Comments on: Colbert on O'Reilly, O'Reilly on Colbert

Colbert on O'Reilly, O'Reilly on Colbert

kirkaracha — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:43:54 -0800

Stephen Colbert on the O'Reilly Factor. Bill O'Reilly on the Colbert Report

By: stupidsexyFlanders

stupidsexyFlanders — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:47:51 -0800

SC isn't as funny at BO's place, BO isn't as assholish at SC's place. The hype on CR was funnier than the reality.

By: jouke

jouke — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:51:29 -0800

A conversation with Colbert at Harvard. He has some charisma, even without a script.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:59:00 -0800

We watched the O'Reilly Factor live at the IRFH Compound last night, all eager to see Colbert. By the time the Colbert segment finally aired, we were too depressed to care.

By: bhouston

bhouston — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:02:46 -0800

"Bill O'Reilly on the Colbert Report" was pretty lame and short.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:03:02 -0800

Remember that movie (forgot the name) where the Harlem Globetrotters get stranded on Gilligan's Island? Yeah, it was just that intense.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:06:57 -0800

Mission accomplished.

By: parmanparman

parmanparman — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:07:56 -0800

It was really not as cool as it made itself out to be. In the end, they both came off as morons.

By: LooseFilter

LooseFilter — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:08:07 -0800

Yeah, mostly lame. I mean, what did they expect: satirist meets asshole. Awkward conversation, jokes met with distaste, and that creepy feeling I get watching Bill O'Reilly trying to have a sense of humor--it's worse than watching him in "no-spin" mode.

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:09:35 -0800

I was glad that they mentioned South Carolina.

By: symphonik

symphonik — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:10:50 -0800

I love it. What I can't get over is how obsessed Bill O'Reilly is with Jon Stewart. It is really, really worrisome.

By: ob

ob — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:12:44 -0800

It was really not as cool as it made itself out to be. Yeah I had that feeling too...

By: mert

mert — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:12:53 -0800

HIs satire is almost a kind of nihilism.. everything is misdirected, nothing is serious. It's much further to the comedy side of the spectrum than political commentary, in contrast to the jon stewart show, which is more literal and heavy handed, but is about the message less than the medium.

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:13:31 -0800

I liked the bit where behind-the-camera-staff in the background of the O'Reilly show were cracking up. I have visions of said junior slacker-tech being bound by camera cables and gaffer tape for a No-Spin 'debriefing' later.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:14:20 -0800

"It was really not as cool as it made itself out to be. Yeah I had that feeling too..." Did you feelawful?

By: localroger

localroger — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:16:04 -0800

mert, Colbert's satire reflects his source material. I remember reading an out-of-persona interview with Colbert where he recalled the meeting when they were planning his show. "I can't do this if it means being an asshole," he remembers saying, and Jon Stewart telling him "You're not going to be an asshole, you're going to be a moron." He has prepped several left-wing guests, to whom he is privately sympathetic, by telling them before the show "remember I play a character who is willfully ignorant." If he comes across as a nihilist that's probably why.

By: contessa

contessa — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:18:17 -0800

I watched both last night. For me the most entertaining part was post-Colbert interview on O'Reilly, when the two yes-men (well, 1 yes-man and 1 yes-woman) and O'Reilly were dissecting the improbable popularity of shows like TDS and Colbert Report. I think the conclusion they reached was that it is hip to be a wise-ass smart aleck, so the rest of the media gives them a lot of love because...they want the hipness to rub off on them, too, or something...I am actually not really sure, because the tenuous strands of that crazylogic were fraying as they spoke. It was surreal.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:18:44 -0800

The sexual predator dig was terrific.

By: MapGuy

MapGuy — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:23:59 -0800

You mean these guys are parodies of the Truth? Whoooah, I sure am glad I only listen to Jon Stewart and Oprah, oh and Dr. Phil, and the Wiggles.

By: arcticwoman

arcticwoman — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:24:03 -0800

I thought the O'Reilly on Colbert's show clip was actually pretty good. I laughed.

By: Dizzy

Dizzy — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:37:21 -0800

Mark This Down: Colbert Officially Jumps Shark 1-18-07. Meta-World Stunned. Up Next-- Hundreds Of Hand-Drawn Turkeys!

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:39:23 -0800

Colbert did not jump the shark. He just chummed him for a while.

By: mosk

mosk — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:44:43 -0800

The sexual predator dig was terrific. Yes. Yes it was. It was said in such an off-hand way (as they were walking across the set) that it was really quite devastating, like a punch to the gut of BO'R. Also laughed quite loudly at the visual gag of displaying the O'Reilly book with the "30% off" discount sticker covering O'Reilly's face. THAT made up for the rest of the show, which was frankly a letdown. But, he managed to have O'Reilly on his show, dis him repeatedly, and give him almost no mic time to respond, which I appreciated. I'd give him 3/5 stars, given the potential.

