Stephen Colbert
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Late night TV's biggest hosts start a 'Strike Force Five' podcast to support striking staff
Late-night comedy’s five biggest hosts are starting a podcast. Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Jimmy Fallon will host Strike Force Five, a weekly chat about “the complexities behind the ongoing Hollywood strikes.” All proceeds will go to out-of-work staff from the hosts’ five talk shows.
Late-night hosts will help stream a COVID-19 benefit concert on April 18th
On April 18th, late night hosts and celebrities will participate in One World: Together At Home, a virtual benefit concert to raise money for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Stephen Colbert is producing an animated news spoof for CBS All Access
CBS thinks it has a clever way to draw more people to All Access besides more Star Trek: have one of its best-known personalities produce a show with a unique format. The talk show host is executive producing Tooning Out the News, an animated series that will both riff on current events and interview real guests. There will be weekly episodes like you'd expect, but there will also be daily segments that ridicule the news from mere hours earlier. The magic of "computers" will help get that done, as the trope-heavy announcement video makes clear.
Barely Related: The Little Prince trailer, Serial winds down
Remember when "squee" was a thing? Is it still a thing? Because we're feeling a little bit like doing that today. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Anita Sarkeesian talks GamerGate on The Colbert Report
Feminist gaming critic Anita Sarkeesian paid a visit to Stephen Colbert last night on his satirical show, The Colbert Report. Sarkeesian explained the origins of the GamerGate movement and the threats she's received while the host aimed his talent for razor-sharp satire at the controversy's more ridiculous aspects. [Image: Anita Sarkeesian]
Video: Stephen Colbert loves woos his iPhone 6, breaks iPhone 5s heart
One of the perks of being Stephen Colbert is getting your iPhone 6+ early. The fake news commentator debuted his device last night by wooing the iPhone 6+ and throwing his iPhone 5s away like a summer fling. It's not just bragging, though Colbert certain does that as well. The segment also features a humorous rundown the new Checky app which tells you how often you check your phone. It's a subtle satirical reminder that just because we have smartphones in our pockets it doesn't mean we need to spend out lives buried in them. Enjoy.
Stephen Colbert reviews the Kim Kardashian app
Don't look now, but the "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood" app has already generated tens of millions of dollars in pure profit and currently occupies the #5 spot on the App Store's list of Top Grossing apps. There's no shortage of opportunities for jokes here, but why not let a master comedian show you how it's done? Earlier this week, Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report ran a hilarious review of the Kim Kardashian app that will have serious iOS developers cursing the heavens and everyone else laughing up a storm. The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,The Colbert Report on Facebook,Video Archive
Stephen Colbert explains Cloud Fog: 'part cloud, part fog, all security'
Stephen Colbert has a lot to say about online privacy, Edward Snowden and the NSA, and he shared his thoughts Friday evening at an Internet security conference in San Francisco. Privacy advocates had implored Colbert to skip the event, which was hosted by security giant RSA -- a company that reportedly took $10 million from the NSA to give the agency a back door into its software. Said Colbert: "I looked at the signatures on the online petition, then I looked at the signature -- my signature -- on the bottom of the contract saying I'd be here today, and my conscience was clear, as long as the check clears. Well, it's not actually a check. They gave me a Bitcoin voucher for Mt. Gox. And I'm sure it's going to be fine."
Colbert cracks ancient Second Life joke, picks on NSA
I guess we'll forgive Stephen Colbert for not realizing that the Second-Life-users-don't-have-a-first-life joke is older than he is. Mainly because the rest of his segment on Linden Labs' virtual world and its NSA-powered avatars is pretty funny. Colbert follows up Comedy Central colleague Jon Stewart's riff on the NSA in World of Warcraft with a segment heavy on Second Life secret agents. Kotaku has the full story as well as a video embed.
