Caveat: Carolina In My Mind

I used to not really like Stephen Colbert – his pseudorightwingery was perhaps too convincing. But as his style has evolved, it's become more tongue-in-cheek and, well… complicated. He doesn't stay in character as well as he used to, but that adds tension to the performance, which, in my opinion, improves it.

Colbert is in such fine form, lately. Nothing he touches remains unscathed by his satirical, winking worldview. He's almost a kind of Cervantes for the internet age. There are performances within performances, representations and lies about representations and lies, misdirections to other misdirections.

[broken link! FIXME] Cnt_html_m152b6747I have no idea what he intends with respect to his "explorations" regarding the presidential race – I expect he may not know, himself. Though his individual interactions are likely more scripted than they appear, I think the broader narrative is possibly at the same time less scripted than it appears. It's a kind of improv – writ large – across the American political landscape.

Below is an excerpt from a recent show. It's funny (with all the visual references to his recent expropriation of Herman Cain's identity for electoral purposes), but I also happen to think it's a genuinely sweet rendition, with James Taylor, of Taylor's song "Carolina In My Mind."

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
James Taylor & Stephen Colbert – "Carolina in My Mind"
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

I recommend watching the whole episode – there are some really great moments when Colbert is interviewing retired Supreme Court Justice Stevens, for example.

Caveat: Angry Birds

I guess they're taking over the world. You have a hint of this, when a Korean seven-year-old spends a deeply focused 20 minutes crafting a story about them, along with illustration. Personally, I like his versions of the birds.

[broken link! FIXME] Angrybirds 003

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