By: washburn

washburn — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:48:16 -0800

It was pretty depressing to watch Colbert on O'Rilley, since O'Rilley's cheap questions about Colbert having pronounced his name as col-BERT early in his live really did seem to throw Colbert a little. It was sad to see O'Rilley's usual ad hominem aspersions do their work on Colbert, who I understand was prohibited from mentioning a number of things on O'Rilley's program, including the war in Iraq. It was also odd that when O'Rilley walked on to Colbert's set, that the camera watched O'Rilley enter, instead of as usual following Colbert to emphasize the megalomania of Colbert's persona. Generally I think that Colbert's decision to defer to O'Rilley, rather that trying to out-boast him made both episodes less interesting than they could have been. But cheers to Colbert anyhow, even if he didn't manage to dominate O'Rilley in the way that 'ole Phil Donahue managed to.

By: washburn

washburn — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:50:39 -0800

Donahue/O'Rilley is at this link, if the other didn't work.

By: caddis

caddis — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:57:34 -0800

As much as I dislike O'Reilly, I do give him credit for being a sport about this.

By: fleetmouse

fleetmouse — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:00:50 -0800

By: LooseFilter

LooseFilter — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:01:39 -0800

I don't think he's being a sport about it--it smacked of an attempt at relevancy to a younger demographic (which is why Colbert gave the dig about his audience being in their 70s). I think he (and/or his people) are worried that public perception of him is changing for the worse. Anybody check the Factor's ratings lately? I know Olbermann's audience has grown tremendously, but don't know if Bill's has shrunk at all.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:01:58 -0800

Monkey interviewing monkey.

By: pax digita

pax digita — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:04:12 -0800

I was glad that they mentioned South Carolina. Continuing a minor derail, I'm always glad anytime anybody mentions my beloved Palmetto State, although usually it's in a Mick Jagger, Rolling Stone, "As long as my picture's on the cover, I don't care what they say about me on page 96" sort of way. (suffering my explusion from Eden up where it snows)

By: ~

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:05:39 -0800

Colbert does a really good O'Reilly. He sometimes seems like a better O'Reilly than O'Reilly. But I think the humour in Colbert's show isn't in the character so much as in the transplant of the character from Fox->Comedy Central. (Which is so obviously its right place in retrospect.) So there's something a little boring about a direct confrontation of the two characters, rather than the two whole shows. (On the other hand, how could Colbert have turned down the chance to have him on the show?) (god I hate the phrase "jumped the shark")

By: Dizzy

Dizzy — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:07:45 -0800

(me too. sorry.)

By: TechnoLustLuddite

TechnoLustLuddite — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:11:17 -0800

what do you think was the "thing that Colbert didn't want Orielly to mention?"

By: ~

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:17:47 -0800

(eh. sorry i jumped the snark.)

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:19:49 -0800

"what do you think was the 'thing that Colbert didn't want Orielly to mention?'" Falafel, of course.

By: Superfrankenstein

Superfrankenstein — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:20:00 -0800

The funniest joke of the whole night: on O'Reilly's show, the host waited until Colbert left the set, then complained about him. Hilarious public display of cowardice.

By: designbot

designbot — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:28:48 -0800

what do you think was the "thing that Colbert didn't want Orielly to mention?" I'd assume it didn't mean anything, but if it did, I assume it would refer to the fact that O'Reilly never made "Stephen Colbert" break character and talk legitimately about Stephen Colbert.

By: Bovine Love

Bovine Love — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:30:58 -0800

The 30% thing was more then enough pay off for the whole show. That was priceless. O'Reilly took it better then I thought he might, but did seem a little off balance.

By: eurasian

eurasian — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:34:15 -0800

Was I the only one who got (imagined) the homeoerotic digs Colbert was making at O'Reilley? "I do you" *meaningful look* And a few other parts. Maybe I just have a slash fiction novella churning away in my odd and disturbingly aroused mind.

By: eustacescrubb

eustacescrubb — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:35:11 -0800

what do you think was the "thing that Colbert didn't want Orielly to mention?" Nothing; Colbert was indirectly referencing the list of things he (Colbert) wasn't allowed to mention on O'Reilly's show, like the war, and falafel, etc.

