FTA-TV The Colbert Report

[0497]

Stephen Colbert's Green Screen Challenge

http://www.codebot.org/colbert/

Stephen Colbert a Rising Viral-Vid Star

By JAKE COYLE
The Associated Press
Thursday, August 24, 2006; 4:58 PM

NEW YORK -- While many of his television brethren have been more wary of YouTube and the Web, Stephen Colbert is urging his fans to make him a viral-video star.

On Aug. 10, Colbert showcased his lightsaber skills in front of a green screen on his Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report." Soon, fans were filling in the background with video, placing the host in the realm of "Star Wars," and posting them online.


This still taken from video, supplied by Comedy Central, shows Stephen Colbert, showing off his lightsaber skills in front of a green screen on his Comedy Central cable television channel show, "The Colbert Report," on Aug. 10, 2006. He urged his fans to make him a viral video star. Soon, fans were filling in the background with video and sending their entries in the "Stephen Colbert's Green Screen Challenge" to a special Website. (AP Photo/Comedy Central) (AP)

Earlier this week, Colbert announced that he would broadcast the best submissions, or as he called them: "bold depictions of my heroic fight."

Hoping for more videos, Colbert threw down the gauntlet, announcing the "Stephen Colbert's Green Screen Challenge." Already, a number of entries have been rolling in on YouTube, and linked at http://www.codebot.org/colbert .

The most popular include one where Colbert battles a space monster and another where he fights the legendary "Star Wars Kid" -- the viral video star of yore.

"This is an exciting opportunity for our audience to participate in the central mission of this program -- making me look heroic," Colbert said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Colbert's encouragement of these videos is in contrast to many TV shows, which often have clips of their work removed from YouTube. And it's not the first time Colbert has used the Internet for his own bidding, either.

Spotting an online contest to name a new bridge in Hungary, Colbert urged his fans to vote to have it named after him. As of Thursday, over 81,000 votes had been cast for Colbert, putting him far ahead of his closest competition: Szent Korona, with 4,200 votes.

Colbert also earlier toyed with Wikipedia.com. Since the online encyclopedia runs on user submissions, it represented a unique place for Colbert to challenge facts with a heavy-dose of truthiness, (his particular brand of truth-from-the-gut).

"All we need to do is convince a majority of people that some factoid is true -- for instance, that Africa has more elephants today than it did ten years ago," Colbert said on the program.

When fans flocked to Wikipedia to alter articles on elephants, administrators on the site had to protect elephant truth like an endangered species, prohibiting further changes.

If Colbert has embraced the Web, the Web has certainly embraced him right back. "Colbert Report" clips are frequently among the most-viewed on YouTube, and the fan-created Wikipedia entry for recurring elements on "The Colbert Report" is nearly twice as long as the site's entry for France.

One Web site has even created an "On Notice" generator ( http://www.shipbrook.com/onnotice ) where fans can replace Colbert's list of those who are "on notice" (grizzly bears, the British Empire), with whoever they choose.

Colbert's latest foray into viral video has been met with similar enthusiasm. Writing on the Huffington Post, blogger Rachel Sklar said Colbert's "savvy exploitation of the Web ... has proven again why (`The Colbert Report') is one of the most cutting edge shows on television."

And with that kind of support, Colbert's fame might soon be just as Web-based as it is TV-based.

 

[sherb]

Debuts on Australian TV on the Comedy Channel tonight at 10pm, following the Daily Show.

For anyone who may be interested.

 

[year of the roo]

Why doesn't he realised there is a 't' at the end of his name?

 

[Crosby87]

Wikipedia:

Colbert sometimes comedically refers to his surname as French, but his family is actually of Irish descent[3]. Originally, the name was pronounced "Col-bert", but Colbert's father had always wanted to pronounce the name "Col-BARE", remaining "Col-bert" only out of respect for his own father. As a result, James Colbert offered his children the option to pronounce the name whichever way they preferred.[4] Colbert started using "Col-BARE" when he transferred to Northwestern University, taking advantage of the opportunity to reinvent himself in a new place where no one knew him

 

[Lowie01]

Debuts on Australian TV on the Comedy Channel tonight at 10pm, following the Daily Show.

For anyone who may be interested.

Interested - that's tonight's Wørd.

 

[jezza]

I hate when people do that, like the Qld rugby player cockbain who pronounces his name cobain.

Anyway, good show, I always enjoyed his pieces on the Daily Show although from the couple of episodes I've seen so far they perhaps struggle to stretch it out to a full show without it coming across as exactly the same as the Daily Show.

 

[YOTC]

Wirrpanda too..

 

[sherb]

I hate when people do that, like the Qld rugby player cockbain who pronounces his name cobain.

I don't blame him.

 

[puddingfactor]

Why doesn't he realised there is a 't' at the end of his name?

As well as the explantion above, there is also this one Colbert gave on the O'Reilly Factor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbZV9sW-b2A

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

I have started watching it on abc 2 at 7:30 on weeknights and it is quality.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

It rocks

 

[alfy!]

Has it started on ABC2? Nice.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Has it started on ABC2? Nice.

Yep, 7:30 weeknights.

I particularly liked this.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-co.../january-12-2010/we-are-at-war---philip-glass

 

[GeorgeGrljusich]

Poor mans Jon Stewart.
But still has his moments when giving it to the GOP and Fox.

 

[ExTasDeeMan]

Funny dude.

 

[TheStinger]

The Word is one of the cleverest things on tv. I love it.

 

[Caesar]

Poor mans Jon Stewart.
But still has his moments when giving it to the GOP and Fox.

Heck no. Colbert has definitely surpassed Stewart since getting his own show.

 

[GeorgeGrljusich]

Heck no. Colbert has definitely surpassed Stewart since getting his own show.

I guess that's one of those opinion things

 

[midorigreenwood]

Heck no. Colbert has definitely surpassed Stewart since getting his own show.

THIS

was clearly apparent during the Writer's strike....

Stewart was struggling to tread water while Colbert was doing cartwheels around his competition. (and this is coming from someone who watched 5 years worth of Daily show before being hooked by colbert)

He is an amazing improv comedian

 

[Warsaw]

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/363665/october-28-2010/fear-for-all-pt--1?xrs=share_copy

Watched this tonight. Worth the post, because it had me in stitches. Colbert at his finest.

 

[Triple E]

Is there a site that lets Australian viewers see it, because Comedy Central only allows Americans to watch the replay on the Comedy Central website for some unknown reason?

 

[Mr Eagle]

Is there a site that lets Australian viewers see it, because Comedy Central only allows Americans to watch the replay on the Comedy Central website for some unknown reason?

Unknown? Not really. CC has sold the rights to broadcast the show in Australia to Foxtel for a very large bag of $$$. Which means CC can't reduce Foxtel's potential market by giving us access to it online for free.

I suggest Channel BT.

 

[Donners]

Is it gone from ABC2 now, or is there just an extended break?

 

[stuart27]

If you're ever in NY, make sure to go past the studio and try to see a taping. I went late last year, was absolutely brilliant live.

 

[Caesar]

Is it gone from ABC2 now, or is there just an extended break?

It's gone, and TDS finishes at the end of this week. Lucky for the Comedy Channel. They've just regained exclusivity over the only two decent programmes they run that aren't repeats.

I would say the region protections are recent & have something to do with the rights reverting to Fox. I watched a whole bunch of TDS and TCR videos on the Comedy Central website as recently as a couple of months ago.