Daniel Craig’s media blitz for his Holocaust film Defiance has been nothing short of wonderful. The normally reticent (re: boring) British actor has eaten chips half-naked on a beach, alluded to having a tattooed wang, and now he’s gone on my favorite show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and admitted to not only being a huge fan of Jon, but that Jon Stewart gives him “sweaty palms”. Awesome.
Daniel Craig is showing more personality for this film junket than he has in all of his previous junkets put together. Daniel was so obviously nervous, he kept his chair several feet away from Jon’s desk, and kept rubbing his “sweaty palms” on his pants. When Jon Stewart didn’t seem to buy that James Bond was nervous about meeting some guy a cable show, Daniel admitted that he watches The Daily Show in Britain when it’s broadcast on CNN International, and that he watches it when he’s in America. Jon, ever the skillful interviewer, got Daniel talking about weapons training, and even told Craig a story about The Daily Show’s “correspondents” going out to shoot targets. Great interview from two of the cutest guys in the world!
Daniel Craig is shown on 1/12/09 at a screening of Defiance. Credit: WENN
Yesterday Colin Firth was on The Daily Show last night to promote his upcoming movie with Helen Hunt, Then She Found Me. Firth talked about his experiences filming in New York City – mentioning that he’d done all the usual NYC things – “I’m always here for brief periods. I’ve taken in the sights, seen the shows, had my penis photographed…” Jon Stewart makes him go back a bit and relate what happened.
According to Firth, he was in the bathroom at a Broadway show, and while at the urinal noticed a man was taking pictures of him. He asked the man what he was doing, and he responded gruffly (and almost angrily) that he wasn’t taking pictures of him. However he clearly was taking pictures not just of Colin Firth using the urinal but of his penis.
Colin said he tried to push the camera away (which means the guy must have been pretty damn close and pretty damn obvious) – with what he admitted was a slightly girly push. When he started to think he should confront the guy or do something more, he admitted he couldn’t decide what to do, noting, “It’s hard to do when you’re not entirely in your pants.” Touché.
He joked that if you Google “Colin Firth Penis” you’ll probably find the picture out there – and while that doesn’t appear to be the case (yet), there are lots of people referencing his appearance and asking for the picture. Oh and by the way, I only Googled that for research and to see what other people were saying. Not looking. And now I’m uncomfortable.
Stephen Colbert joked about the major story of the day and at first said it was John Gibson leaving Fox New’s “The Big Story” and then Tucker Carlson’s MSNBC cancellation, but then finally talked about Spitzer. He covered how the media followed the governor’s SUV through traffic for 20 minutes hoping he would stop and pick up a prostitute. They showed a close up of the car and it had a bumper sticker that said “My other ride is a hooker.”
Colbert pointed out to much applause that Spitzer appeared on his show on the night after he arranged for the hooker to come meet him, which was one day before he committed the deed that led to his resignation. He said he was “The meat in the Spitzer sandwich” and that “a lot of people consider an interview on my show a form of foreplay.”
Jimmy Kimmel monologue
Kimmel’s monologue wasn’t that great. He said that if you do the math of $80,000 spent on hookers over the last ten years, that’s only $22 a day. He also said that Spitzer didn’t seem contrite in his speech, then they showed a fake clip of the end of Spitzer’s speech that had a hooker getting up from underneath the podium afterwards.
Kimmel showed the picture of Spitzer’s hooker in a bikini and said that he should have held it up and said “Look at her. What are you going to do?” Then he brought on his security team as the “worst political team on tv” to talk about the scandal.
David Letterman’s monologue
Letterman said Spitzer left his resignation on the nightstand with a $300 tip. He also said it’s a somber mood in NY and the hookers in Times Square were wearing black armbands. Letterman quipped that Spitzer will now have to pay women to call him Governor. He said Spitzer was on Hillary Clinton’s shortlist for a possible Vice President and “boy she can pick ‘em can’t she?”
The Daily Show
Stewart’s was easily the funniest commentary on the scandal.
“The answer: ‘A day and a half.’ The question: ‘What is the amount of extra time you get to stay in power after the revelation of a sex scandal if you are a non-gay governor.’”