By: spock

spock — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:43:24 -0800

What mosk said. Also, I like Colbert's reference (at the end of the O'Reilly Show segment) that he appreciated O'Reilly NOT bringing up the thing they discussed not discussing. That was a really backdoor way of showing the terms O'Reilly asked for before agreeing to this little exchange. Colbert's genius is in somehow getting around what would appear to be well-laid defenses.

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:45:39 -0800

Mark This Down: Colbert Officially Jumps Shark 1-18-07. Damn. I didn't even get to drive the powerboat!

By: dflemingdotorg

dflemingdotorg — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:52:43 -0800

O'Reilly is completely out of his element with Colbert. He clearly doesn't understand satire - it's over his head. He puts up a good fight at this or that moment when something distinct emerges from the blur of his worldview, but that's it. Colbert's tactic of ersatz fawning admiration peppered with stinging insults leaves him helpless. He literally doesn't know how to react. oh please. i'm not an o'reilly fan but if humour's not your native game, it's clearly going to be an awkward interview if you can't go toe to toe with one of the funniest men on television today. you can't spin this into some o'reilly argument about how deficient he is simply because he doesn't interview well with a fawning colbert. it's an impossible interview, on either side of it. colbert's in character; he's not. colbert's got no agenda to defend; he does. colbert's got no limitations to what he can and can't do (based on having a reputation to uphold); o'reilly does. effectively, colbert only agrees with o'reilly so far as it sets him up for a joke; what could you do? he gave everyone what they wanted; a chance for one of the dream team of comedic journalism to have their way with him. he came out relatively unscathed. it's obvious he's not meant for comedy but he also doesn't do comedy (on purpose).

By: Peter H

Peter H — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:01:05 -0800

"Pat Robertson's Protein Shake" is one of the funniest euphemisms I've ever heard.

By: bukharin

bukharin — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:07:01 -0800

I thought Colbert handed it to him really well. O'Reilly was determined to fight his enemy, Colbert's character was determined to adore him; meanwhile, getting through much smarter and sharper digs at O'Reilly, like the Mission Accomplished banner and the 30% off. Colbert's interview was too short, they should have given it more time for all the hype. The homoeroticism was great too. "I'd do anything you ask," "I'd do you," etc. Well played. And I love that O'Reilly's crew can be heard laughing, I'm sure he wasn't too pleased about that. "If you're an act, what does that make me?" Priceless.

By: The White Hat

The White Hat — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:07:05 -0800

I think the microwave needs mentioning.

By: ibmcginty

ibmcginty — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:13:42 -0800

I more or less agree with dflemming.org. Building from the inarguable bedrock principle that O'Reilly is a Coulterish performance-art blowhard, he came across as a pretty good sport in these interviews. He did better than I thought he would in back-and-forth with Colbert. So, admittedly, it all might have been the soft bigotry of low expectations. And both interviews were good. Not script-perfect at every moment, but funny. The 30% sticker, "with a gun to my head, sure," the comparison of demographics, Fox's split-screen, were all very funny moments. ITFHenderson, I tried to watch the whole Factor, but instead just put on Olbermann and flipped back to Fox for the Colbert segment. It's impossible to watch that show.

By: matteo

matteo — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:15:02 -0800

you know, since Limbaugh mocked Michael J. Fox's Parkinsons and then even bragged about it, well, I dislike O'Reilly so much less. say what you want about him -- I usually do -- he's not that much of a scumbag, he wouldn't sink that low and then, I realize that I don't dislike O'Reilly as much now, and it's all Limbaugh's fault.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:19:33 -0800

I actually think that's their strategy, matteo. Stepping down the suspension of disbelief. Coulter is used sparingly to make Limbaugh seem tame by comparison. Limbaugh is used to make O'Reilly seem reasonable. O'Reilly is used to make Hannity & Colmes appear human. And by the end of the day, BAM! Bush looks like a freakin' genius.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:19:48 -0800

As an aside, I was in Charleston two weeks ago and went to Sticky Fingers Rib House where they have the painting of Stephen Colbert that used to be on the set (the one of him standing in front of picture of him, etc). Very cool to see in person. The bartender said he was in a few days prior to take pictures of himself with it and his family. So now he has a picture of himself in front of a painting of himself in front of a painting of himself, etc etc. I have nothing to say about Bill O'Reilly.

By: herc

herc — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:20:04 -0800

Somewhat related, the White House has chosen Rich Little to be this year's performer at White House Correspondents' Dinner because organizers of the event made it clear they don't want a repeat of last year's controversial appearance by Colbert. "They got a lot of letters," Little said. "I won't even mention the word Iraq....They don't want anyone knocking the president. He's really over the coals right now, and he's worried about his legacy."

