Too Many Moments of Zen to Count

December 12, 2007 2:37 PM

Specific Daily Show and/or Colbert Report episode recommendations (with air dates so I can find them)?

I'm putting together a 'greatest hits' DVD to give to an overseas friend for Christmas, and he's never been exposed to the Daily Show or Colbert except for YouTube clips. I have the regional DVD tech and the copyright issue under control. I just need content help.

I know that Comedy Central has most (all?) of these episodes online, and for that matter I even have about 1000 of them on my own hard disk... but that's a LOT of video to search through with no index. CC's blurbs pretty much just describe them all as "great", or list the guests. Sadly, the guests are the least useful part of those shows.

I've done some digging for a community-ratings site or somesuch, but I've come up empty. Some of the highly-rated ones on YouTube are nice, but they seldom mention the episode they're from or include an air date. So I come to you, AskMites.

I have no special favorite contributors (I think they've all done some great pieces, and some poor ones) or guests in mind. I'm open.

Even if all you can do is suggest a particular episode with its date (or week?) and a reason it's great, I'll track it down! I just need something better than "that one where Ed Helms makes those people look foolish."

posted by rokusan to media & arts (24 comments total)

There was this thread when the clips first went online that had a lot of favorites posted (the clips on thedailyshow.com list the original air date). Also, the recent Is America Ready for a Flilf? was great.
posted by Gary at 2:56 PM on December 12, 2007

Also, Wikipedia keeps a somewhat detailed list of Colbert Report episodes, if you want to look up guests or segments.
posted by Gary at 3:01 PM on December 12, 2007

My favorite DS bit is "The Royal Watcher," in which the flamboyantly British Richard Quest is revealed to be the average Englishman's kryptonite. (May 8, 2007)

The top Colbert piece would the masterful "Better Know a District" that featured Rep. Brad Sherman of California's Fightin' 27th. The airdate was March 22 of '06.
posted by Iridic at 3:03 PM on December 12, 2007

Extreme Makeover: Baghdad followed by Aasif Mandvi's assessment [both: April 25, 2007] is one of my favorites as is the always amusing time Dick Cheney shot his hunting buddy IN THE FACE! [Feb. 13, 2006] and Nick Corddry's brilliant follow up. [March 15, 2006]
posted by jamaro at 3:14 PM on December 12, 2007

Truthiness.
Bill O'Reilly.
Guitarmageddon.
Barry Manilow.
Jane Fonda.
Robert Wexler.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 3:15 PM on December 12, 2007

Nate! Not Nick. Egads, now he's going to shoot me.
posted by jamaro at 3:29 PM on December 12, 2007

This clip is a must.
posted by Cyrano at 3:40 PM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

(Although you'll certainly want to put it near the end of your compilation so your friend has had plenty of exposure to Colbert's deadpan delivery and will get the full effect.)
posted by Cyrano at 3:41 PM on December 12, 2007

Eleanor Holmes Norton (dates in the link. The first one is the best.)
posted by decathecting at 3:45 PM on December 12, 2007

Colbert:

4/19/07--the Sean Penn/Robert Pinksky Meta-Free-Phor-All
12/20/06--Decemberists guitar challenge

I can't find the date for the "Tribute to Women" with Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda, but it's also a classic. And any election version of either show is bound to be a winner.
posted by carrienation at 3:51 PM on December 12, 2007

It's hard to choose among the Better Know a District segments, but I busted a gut when I saw Congresswoman Norton of DC (originally aired July 27, 2006).

The two most famous/influential ones were probably Bob Wexler (July 20, 2006--sponsoring a bill to post the Ten Commandments in the Capitol but couldn't name them all) and Lynn Westmoreland (June 14, 2006--"I enjoy cocaine because...it's a fun thing to do.")
posted by lampoil at 3:55 PM on December 12, 2007

"Cooking with feminists" 8/10/06
posted by Manjusri at 4:04 PM on December 12, 2007

The two most famous/influential ones were probably Bob Wexler

I think you're thinking of Jack Kingston.
posted by deadmessenger at 4:26 PM on December 12, 2007

The Colbert Report on August 10 and 14, 2006: the Geraldo dispute with Jon Stewart, the liquids Stephen carries on planes, his computer security advice, and his lamentation that WWIII was avoided. And I can't seem to find it, but if it wasn't on the 14th as well, then the episode where he talks about the Rapture Index is possibly my favorite ever.
posted by Tehanu at 5:12 PM on December 12, 2007

Don't know the exact date, but the first one after the Vice President shot someone was truly epic.
posted by awesomebrad at 5:50 PM on December 12, 2007

Thanks guys, these ones with dates are very helpful.
posted by rokusan at 5:51 PM on December 12, 2007

To be serious for a moment here: Jon Stewart's opening monologue on the first show back after 9/11.
posted by Asparagirl at 6:59 PM on December 12, 2007

I love the "Even Stevphen" segments. The rapidly-devolving Should Medical Marijuana Be Legalized? (April 4, 2001) is one of my favorite Daily Show moments of all time. (And Asparagirl is right about that first monologue after September 11, 2001.)
posted by jocelmeow at 7:17 PM on December 12, 2007

I think you're thinking of Jack Kingston.

No, I wasn't.

But I think I did mix up Robert Wexler, who said the cocaine thing, and Lynn Westmoreland, who screwed up the Ten Commandments. Sorry about that.
posted by lampoil at 8:24 PM on December 12, 2007

Daily Show, the day after the November 2000 U.S. election (i.e., the show which aired November 8, 2000). I believe they cancelled a planned hiatus just so they could do that show. Includes gems such as (from memory), "Look, when we called it 'Indecision 2000,' we didn't mean for you to take it seriously," and "The Civil War, originally projected to be won by the North, is now too close to call."
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:57 AM on December 13, 2007

Is anyone else having trouble viewing the clips on the Daily Show's web site? The ads play for me, but then it skips the actual show.

The "unscripted" segment of the January 30, 2006 Colbert Report is pretty good. (colbert answers questions randomly asked by his studio audience, including "an African-American, female, U.S. Marine and an Iraqi Kurd")

And Feb 9 of 2006, Steven and the Colberts present "Charlene, I'm right behind you".
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 10:56 AM on December 13, 2007

Is anyone else having trouble viewing the clips on the Daily Show's web site? The ads play for me, but then it skips the actual show.

It's because you're in Canada. It does the same for me. According to Wikipedia, it's because CTV has exclusive rights to the content in Canada. For a while, it was re-directing Canadians from that site to the comedy network site.

Sorry for the derail. The wrist-strong saga this year ( July 26 - first episode, Aug 1 - first doctor visit, Aug 9 - wrist strong bracelet, Aug 23 - Fractured Freedom: The Stephen Colbert Story and the cast comes off ) was classic Colbert.
posted by Gary at 11:53 AM on December 13, 2007

Drink Responsibly
posted by almostmanda at 1:11 PM on December 13, 2007

January 18, 2007: Colbert interviewed Bill O'Reilly. Also, I recommend his address at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner, although I'm not sure how copyright works for that.
posted by Tehanu at 2:36 PM on December 17, 2007