“And so, Elliot Spitzer headed to his midtown office to make the announcement while receiving what the networks now refer to as ‘The Full OJ’” [cameras following his SUV]
“As you can see, the trip gave commentators ample time for analysis.” [Cut to boring comments by news reporters about traffic.]
“If you’re in the car with your wife, on the way to resign from the state’s highest office after facing prostitution charges. I’d run that light…”
As for the fact that the Governor’s wife accompanied him to the second press conference, Stewart said “Calgon take her away! There’s got to be a chaise lounge in Bermuda with that lady’s name on it…”
Stewart pointed out the irony in Spitzer’s remarks that “From those to whom much is given much is expected.”
He answered: “Which is why I gave over $80,000 to hookers. I expected a lot from them. And then of course the big news.”
Stewart jokes that the day Spitzer has chosen for the “orderly transition is St. Patrick’s Day” and shows a picture of a shirtless guy drinking a beer wearing giant green sunglasses and a green top hat. “I’m beginning to wonder about this guy’s judgment.”
Well the verdict here at Celebitchy is that Jon Stewart did a fantastic job hosting the Oscars last night. His monologue was really funny. He seemed a little tense for the first minute or so, but then relaxed and fell into a very comfortable rhythm. His humor was right on the ball. He made a few strike jokes, but definitely didn’t overdo it at all. Overall, I felt his performance was very even, humorous, and well-written. He did a good job of lightly making fun of the awards. Producers had a long line of prepared montages ready in case the WGA strike didn’t end. Jon jokingly showed two of them, telling the audience, “Please enjoy Oscar’s salute to binoculars and periscopes,” which featured some fine clips of Jimmy Stewart in “Rear Window,” Buffalo Bill in “Silence of the Lambs,” and “Toy Story.” And it was a damn fine salute. That was followed by “Oscar’s salute to waking up from a bad dream,” featuring clips of people gasping while quickly sitting up in bed. What’s extra funny is the thought that they might really have had to use these (or similar) montages. Here’s one of Stewart’s best jokes of the night.
Oscar is 80 this year, which makes him now automatically the front runner for the Republican nomination. You have to admit, this is a huge election. An historic election. So much excitement. For the first time in so many years we don’t have an incumbent president or an incumbent vice-president. The field is wide open. Have you all had a chance to examine all the candidates, study their positions and pick the Democrat you’ll vote for? Democrats do have an historic race going. Hillary Clinton versus Barack Obama. Normally, when you see a black man or a woman president an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty. How will we know it’s the future? Silver unitards, that can’t be all? You have to give Barack Obama credit, he’s overcome a great deal. Not just [that] he’s an African-American. Barack Hussein Obama is his name. His middle name is the last name of Iraq’s former tyrant. His last name rhymes with Osama. That’s not easy to overcome. I think we all remember the ill fated 1944 presidential campaign of Gaydolf Titler. It’s just a shame, Titler had so many good ideas. We just couldn’t get past the name. And the mustache.
[Transcribed From the Academy Awards]
Jon Stewart did a good job of keeping the show moving. He was very much likable and funny, but without being too safe or bland. Late on in the evening, he joked about Cate Blanchett’s performance as Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There.” He teased:
Cate Blanchett is the woman who can’t be stopped. She played Elizabeth. She played Bob Dylan. In No Country for Old Men she played the pit bull chasing Josh Brolin. Cate Blanchett, she is amazing. Right now, I Jon Stewart, am being played by Cate Blanchett.
[From the Academy Awards]
About three quarters of the way through the show, “There was a small technical glitch, so we’re going to have to restart the show.” It was a nice tease on the Oscar’s length. Overall Stewart did a great job hosting, and the show kept up a great pace. It was definitely the best Oscars in a very long time, and will be quite the show to top.
David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert will return to their respective talk shows this week. Letterman’s company has struck an agreement with the Writers Guild of America that allows him to use writers for “The Late Show.” Craig Ferguson’s “Late Late Show” is controlled by Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, and also has the advantage of falling under the interim agreement and being able to use writers. Leno and the rest of the late night hosts will have to make due with whatever they can muster that doesn’t violate the WGA contract. That is expected to entail longer celebrity interviews and more off the cuff audience interaction. “On the street” segments are also anticipated.