By: ssklyar

ssklyar — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:25:19 -0800

Although BO was not as funny, it was better than I expected, in spite of some mysterious things, that Colbert didn't want O'Rielly to mention.

By: dflemingdotorg

dflemingdotorg — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:35:14 -0800

Although BO was not as funny, it was better than I expected, in spite of some mysterious things, that Colbert didn't want O'Rielly to mention. personally, i think it was the "mentioning how the person didn't bring it up, which leads the person to tangentally bring it up, which makes the audience laugh because it's embarassing" gag that's been used a million times before. it doesn't make it less funny, it just seems to be no more than just a setup for bill to be funny.

By: fleetmouse

fleetmouse — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:38:22 -0800

i'm not an o'reilly fan but if humour's not your native game, it's clearly going to be an awkward interview if you can't go toe to toe with one of the funniest men on television today. Mmmm, yes, but O'Reilly supposes himself to be a champ at verbal sparring. Of course his forte is more along the lines of yelling and cutting people off, but this isn't the first time a celeb's had a delusional self image. Anyways I was just happy to see someone dribble his head around the court and slam a few in off the backboard. you can't spin this into some o'reilly argument about how deficient he is simply because he doesn't interview well with a fawning colbert. I do not have all day to list the reasons why he is deficient, but sure, I'll agree, that is probably the least of them.

By: O9scar

O9scar — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:46:05 -0800

Peter H: Pat Robertson's age-defying shake

By: Hypnic jerk

Hypnic jerk — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:50:41 -0800

organizers of the event made it clear they don't want a repeat of last year's controversial appearance by Colbert. I'm still floored that the pea brains who organized it last year and invited Colbert were surprised that the actually brought the schtick has was famous for. That still belongs in the all-time Pantheon of truth-to-power moments. Whatever Colbert does in the rest of his career, he will always have my undying respect for having the balls to do what he did, and actually be funny doing it.

By: Hypnic jerk

Hypnic jerk — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:52:20 -0800

Btw, I have vague recollections of Rich Little and his awful impressions of Nixon and Carol Channing from when I was a kid. Was he ever funny?

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:57:29 -0800

I think it's amazing that Colbert even pulled this off. How the hell did O'Reilly get suckered into these interviews? Getting mocked on national television, not once but twice? I spit curry all over my keyboard at the "Pat Robertson's protein shake" comment. Colbert really deserves a lot of credit just for getting these interviews. He's picking up where Ali G left off. It should've been over after the White House correspondent's dinner, but no, that was just the beginning. It has to be some combination of the interviewees not understanding that it's ~~satire~~ open mockery, and their own vanity.

By: twsf

twsf — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:58:46 -0800

Thanks, jouke, for the link to Colbert as himself at Harvard. That charming, funny, brilliant hour, plus the video interview of Bill Clinton at Davos which was linked from that Google Video page, practically made me weep at realizing how little basic intelligence is displayed in public life today.

By: jouke

jouke — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:03:51 -0800

Yeah, twsf, he comes across as quite smart, doesn't he? I'm gonna watch the William Clinton clip now....

By: pax digita

pax digita — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:06:16 -0800

Rich Little's impressions do seem awful in (decades of) retrospect, but to a middle-schooler, he was funny then -- before the whole "hip detached irony" thing started to kick in big-time. If Colbert and O'Reilly went back in a time machine, nobody'd be able to figure out which one was real and which was satire.

By: rkent

rkent — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:07:18 -0800

How the hell did O'Reilly get suckered into these interviews? Because there's no such thing as bad publicity... Bill was making the rounds, pimping his book on all the talk shows, and Colbert is just another stop. They have conservatives on all the time. They get skewered, but they also get airtime. It's actually brilliant for Comedy Central, because everyone thinks they win.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:08:55 -0800

He's picking up where Ali G left off. Ah, but it's at a level above what SBC does. Cohen projects ignorance to try to gain a tactical advantage and find a good place to land his eventual cheap shot. That's kind of what I don't like about him, it's nasty business, frequently his victims get far worse than they deserve, and it's too easy. Colbert, OTOH, gets worthy, self-inflated dickheads in his sights (Kristol, D'Souza, O'Reilly, etc.) and even then they know the zingers is coming, and coming head on, there's nothing they can do to stop it.

By: lodurr

lodurr — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:15:24 -0800

O'Reilly: ... I'm an act. Colbert: If you're an act -- what am I?