Colbert tackles NSA spying in Second Life
Last week John Stewart had a chance to slam the NSA for trawling for terror suspects in World of Warcraft, and now it's Stephen Colbert's turn to poke fun at national law enforcement's new fixation on Second Life. The issue here stems from recent NSA documents which paint the organization as keen to infiltrate massively multiplayer online games. It believes that the relatively free, open chat systems in these games are rife with potential terrorist activity, though so far they've found nothing concrete (or at least nothing the public is allowed to know about). You'll find footage of Colbert's episode beyond the jump, but the best bits start at the 1:00 mark. Whether or not the NSA is collecting valuable information is questionable, but at least they look like they're having fun in that virtual club. Unlike the earlier Daily Show report which was rife with factual errors about the millennia-old Dwarven civilization that effectively shaped modern Azeroth, Colbert's discussion of Second Life is pretty spot on, even if he fails to mention the millionaire-hunting, flying penis drones.
Which game development studio head was the top Colbert Super PAC supporter?
There's one man in the northeastern United States who is way, way into making America a better tomorrow, tomorrow, and that man is Harmonix Music Systems co-founder and CEO Alex Rigopulos. He's so into it, in fact, that he donated just shy of $10,000 ($9,600) to Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert's Super PAC in 2011, making his the largest financial contribution that the political action committee has received.Colbert's camp disclosed Rigopulos' name and info along with many others to the FCC this week in a required move for Super PACs with contributors who donate more than $200. Of the $1,023,121 raised since Colbert launched his Super PAC, Rigopulos' donation makes up just under 1 percentage point -- not much in the context of the larger sum, but far larger than the average contributor (under $200).Harmonix confirmed the Rigopulos news with Joystiq, but declined to offer comment, presumably choosing to wait for that better tomorrow (which we're told may arrive tomorrow-ish).
Good morning! Here's Herman Cain singing the Pokemon 2000: The Movie theme song
You can hate or love SOPA, call yourself a hardcore Republican or Democrat, or prefer vegetable oil to butter. No matter how you identify, you will no doubt laugh your face off watching a former presidential primary candidate sing the entirety of the theme song from Pokemon: The Movie 2000. Herman Cain did just that last Friday afternoon during Stephen Colbert's Charleston, South Carolina faux political rally, much to the delight of people everywhere on the planet.What does this have to do with video games? In all honesty, not very much, but we know how hard life can be -- sometimes it seems impossible. It's never easy when there's so much on the line, but you can make a difference. And Herman Cain is here to share that message, in song.
Stephen Colbert exposes Siri biases
Stephen Colbert, America's indispensable authority on absolutely everything, decided to put Siri to the test on the Colbert Report to see if he could find an abortion clinic in Manhattan. Not only does he claim he can't find one, but he says it can't understand foreigners either. Well, Stephen, just to prove you wrong, Siri understands my Scouser husband just fine, thank you very much. You'll find the segment below from Colbert Nation, which highlights just how ridiculous the situation has gotten. The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Conservative Siri www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive
'Colbert Quest,' and The Colbert Report games that could be
I don't know about you folks, but I'd love to see a Tek Jansen video game. Thankfully, so would Prithvi Virasinghe, creative director at Comedy Central's internal game studio, the newly minted 345 Games. Virasinghe told me during an interview earlier this week that Tek Jansen, and the show "Colbert Report" from which it originates, are prime among his choices for a future game. But only if Mr. Colbert is into it, of course. "I've honestly tried to do this many, many times," he said of concepts for a Colbert-themed game. "One of the ideas we had for Colbert was we wanted to do 'Colbert Quest,' which was kinda like an homage to the Police Quest or Space Quest games." Apparently his team at 345 even went as far as to put together a "design treatment" for "Colbert Quest," which he detailed by saying, "You're sort of in this world that's humor-based, that's kind of situational and quest-based, and it would have Colbert as some sort of overlord of this domain." Unfortunately, "Colbert Quest" only made it so far before it was shot down by Comedy Central higher-ups. But while that specific concept may be out, Virasinghe isn't giving up so easily on a Colbert game. "He does have this other character, Tek Jansen, which would really make sense. There's so much stuff we could do with Tek -- if I got my hands on Tek, I'd have a ball." Of course, all of this is dependent on how well 345 Games does with its current project, a game adaptation of monster-themed sitcom "Ugly Americans" set to launch later this summer. "Hopefully this game does well, it creates some breathing room for us to think a little bigger, and maybe even attract the Colberts into wanting to do something," Virasinghe explained. So, what about it Stephen? You're on notice!