The first celebrity guest booked on Letterman’s show is Robin Williams. Both Letterman and Ferguson have an added edge over their talkshow host competitors in that guests don’t have to cross picket lines to appear. Williams is one guest who certainly wouldn’t need a scripted Q&A to appear, however. He is particularly gifted in off the cuff absurdity which can sometimes be hard to follow.
Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart are expected to be scrambling to come up with material that’s not prepared. They rely on scripted segments for their shows and will be hard pressed to ad lib. Under the WGA contract they can’t even use ideas that are prepared ahead of time by writers. These two strike me as cleverer than most, so we’ll have to see how they deal with the situation. It will also be interesting to see if Letterman and O’Brien have shaved their “strike beards,” or if they’ll grace us with their unshaven faces at least for one night.
As for how the writer’s strike continues to affect television, I read an interesting article that compared the 1988 strike to the current strike and said that there’s evidence that television lost 10% of its viewership almost permanently after the five month strike from March to August. This current strike could result in a nearly 30% drop in television viewers and could go a long way toward strengthening the audience for online content and web-based shows. And we may have to make due with more open-ended interviews with lesser-known celebrities on the talk shows. Maybe that’s an added benefit to refusing to cross picket lines – celebrities don’t have to worry about sounding stupid if they can’t rehearse their answers ahead of time.
Here’s a link to a wikipedia article that has an updated list of how many episodes are available for specific shows.
Letterman is shown on 10/20/05 with a horse, but I swear to you this picture is captioned “Madonna Visits The Late Show with David Letterman” by the photo agency, PRPhotos.
Well the ever-so-fickle Academy has decided against asking Ellen DeGeneres, last year’s host, back again. Apparently there’s a different producer most every year, and the producer picks the host. So this year’s producer produced 2006’s Academy Awards and wants to go with 2006’s host, Jon Stewart. Stewart as given so-so reviews after his first hosting gig. DeGeneres was apparently considered “too nice” – though I didn’t realize the Academy Awards were supposed to be edgy.
“Jon Stewart will return as host of the Academy Awards. The star of Comedy Centrals ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’ will get his second shot at hosting Hollywood’s premiere event, which will be held on Feb. 24 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. He hosted the 78th annual awards show in 2006.
“Stewart was ‘a terrific host’ for that event, Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates said Wednesday, announcing the selection in a statement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The academy didn’t indicate why it decided to go with Stewart after using comedian Ellen DeGeneres this year. ‘I’m thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second time because, as they say, the third time’s a charm,’ Stewart joked.
I didn’t realize hosting the Oscars was such a revolving door situation. I know it’s considered kind of the “be all end all” for a lot of comedians, but I have yet to watch one that didn’t cure my chronic insomnia in 30 minutes flat. But that’s also the reason I haven’t watched one in a few years. I thought Jon Stewart’s humor didn’t really translate from his show to the Oscars. His political humor is funny, but there’s only so much room for it in an awards show format.
“Stewart, a political satirist, injected some political humor into his 2006 performance, taking jabs at the war in Iraq and ribbing Hollywood’s elite about their ties to the Democratic Party. However, some jokes bombed and he got mixed reviews. ‘His usually impeccable blend of puckishness and self-effacement fell flat,’ a review by The Associated Press said, adding he was ‘too deferential, too nice and too obvious in his targets.’
“The 44-year-old Stewart, who also hosted the Grammys in 2001 and 2002, noted the split decision on his own cable TV show the night after the Oscars, saying he had a great time but didn’t know how he did until he saw the reviews.
“‘I sucked and was great!’ he said. ‘I was a painfully smug and unfunny heir to Johnny Carson.’”
Does anyone else find Hollywood’s obsession with awards kind of annoying? Why is so much congratulation necessary? I guess it’s just the fact that they’re all awarding each other, like it’s some great accomplishment. I think it’s kind of the grown up children in us that want a blue ribbon for doing well at the science fair. Only the science fair involves a lot of low cut strapless dresses and cummerbunds. I don’t even want to tell you what’s in their juice boxes.
Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Jon Stewart at the Emmy Awards last year. Images thanks to PR Photos.
Bill Gates was on The Daily Show to promote Windows Vista, and he left really quickly before Jon Stewart was even done talking. It’s odd that he would be so busy he would leave the stage like that, but what’s even better is how they parody it the next night.
Daily Show host Jon Stewart is going to appear on Children’s television network Noggin’s Jack’s Big Music Show on Friday February 2nd. Stewart once worked on the side as a children’s puppeteer, and has two children with his wife Tracey, Nathan Thomas, who will be three in July, and Maggie Rose, who is almost one.
What’s more, Steve from Blue Clues is going to appear in a music video to air on the show. Steve ranked high on our list of The Hottest Guys on Children’s Television, and moms everywhere commented that they were heartbroken when the emo cutie left the show.
It’s a star-studded lineup at Jack’s clubhouse, as Jon Stewart and Cheryl Hines visit musical puppets Jack, Mary and Mel this February on NOGGIN’s original hit series Jack’s Big Music Show. Stewart will play Groundhog News Network reporter Brunk Stinegrouber in “Groundhog Day,” which will premiere as a simulcast on NOGGIN and Nick Jr. on Friday, February 2 (on Groundhog Day) at 12:00 p.m. (ET/PT). On Saturday, February 10 at 12:00 p.m. (ET/PT), NOGGIN, the commercial-free educational network from Nickelodeon, will debut Hines’ guest-starring role as professional dog stylist Sudsy Bubblestein in “Mel’s Bath Day.” Jack’s Big Music Show airs regularly Monday through Friday from 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. (ET) and on weekends from 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. (ET) on NOGGIN.
The “Groundhog Day” episode will also feature an original music video collaboration by The Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd and indie rocker and former Blue’s Clues star Steve Burns, entitled “I Hog The Ground (Groundhog Song).” On Sunday, February 3, the “Jack’s Super Swell Sing-Along” episode will feature a new music video by recording artist Lisa Loeb entitled “Jenny Jenkins.”
Jack’s Big Music Show is a half-hour live-action series hosted by preschooler puppet Jack and his melodious cast of friends who play everyday at his clubhouse.
Here are some pictures of Stewart’s upcoming appearance.
And here’s a clip of Jack’s Big Music Show that does not feature John Stewart or Steve Burns, but is still cute:
The Noggin people e-mailed me this story, and I know it’s not our usual fare but The Noggin Website is my son’s favorite, and since I love Jon Stewart and Steve Burns I thought I’d run it.
First of all, it’s not Stewart’s fault that the Oscars dragged this year. A sense of self-importance colored the event, with the Academy forgetting that if it wants to draw viewers it has to be entertaining and not too industry-focused. Telling the nominees that they can’t thank too many people just isn’t enough to save this sinking ship. Clip after clip followed countless insignificant awards.
It’s easy to blame Stewart as the focal point, but he’s not the problem. Sure his first few jokes were wooden and forced, but he was soon in his stride, making funny off the cuff comments that helped add levity to the too-long ceremony. Reviews are focusing too much on his first three scripted minutes. Expecting Stewart to save the over-produced show is like thinking good acting could have made “Deuce Bigelow” Oscar-worthy:
Stewart began the show drearily, loping through a monologue that lacked a single hilarious joke with the possible exception of “Bjork couldn’t be here tonight. She was trying on her Oscar dress and Dick Cheney shot her.”
When “It’s Hard Out There for a Pimp” won for best original song, Stewart quipped that Scorsese had no Oscars but that Three 6 Mafia had one. He was relaxed and funny, mentioning that he still heard the band celebrating backstage. He also noted that he was surprised that “Cinderella Man” didn’t win for best makeup, as it must be difficult to make Russell Crowe look beat up.
The only worthwhile clips were the hilarious Oscar political parodies narrated by Steven Colbert. A montage of old westerns with gay themes was also amusing.
The Academy tried to remain relevant by hiring Stewart and enlisting “Daily Show” writers, and they made the best possible choice for host. The affair was just too old and the content too self-congratulatory to be saved by Stewart.