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:20:55 -0800

psmealey writes "Ah, but it's at a level above what SBC does. Cohen projects ignorance to try to gain a tactical advantage and find a good place to land his eventual cheap shot. That's kind of what I don't like about him, it's nasty business, frequently his victims get far worse than they deserve, and it's too easy. " The humor in Ali G's interviews really comes from the serious answers he gets when he asks questions like whether terrorists might crash a train into the White House, or when he debated C. Everett Coop over whether or not he would eventually die. Colbert is closer to Borat than to Ali G--he helps the guest dredge up and display their worst traits by pretending to agree with them wholeheartedly. Is Cohen giving them worse than they deserve? It seems like both Cohen and Colbert are just helping people be themselves and then documenting it.

By: afx114

afx114 — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:22:53 -0800

It was also odd that when O'Rilley walked on to Colbert's set... That was a shock to me as well. When I saw that, I instantly thought "Well, O'Reiley won this one."

By: parilous

parilous — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:30:44 -0800

Not necessarily, afx114 -- afterall, had Colbert walked out in his normal way, the applause would have been thunderous; O'Reilly would have assumed it was for him. This way, there was no confusion about the audience's applause.

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:31:06 -0800

O'Reilly: ... I'm an act. Colbert: If you're an act -- what am I? posted by lodurr at 1:15 PM PST on January 19 [+] [!] Yeah, that was the line that got me, too. No, I didn't fall off my chair laughing, but I don't think you could name a quicker wit on T.V. than Colbert, now or ever. I'm just constantly amazed. Re: why a conservative would walk into Colbert's trap, is it funny that someone would knowingly subject themselves to this because it's in the nature of publicity whoring? Or is it funnier that some of his targets just don't realize they are being mocked?

By: psmealey

psmealey — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:36:36 -0800

Point taken, mullingitover. Rich Little's impressions do seem awful in (decades of) retrospect, but to a middle-schooler, he was funny then -- before the whole "hip detached irony" thing started to kick in big-time. I'm going to disagree just a little bit. If you have ever heard the Vaughn Meader comedy record the "First Family" from 1963, he does a dead-on skewering of JFK in a very funny way that Little (I was in middle school during his heyday, too) could never approach. Of course that was the only impression Meader could do, and his career went straight into the crapper when Kennedy was shot.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:41:54 -0800

Or is it funnier that some of his targets just don't realize they are being mocked? It's funnier that O'Reilly's fan base doesn't understand that he's being mocked.

By: sparkletone

sparkletone — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:42:47 -0800

That was a shock to me as well. When I saw that, I instantly thought "Well, O'Reiley won this one." I'm not sure why you'd think that. Colbert's character is and was completely sycophantic towards O'Reilly. I took this as another manifestation of that. Not only would it stroke O'Reilly's ego to be the only guy who gets to walk to the interview set (as opposed to the other way around), but it's another way of showing the Colbert-character's deference towards Papa Bear.

By: tristeza

tristeza — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:44:49 -0800

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute....RICH LITTLE?!?!? Who's providing the musical entertainment, the Lawrence Welk Orchestra? With special appearances by Waylon Flowers and Madame and Shields and Yarnell....

By: TechnoLustLuddite

TechnoLustLuddite — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:46:54 -0800

what do you think was the "thing that Colbert didn't want Orielly to mention?" Nothing; Colbert was indirectly referencing the list of things he (Colbert) wasn't allowed to mention on O'Reilly's show, like the war, and falafel, etc. Of course! Thanks for pointing that out, that joke went right over my head, and i'm sure Oreilly's viewers missed it too. I did notice that the interview on Colbert Report was free of any taboo topics for the most part, it was a lot less tense than the Daily Show interview with Oreilly...

By: bhouston

bhouston — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:57:49 -0800

Anyone have a YouTube link to the video of the analysis of Colbert's popularity on O"Reilly's show immediately after Colbert was on?

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:00:08 -0800

The White House Correspondents Association claims they "never asked Little to avoid subjects like Iraq or back off criticism of President Bush."

By: sparkletone

sparkletone — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:05:56 -0800

Anyone have a YouTube link to the video of the analysis of Colbert's popularity on O"Reilly's show immediately after Colbert was on? The best part of that was O'Reilly's insecurity showing at the beginning. As he's introducing the hilariously old people that will tell us Stewart/Colbert are hip and cool, he calls The Daily Show and Colbert Report successful TV programs and mentions their average ratings numbers. And then he pauses and interjects this awkward, unncessary aside about how The Factor is much, much more successful. The Factor does have much larger ratings, but there was absolutely no reason to mention it there other than ego inflation. Because apparently that graphic with the giant "#1," the show's title and O'Reilly's face isn't enough to make it clear to people that he's got huge, um, "ratings."

