from tvnewser.com
Last night, Bill O'Reilly and Stephen Colbert had their much-hyped dual-showdown, and both segments were generally in line with what viewers have come to expect of the two shows. The first segment on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" had a slightly challenging, tense feeling as O'Reilly asked Colbert a few predictable questions (i.e. about his French-sounding name) and brought up the whole people-who-watch-the-Daily-Show-are-stoned-slackers meme, despite the fact that it has been disproven (Colbert's counter was pretty great though: "You have to be high to understand Jon Stewart. That guy is pinker than an Indian River grapefruit"). Over at "The Colbert Report" the vibe was more welcoming, with Colbert for the first time allowing his guest the Walk of Victory to the interview set, and a "Mission Accomplished" banner unfurled across the back (hilarious details like that are what sets "The Colbert Report" apart, by the way).
It's unfair to compare the two segments — one is a comedy show, the other is an opinion show that is regularly, shall we say, contentious — but it was far more enjoyable to watch the second version, and not just because it was stocked with gags (the 30% off sticker on O'Reilly's "Culture Warrior" was pretty awesome). In the first interview, the mood was rather charged, and it seemed like Colbert and O'Reilly were circling around each other without actually getting into anything. Of course, the point of these segments were not to genuinely butt heads over the issues of the day, but it would have made for more exciting and substantive viewing — that's why the segments with David Letterman were so successful, because they engaged and challenged each other on matters of substance. Here, the dearth of actual talking points was notable (and ironic considering whose show they were on!); it felt like O'Reilly playing it safe but still not wanting to give ground. Which may have worked for the Factor viewer who expected Colbert to be one-dimensional and superficial, but did little to actually uncover anything new or fresh or novel.
It was on the Colbert Report, actually, that O'Reilly appeared more likeable, being a good sport about being booed (a graceless move on the part of an unruly audience member), and parrying with Colbert a little more spunkily, taking the "Culture Warrior" sale sticker in stride, as well as a doctored photo of O'Reilly as an oiled-up hotbodied dude in shiny black spandex bikini briefs (or as they say over at Fox News, "San Francisco business casual"). Even so, Colbert's set-ups, while funny, were predictible (asking "What's destroying our country more: Activist judges, illegal immigrants, gay marriage, or NBC News?") and felt familiar (at least to ETP, who watches the show regularly). The best moment of the interview came out of a moment that was less scripted: After Colbert asked who could win in a fight, O'Reilly or Hannity, and made a joke about Irishmen fighting, O'Reilly called him on the use of the stereotype and said that Hannity would win because he was really "effete." Said O'Reilly: "I'm not a tough guy. This is all an act." Responded Colbert: "If you're an act, then what am I?" Funny, but interesting, because Colbert is at his best when he controls the act, and uses it as a tool for advancing the dialogue (see his brilliant excoriation of Dinesh D'Souza earlier this week). Here it was an act, mostly, on both shows, which made it feel staid and staged — fine, of course, for theater but the appeal of both these shows is on watching people tangle and tussle and interact and respond — something that felt a little lacking on both segments.
The best proof of that is in not the interviews themselves but in what happened after: On the Factor, O'Reilly hashed over the segment with two guests, discussing the appeal of Colbert and Stewart in a free-flowing, highly opinionated form — which actually offered more in the way of argument and discussion than the stilted segment previous. And on the Colbert Report, the show closed with a totally surprising moment that showcased Colbert's mischevous, gleeful streak: Turns out he'd stolen the microwave from the Fox News green room — an awesome and hilarious prank, with a dash of the subversive and sly that gives the show its zing. A little more of that zing in the actual interviews would have gone a long way toward making this a genuine TV moment rather than a manufactured one.
But still, funny:
You can find more clips at Comedy Central; as for our high-res version of a greased-up O'Reilly, those we're keeping to ourselves.
