Stephen Colbert Welcomes Home the Troops

     This week brought two very special episodes of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. They were titled "Been There, Won That: The Returnification of the American-Do Troopscape." In them, Stephen Colbert welcomed home our U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq. Airing with live feed to Iraq and Afghanistan on Wednesday, and with feed to Afghanistan and Walter Reed on Thursday, the audience was made up entirely of active duty military and veterans. Colbert served them hot dogs and beer, and brought in grass for them to put their feet on, as they had been in the desert.

     The half-hour episodes were basically a love fest for the troops, and I'm not complaining about that. If anyone deserves praise heaped on them, it is our men and women in uniform. Among the guests Colbert had on were Vice President Joe Biden, singer John Legend, General Ray Odierno, and soldiers Brent Cummings and Josh Bleill. Bleill lost both legs in Iraq, and after less than two years of recovery, can run and waterski on his new legs. He wrote a book about the experience titled One Step At A Time. Odierno was the man who shaved Colbert's head when the latter took his show to the Middle East last year.

     Despite all the positive energy, the episodes were not without some pokes and criticisms. For instance, Colbert joked that we had won the Iraq War many times already, and since we still have nearly 50,000 troops over there, aren't they being asked to win it again? But most of those negatives were softballs, not the scathing rhetoric Colbert is known for. I'd say the most awkward moment came when Colbert asked Joe Biden to thank former President George W. Bush for his part in Iraq. Personally, I see no reason to thank him, but Biden said some very nice things and came out looking classy.

     At one point, Colbert was invited to Afghanistan, but seemed reluctant to agree to go, and sidestepped the request. I don't blame him. Whether he goes or not, tune into The Colbert Report Monday through Thursday nights at 11:30 on Comedy Central. It's always a laugh.  In Lexington, Comedy Central is channel 60 analog, 148 digital cable, or 249 satellite, although, unfortunately, we are still being denied the HD cable version of the channel.

Please visit www.whitehouse.gov/salute to share your own salute.

Article first published as Stephen Colbert Welcomes Home the Troops on Blogcritics.

You're Welcome Will Ferrell

    Recently released on DVD is Will Ferrell's Broadway show, You're Welcome America A Final Night With George W. Bush.  With a runtime of just under an hour and a half, the HBO-produced movie gets a little boring after awhile.  Note: If you get the movie from Netflix, the runtime is listed as two hours.  This is (thankfully) wrong.  The entire show was amusing, but not once did it elicit an out loud laugh.  Not a single one.

     Will Ferrell played George W. Bush on Saturday Night Live and various online sites.  He did so successfully, and often with hilarious results.  The problem here is that the character is stretched far too long.  However, one would think that there would be some gems, but none emerge.  It is more or less a historical walk through of Bush's life, concentrating on the presidency, laced with inane tangents, some true, some less so.  There are actual quotes thrown in.  Sometimes a TRUE flashes on the screen behind him, unneccessarily.  The graphics behind the actor play like a power point presentation, mostly factual and supporting, not a joke.  The one notable exception is the picture of someone's penis, shown three times.  Don't know who's, and don't care to.  The show tries to break things up by having a Secret Service agent (played by Ferrell's brother) dance while Will changes costumes, but even that falls a little flat.

     If you liked the character on SNL, prepare to be disappointed.  Perhaps live, with the robust theater energy, and the novelty of a clever, witty idea, this played well.  Watched at home on the DVD player, it doesn't.  It wasn't terrible.  I sat through the entire thing.  There was just nothing about it that stands out, nor any examples I can point to to recommend the movie.

     As 'Bush' says at the end, "I know you're not going to thank me...", I assume Will Ferrell means as well.  The "You're welcome" is said to himself, certainly not from the viewer.