By: Wataki

Wataki — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:15:56 -0800

Haha. "Why do they love you? Is it cos you're French? Is that why?" Nice to see O'Reilly with a slightly subtle sense of humour in there.

By: louie

louie — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:36:23 -0800

I got really, really lucky, and was at Daily Show for the Ashcroft visit, and at Colbert last night for the O'Reilly visit. A couple things really jumped out:

O'Reilly has less of a sense of humor than John Ashcroft. This is a low bar, but O'Reilly managed to slink beneath it.
Stewart explicitly asked the audience to be polite to Ashcroft, and not to boo. (This after a pre-show Q&A with the audience where a couple audience members were applauded for saying they'd voted for a corpse (Carnahan) over Ashcroft.) Colbert said something similar, but it wasn't as emphatic and it didn't seem to sink in; hence the booing.
Colbert really did seem excited by the whole thing, to the point where he screwed up a couple jokes and we had to re-take them. Stewart is clearly more of a polished old pro, even for a big-ish event like having Ashcroft on.
There were a lot of media members in the audience, taking notes and in one case even taking pictures (which are otherwise strictly verboten). I'm not sure what this says about our media, but I'm pretty sure it says something (and not something very good.)

By: billysumday

billysumday — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:50:51 -0800

Metafilter: I'm not sure what this says about our media, but I'm pretty sure it says something (and not something very good.)

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:55:18 -0800

Man, the best part of SC on BO is the staff of the factor laughing.

By: louie

louie — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:58:29 -0800

Oh, and if anyone can find actual, recent numbers on Stewart's/O'Reilly's/Colbert's ratings (both % and #) I'd appreciate it- I've looked for it all day and failed. (And thanks for that Institute of Politics video- great stuff.)

By: arcticwoman

arcticwoman — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:01:13 -0800

Ha ha ha! French people are wimps! Bill O'Reilly, you are one funny dude.

By: gregb1007

gregb1007 — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:02:14 -0800

billysumday, maybe it says that the media has become more meta than the blogosphere. Both of these interviews were in a nutshell about an upcoming pundit skearing a seasoned pundit, while the seasoned pundit beats up on the liberal media and the new pundit who is supposedly shilling for it. It's just like a case of blog-wars with attacks and counterttacks.

By: Tenuki

Tenuki — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:08:16 -0800

matteo: "and then, I realize that I don't dislike O'Reilly as much now" This should help with that...

By: dhartung

dhartung — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:15:14 -0800

I wasn't surprised O'Reilly did fairly well -- that is, never cracked or went way off the narrative. On his segment he did try to goad Colbert into disambiguating his Col-BEAR persona and Col-BERT reality (as far as I know that's actually how he pronounces his name, but he deliberately went with the French angle for the character), but wasn't successful. Thrust and parry. On Colbert's segment O'Reilly was relaxed and knowing and knew he didn't have to go on the offensive -- he just let Colbert throw some digs around in various directions. Some of them maybe he didn't get, but I've always had the impression that Billo is one of the smart ones playing dumb (ever since his Inside Edition days, really). In a sense, then, he and ColBERT were perfectly matched, because they both have experience carefully managing their personas -- and in that sense ColBEAR was quite right to throw down the kudos. Anyway, given that artifice under which they both operate, I'm not sure what people expected here. I'm not surprised that Stewart is much smoother behind the scenes than Colbert -- he's been doing talk shows for 20 years.

By: cribcage

cribcage — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:18:52 -0800

I know Olbermann's audience has grown tremendously, but don't know if Bill's has shrunk at all. If they were watching Bill O'Reilly in the first place, are we really supposed to care what they're now watching "instead"? Isn't that a bit like caring whether celebrity-philes are watching Extra or Access Hollywood?

By: ph00dz

ph00dz — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:21:28 -0800

I thought Colbert v. O' Reilly was funny. Not classic, but funny, nonetheless... I love that show, but Colbert's interviews almost always seem a little awkward. I mean... how do you, as a guest, respond? Do you try to be funny? Do you play it straight and look humorless? Only a handful of people have really succeeded on there. Remember that last time when O'Reilly battled Stewart, O'Reilly pushed that whole "your audience is a bunch of stoners" thing and it turned out that the DS audience is far more productive than that of the O'Reilly Factor? I noticed he pretty much stayed away from that this time....

By: metaly

metaly — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:25:52 -0800

I really enjoyed the part where O'Reilly screamed at Colbert over how to pronounce his name. It was like it was some mystery he'd been trying to get to the bottom of for months and he just couldn't deal with Colbert joking about it anymore.

