite a bit but not fundamentally. I think Colbert is one of the most talented men in show business right now and I think he'll do great things.

Or he'll just crash and burn.

One of those.

ctrzwife tells of when she worked Conan's first weeks and had to grab people off the street to fill seats. They couldn't give tickets away. Give Colbert and the show time to find its groove--it's like opning on a restaurant a week after it opens.

I like him and would watch again, but I can't stand that showoff "bandleader" Jon Batiste. He really ruins the whole show for me.

mumstheword said:
I like him and would watch again, but I can't stand that showoff "bandleader" Jon Batiste. He really ruins the whole show for me.

I kind of agree - he needs to pull it back a bit.

I think they have pulled Batiste back a bit. He is a big personality, and I think Colbert enjoys him. But the camera is not going to him as frequently. And, the other night his music was more jazz. Not saying it is always going to be that way...the guy is incredibly versatile.

gerryl said:
I think they have pulled Batiste back a bit. He is a big personality, and I think Colbert enjoys him. But the camera is not going to him as frequently. And, the other night his music was more jazz. Not saying it is always going to be that way...the guy is incredibly versatile.

Hmmmmmm.....do you think that had anything to do with the e-mail I sent the production offices? LOL!

Quite frankly, I don't like the music either -- it sounds tinny with those fake instruments. And it seems that anything interesting that Colbert does can be found the next day on You Tube, so I just may take that route.

The instrument is called a melodica. Friday night I think he stuck with the piano. He was playing what seemed to be pretty complex music at times. I did find that by his size and exuberance he could easily take over the stage. Seems to me they pulled that back in a lot. I think he is an outsized talent. And he is a strong proponent of getting audiences involved while he is playing. Which, although may not be great during the televised segments of the show, I love.

Watch the show and see what Colbert says about guns and legislation.