BigThink.com is a new press-happy website where ideas of "great minds, leaders and cultural figures will be used to catalyze an online discussion about the big issues of our day among a global audience." It's also the place where New Yorker editor David Remnick made fun of a media blog, and David Patrick Columbia defended bloggers.
Today, the site is home to a new roundish table discussion video about the WGA strike — with actual writers discussing the matter.
We mean to emphasize this because most Internet videos featuring striking writers show them not speaking, and communicating through the written word on cue cards. Or pieces of cardboard and a Sharpie.
The segment has comedy writers Dan Goor, Laura Krafft and Colin Jost "[offering] a perspective of the strike from the picket line. They talk about what's behind the strike, what's at stake, as they see it, and why they're still deeply committed to the cause."
And in an asterisk-worthy note: "The writers requested that we not post their show affiliations."
Huh. That's curious. Writers on strike who don't want their show affiliations mentioned? Because talking about the strike more than Nikki Finke is somehow bad form? We're not buying.
Which is why we copy/pasted their names into IMDB to REVEAL ALL THEIR SECRETS! CONTINUED »
Like you, we’re sick of considering the poor Midwesterns who are forced to watch repeats of Dave Letterman because of the writers strike. Let’s be honest, Dave Letterman is not that funny, even with writers. Those Midwesterns should have better late night plans anyway.
But pothead college students, we care about those kids, if only because we’re just like them except with degrees. We also care about the 2008 election; we’re suckers for democracy.
So after many weeks, there’s finally a new angle to the writers’ strike: What are the stoned college kids missing out on now that fake news is in reruns? CONTINUED »
Sometimes I just have to say, “what the fuck?” and the royal we doesn’t work as well. These are my thoughts—raronauer
About two minutes after John Kerry lost in 2004, Democrats and Republicans began plotting for 2008.
At this time last year, pundits could criticize politicians for starting their campaigns too early. But now, 13 months away from the general election, there’s no way to complain about fatigue. Now is the time candidates should be making stump speeches; it’s just too bad we’ve been hearing them for the past year.
So at this point, no one’s really interested in reading about demographic breakdowns of primary states. That is until Stephen Colbert entered the picture.
CONTINUED »
Viacom and Comedy Central announced they'll be launching a new site exclusively geared towards placating avid watchers of The Daily Show. The upcoming website will boast over 13,000 all-access video clips, representing roughly "every minute of the show since its 1999 inception."
Die-hard Jon Stewart fans plan to immediately voice their approval by smoking copious amounts of pot, bitching about the deplorable state of affairs in this country, and watching 125 straight hours of the the online footage* instead of writing their NYU term papers.
*Or up until the point where they get "sufficiently creeped out" by the size of Stewart's bulbous head.
From WaPo: "Hillary Clinton's laugh is now being analyzed, scrutinized and, yes, mocked as if it were a sound barrier on her glide path to the Democratic presidential nomination: Is it real? Is it fake? Is it a diabolically clever attempt to portray her as a human being?" You be the judge.
This, we imagine, is not the type of attention Erin Burnett thought she'd score as she tries turning herself into the more relatable Maria Bartiromo. Perhaps certain people "should be care what they wish for" on China and TV.
"Four presidential candidates [Biden, McCain, Thompson and Obama] are lined up to visit Jon Stewart on The Daily Show over the next three weeks as Comedy Central's satirical news review ramps up its 'Indecision 2008' coverage," writes the AP.
"In a world of scripted politics, The Daily Show offers candidates a chance to show irreverence and a sense of humor, but brings a risk if they bomb."
Which is essentially the AP's longwinded way of saying that Hillary Clinton will never, ever appear on the show, lest the twenty-something youths of this nation discover that she's really just an unfunny, cleavage baring, boxy pants suit-wearing automaton…trapped in a closeted librarians body.
"Where," you've been asking yourself, "can Portfolio really succeed online?" This morning that questioned was answered with Matt Cooper's blog post "Behind the Scenes at Daily Show," an account from his appearance on last night's show.
Can you believe Jon Stewart actually visits the green room, personally, to thank guests for appearing? And that bleeping out the curse words for the broadcast version is funnier than the live version?
And then there's the whole recounting of his blood pressure spike.
CONTINUED »
• A new research study reveals that The Daily Show appeals to the smart, well-informed populace while Fox News caters more to the "slack-jawed yokel" demographic.
• Don Imus invokes the Ann Coulter defense, attributing his misconstrued remarks to a wayward attempt at comedy.
• David Carr instigates a boring Ellie's rivalry by hyping up the competition between Field & Stream and Martha Stewart Living.
• Al-Jazeera to become most popular YouTube sensation since "Dorky Light Sabre Guy" and "Girl Who Can't Dance For Shit."
• Newspaper apologizes for publishing Photoshopped images, pisses off fashion, pornographic industries, Mariah Carey by calling digitalized alterations "dishonest."
• Larry King plans to keep on broadcasting, wearing suspenders until he's forced to answer to "that big Brooklyn guy in the sky."
• Money Honey cheated on her high school boyfriend with a whiny loser! Fortunately for her, the lucky "other man" is still bragging about rounding second base with her a mere twenty years later.
• Radar rounds up all of YouTube's greatest accidental talents, and reminds us why they're hilarious pitiable.
• Cartoon Network looks for new chief who will focus on multiplatform initiatives, not getting fined $2 million for "fake" terrorist attack.
• With a little help from Slate, even the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue can be boring!
• We all know Anna liked yogurt, SlimFast and Worcestershire sauce, but what's in CNN's fridge? Expired milk and a Victoria's Secret bag.
• If The 1/2 Hour News Hour loses the laugh track, will anyone still be laughing? (Answer: No, no they will not).
• News Corp. gets in to bed with Conde Nast. In Australia.
• Daily Show and Colbert Report exec producer Ben Karlin steps down (resigns?) after seven years with Jon Stewart. His legacy? Ruining Jon Stewart's set.
• Hearst doesn't know who to give the Seventeen job, but they're hopeful!
• On the Internet, nobody knows you've got a paper product.
• Treehugger.com is so in demand, every glossy home magazine editor wants 'em.
• Those closed-door discussions about MSNBC's The Most? Perhaps just a time slot switch.
• Viacom's new chief Philippe Dauman knows how to run a company: keep a beautiful woman by his side.
• Jack Shafer says the newspaper industries woes began 30 years ago — before there even was an Internet to blame.
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Last night on The Daily Show, Al Gore quickly realizes the whole point of his movie and book effort – that the world is practically on fire and we're all going to die – should probably not be the butt of a joke.
There's a lot of melting going on!
[Laughter]
Unfortunately.
Such a different perspective than he's taking right now on The View, where Tipper Gore is there to keep him straight faced and on point.
• Mayor Bloomberg loves it when hot girls get married at City Hall. [Page Six]
• While Joe Simpson forms plans for the A List, Sienna Miller's pop creates his black list. First to die - Jude Law. [The Sun]
• We know supermodels don't spend any part of the holiday season eating, but Kate Moss has special plans this year. She'll be hiding out in the US - after all, getting busted for blowing coke kind of ruins the Christmas spirit. [Page Six]
• A new job opens up at The Daily Show. [Reuters]
• Even celebrities get cranky when they're up all night with a new baby. But, it's more likely that Heath Ledger just really doesn't like his wife. [The Scoop]
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