By: Snyder

Snyder — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:35:24 -0800

matteo: "and then, I realize that I don't dislike O'Reilly as much now" This should help with that... Huh....davy is O'Reilly, I guess.

By: bwg

bwg — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:05:22 -0800

If he comes across as a nihilist that's probably why. That must be exhausting.

By: Peter H

Peter H — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:33:47 -0800

I know Olbermann's audience has grown tremendously, but don't know if Bill's has shrunk at all. Why does this comment make me feel falafel, er filthy ...I mean filthy. . ?

By: delmoi

delmoi — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:39:02 -0800

what do you think was the "thing that Colbert didn't want O'Rielly to mention?" It was a turnabout about all the things Colbert had to agree to in order to have O'Rielly on the show. The sexual predator dig was terrific. It was so subtle I didn't even get it, and thought Colbert was just attacking Jon, which I found a bit over the top. Now that you mention it though, it was a pretty good burn. By the way, has Colbert ever mentioned Owls on his show? I don't remember him every saying anything about them, so I was surprised when O'Rielly mentioned it. Maybe someone was just messing with him? I really enjoyed the part where O'Reilly screamed at Colbert over how to pronounce his name. It was like it was some mystery he'd been trying to get to the bottom of for months and he just couldn't deal with Colbert joking about it anymore. I think that was Billo's attempt at a joke, which failed miserably.

By: Target Practice

Target Practice — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 17:11:14 -0800

mullingitover Except all the people who wind up arguing with Borat, or just being polite because they don't want to get into a confrontation. Or the people who call him on his bullshit, who we never see recordings of.

By: matteo

matteo — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 17:52:39 -0800

This should help with that... nah, it's a classic O'Reilly troll, not worse than his usual stuff. I won't link to the Limbaugh video just because it'd make me want to throw up, but there's no comparison for me, O'Reilly's clearly being a dick but Limbaugh's stunt is in a different class -- he should have lost his job for that. shock jocks have been fired for less.

By: stenseng

stenseng — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 17:55:18 -0800

The difference is that shock jocks aren't whoring for the Administration's agenda. Amazing what that will do for job security...

By: gohlkus

gohlkus — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:52:14 -0800

Colbert's character is and was completely sycophantic towards O'Reilly. Yes, that's exactly right, sparkletone; Colbert's character consistently fawns over Bill O'Reilly and is otherwise entirely self-aggrandizing toward everyone else. Naturally, the only guest he would allow to walk out on stage would be O'Reilly. I think both interviews were subtle and brilliant, as well as funny. Does O'Reilly look like a good sport, or does he just look like someone who has no idea how badly he's getting burned (or does but can't do anything about it)? I will admit that it is somewhat of a rigged fight -- O'Reilly's "act" is meant to be taken seriously, where Colbert's is not. And, yes, I thought there were several very deadpan but intentionally homoerotic double entendres. Of course. O'Reilly would have gained no advantage by acknowledging them, because Colbert would have just feigned ignorance, leaving O'Reilly hanging.

By: herc

herc — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:56:43 -0800

re: the owls. I believe the Colbert Report did a bit about owls this week, more or less as an excuse to use that old commercial where a cartoon Owl is asked how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. The owl takes to very reserved licks, then gives in and chomps on the the thing. From that, the Factor staff determined that Colbert has a thing for owls (or so I thought). And of course BillO's show has a greater audience than Stewart or Colbert. His is on at 8pm. Stewart is on at 11; Colbert at 11:30. There are more viewers at 8 than at 11. There's a reason why prime time starts at 8 and ends at 11. The more telling stat would be whether O'Reily gets a greater share of the audience.

By: flarbuse

flarbuse — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 19:24:39 -0800

I find the comments on here to be a little bit strange. O'Reilly goes onto a show hosted by a character who proclaims to idolize him. O'Reilly sits back and lets him do his thing. Both of them seemed to let the other do what he was hoping to do. O'Reilly gets to plug his book and look like he doesn't take himself seriously, and Colbert gets to reach a bigger and different audience than he usually reaches. When O'Reilly has Colbert on his show, he tries to play the part of an investigative reporter who is trying to shed light on who Stephen Colbert really is. I thought the O'Reilly segment was funny. By playing it that way, it allowed Colbert to pretend that he doesn't realize that O'Reilly is essentially questioning whether he is real or not. I think that the segments were largely coordinated by the two of them, and I thought that they both did reasonably well. It is not a question of who "won." It is an actual person debating a fictional person. The actual person never has a chance.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:13:50 -0800

O'Reilly gets to plug his book... I don't think we watched the same interview.

