Stewart and Colbert

(Newser) - America's comics have rushed to mine the vein of comedy gold opened by Rod Blagejovich's arrest on corruption charges, the Chicago Tribune reports. "It's one count of bribery, one count of fraud, and one count of Blagojeviching," David Letterman said. Jon Stewart quipped that the governor "has nothing to hide—except what's written on his forehead. My guess is it's something like 'bribe me.'" More »

(Newser) - Politics and comedy are trading places, Lee Siegel writes in the Wall Street Journal , as the antics of politicians get more outlandish and comics are increasingly the people speaking truth to power. Fake newsmen like Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, with their stern commentary, lean more towards the "dark, piercing and wise" humor of Mark Twain than simple belly laughs, Seigel writes. More »

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert fans will find much to love in his parody of old-time Christmas specials, though critics carp that the gags are too long and chuckles too few. “Colbert is delightful,” writes Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times , but “the show is too long and more than a little strained, much like the holiday specials it mocks.” Still, this "felicitous hoax," which debuts tomorrow night on Comedy Central, is destined to become a perennial rerun, notes Tom Shales of the Washington Post . More »

(Newser) - Emboldened by the election, at least one Democrat brashly took potshots at a satirist who relishes zapping politicians on TV. Barack Obama's new chief of staff Rahm Emanuel roasted faux newsman Stephen Colbert at a weekend charity function—but in a deft word twist managed to zing a number of politicians. Emanuel said he was "afraid of Colbert—the same way Sarah Palin is scared of a geography bee, and John Edwards is scared of the National Enquirer ." More »

(Newser) - Yes, satirists and late-night comics seem to have trouble finding Obama jokes, but they'll survive, writes Dan Kois in New York magazine. What worries Kois is that his beloved Daily Show may not be so fortunate. Jon Stewart and crew simply may not have it in their hearts to take potshots at the new regime, and an Obama-happy audience may not want to watch it anyhow. “We're very worried that an Obama presidency might send Jon Stewart's show speedily on the road to obsolescence," says Kois. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama wrapped up his night of blitzing TV with an upbeat appearance on the Daily Show , the Chicago Tribune writes. "I think we've got a good shot at this thing," he told Jon Stewart last night, downplaying the chances of his race costing him the election. Pundits "have been saying that for a while but we’re still here," he said. "I don’t think white voters have gotten this memo about the Bradley effect." More »

(Newser) - Taking their spoofing of TV into print, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart grace the cover of this week’s Entertainment Weekly in imitation of the Obamas-as-terrorists New Yorker cover that set media of all kinds afire in July. The stunt surely threatens to obscure the question-and-answer session it’s intended to advertise, but the duo cheerily critiques the campaign and its characters regardless. More »

(Newser) - Christmas is ready early for fake-news fans, E! Online reports. Stephen Colbert's musical holiday special is already in the can and will air November 23. Jon Stewart, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, and Elvis Costello will be among the stars joining Colbert in crooning holiday-themed favorites including Hanukkah and Little Dealer Boy. More »