Colbert has an iPad 2, already wants the iPad 3
Stephen Colbert can finally eat and sleep apparently -- he was able to pick up his own iPad 2. And as you can see in the video below, he's thrilled with it. Sure, it's mostly just because it's new (it doesn't really do much his old tablet doesn't do), but his excitement is essentially boundless. Boundless -- until it hits a boundary. We agree with Stephen: the new iPad 2 sure is great. But, um, won't the iPad 3 be greater?
Twitter's 2010 Most Retweeted list includes Colbert, Gaga, and Bieber, reminds us how boring we all are
Twitter has released a list of the top ten re-tweeted Twitterers for 2010. Yes, it was a landmark year in which Colbert -- who takes home the top prize -- made a funny about the oil spill, Drake said something vaguely wise, Lil Wayne announced his return from prison, Bieber said something we couldn't be bothered to translate, fake Al Qaeda knew what was up with geo-location, Joe Jonas made fun of someone with less cred than himself, Lady Gaga reavowed her freakdom, Kanye said he was sorry to Taylor Lautner for calling him a wimp, Rihanna made fun of someone with less cred than herself, and some random person's dad said some mildly amusing stuff. Yup, that about sums it up.
Stephen Colbert follows Nintendo's example, trademarks old catchphrases
Television comedic mastermind/pundit extraordinaire Stephen Colbert isn't one to sit on the sidelines while a hot new business trend passes him by. Inspired by Nintendo's recent (and timely!) decision to trademark the phrase,"It's on like Donkey Kong," Colbert explored the profitable possibilities afforded by other catchphrases with product ties, such as "Don't Front like Duck Hunt," which we ... may actually start using in our day-to-day lives. Check out the clip from The Colbert Report after the jump, and feel free to drop your own cross-promotional quips in the comments -- not like you guys weren't going to do that, anyways.
Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear app now available
MTV Networks has released the official Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear app for this Saturday's Jon Stewart rally and Stephen Colbert march. The app features a map of the rally site, Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare integration, a portal to upload photos to the official rally photostream, news updates, and an exclusive message from the master satirists themselves. The app also features a complete FAQ about the rally including directions on how to get there, accessibility for the disabled, the average weather forecast, and what you are and are not allowed to bring to rallies in the National Mall. The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear takes place on Saturday, October 30 at the National Mall in Washington D.C. from noon to 3pm. The app is available now as a free download. [via Obamapacman]
Google's Eric Schmidt faces off with Stephen Colbert
Last night the man behind the Keep Fear Alive campaign sat down with one of tech's luminaries -- Google's Eric Schmidt -- for a frank discussion about just exactly what it is that his company does. While the focus was on Google's precarious relationship with our personal data, it would be hard to sum up the entirety of the conversation in a quick post (that's why Skynet invented video). It is interesting to see Schmidt dodging what are incisive and extremely sharp questions (though veiled in sarcasm they may be) from Mr. Colbert. Put aside the next five minutes or so and do yourself a favor: watch the thing.
Dean Kamen shows off his prosthetic arm on The Colbert Report
Dean Kamen showed up on The Colbert Report last night to show off Luke -- the advanced prosthetic arm he's been working on with DARPA and the Defense Department for the past few years. Besides the requisite Segway jokes (and Colbert's are pretty funny, we'll give him that), it's pretty heart-warming to see Kamen and his crazy awesome arm hanging out with our favorite faux Republican. Just more proof that Colbert is a major gadget nerd. The video's after the break -- hit the read link if you want to watch the entire episode.