By: interrobang

interrobang — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:25:54 -0800

I can't find it right now, but there was a poll a couple of months ago that revealed that Bill O'Reilly's average viewer is over sixty—that's why Colbert was "joking" about the age of his viewers.

By: interrobang

interrobang — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:27:32 -0800

Here it is.

By: Joseph Gurl

Joseph Gurl — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:27:53 -0800

"I'm doing you, Bill."

By: ibmcginty

ibmcginty — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:49:21 -0800

Interesting, interrobang. I thought that joke was about how well Olbermann is doing versus O'Reilly among younger viewers. But that poll is some crazy shit.

By: cribcage

cribcage — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:49:29 -0800

even if he didn't manage to dominate O'Rilley in the way that 'ole Phil Donahue managed to. I watched that video, and Donahue made a fool out of himself. The best part was when he quipped that O'Reilly wouldn't send his own kids to war; O'Reilly quickly answered that his nephew had just enlisted, and Donahue squibbled something about the difference between "nephew" and "your kid" and then steamrolled right ahead with his rhetoric. If that isn't O'Reilly-esque, I don't know what is. And the incessant "Billy" sniping was just embarrassing. Even O'Reilly doesn't stoop that low. I guess Donahue didn't see the merit in claiming the high ground — either that, or he couldn't find it.

By: roll truck roll

roll truck roll — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 01:54:41 -0800

I wanted very badly to disagree with you, cribcage, so I watched the video. Yeah, that was beyond embarrassing. It was maddening. I actually found myself applauding O'Reilly for shouting him down. So, I don't have TV, so I only see this stuff when it gets posted all over the internet. Somebody tell me, does every liberal who goes on O'Reilly's show end up getting in a shouting match with him? What a waste of what could be a useful venue. Of the few O'Reilly videos I've seen, the only interviewee who didn't completely humuliate his own cause was Bruce Andrews, and he didn't do much better. If I were ever invited on this show, my entire goal would be to get his viewers to this article. That would do so much more good than Donahue even imagined doing.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:04:00 -0800

Somebody tell me, does every liberal who goes on O'Reilly's show end up getting in a shouting match with him? What a waste of what could be a useful venue. Yes. That's the entire point. That's why his staff book who they do. Useful venue? What the hell are you talking about?

By: alizarin

alizarin — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:41:22 -0800

O'Reilly is skilled at manipulating people and the interview process in concert so as to paint the guest and the topic in the light he wants. Like when he started with Colbert he tried to derail him with the name pronunciation thing. He would bring it up every time a topic came up that wasn't in O'Reilly's favor to discuss. I think since O'Reilly is quick enough and has "turn the mic off" power he usually stuns his critics before they can adapt and he comes off looking like a genius and the guest like a moron - to sympathetic viewers at least. From the stand point of fighting the methods not the message I thought Colbert was brilliant. He's a very quick person and he's figured out O'Reilly's tricks pretty well. He was able to maniuplate O'Reilly and the interview process with satire instead of the usual thugish shame tactics and intellectual dishonesty. I don't think it could have gone any better. Colbert stomped him in both venues! =)

By: cribcage

cribcage — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 09:11:47 -0800

Somebody tell me, does every liberal who goes on O'Reilly's show end up getting in a shouting match with him? I used to watch O'Reilly back in 2000. I can't speak to what happens now; but back then, no, shouting matches were the exception. More often, he just brushes aside any counterpoint and keeps steamrolling ahead as if he didn't hear. Somebody posted a transcript of O'Reilly's recent comments about the Hornbeck kidnapping. He was speculating that Hornbeck enjoyed living with Devlin, and his reasoning was 'because Devlin didn't make him attend school.' Greta Van Susteren answered that some kids like school, and O'Reilly just brushed aside the comment by saying, "Well, I don't believe this kid did." That's it. No evidence, no foundation for this telepathic insight — just, "Well, I think you're wrong" and he right on going. That's trademark O'Reilly behavior, as opposed to the relatively rare "Cut off his mic!" episodes. That's why the "truthiness" meme became so popular. It's an accurate parody of what O'Reilly really does.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 09:45:16 -0800

Btw, one thing you don't see on the youtube video (and I saw last night on the re-run) Is that Colbert frys a DVD of the show in a microwave in the final segment. It seemed like he was saying "yeah, fuck that guy" at the end.

By: kalimotxero

kalimotxero — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 12:46:00 -0800

For a guy who is never afraid to rag on multiculturalism and hyphenated-Americans. O'Reilly sure does like to talk about how Irish he is.

By: nomo16

nomo16 — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:33:24 -0800

There's a transcript of Colbert on O'Reilly at Noble Transcription Services blog.