Multi-tasking

It's been months since anything was posted to this blog. Mostly 'cause of multi-tasking. Gotta get a phone that transmits photos like the one Walter Kirn has.

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/?lnk=v&ml_video=127753

This link was transmitted by email from Comedy Central to Blogger.

It's from Colbert's interview on 11/1, from Comedy Central's MotherLoad, the ultimate broadband video channel.

The greatest living American

The Technology Chronicles : Stephen Colbert declared greatest living American

Stephen takes a dive

Colbert threw his match with Sean Penn in the "Metaphor-Off." But it's national poetry month, so it's okay. Good theater and some good metaphors, though none by Sean or Stephen . . . The best came from poet laureate Robert Pinsky, who served as 'moderator'.

The metaphor that got it started was an antrocious construction of Penn's, address President Bush: "and the smarmy pundits in your pocket who bathe in the moisture of your soiled and blood-soaked underwear."

Isn't that a doozey? And what's really scary is Penn was reading from prepared notes! No wonder Stephen jumped all over it.

But I'll be brief.

A domain of its own

Undoubtedly due to an unintended Colbert "bump" to Carbondale, Illinois, Mayor Brad Cole by being in a photo-op with Stephen Colbert, Brad was re-elected to office on Tuesday.

The purpose of this blog is to eventually get Cole on the Colbert show, or for Stephen to visit Carbondale, the Capital of Southern Illinois, in what Stephen calls "the Paducah-Carbondale corridor."

The city of is noted for another famous social critic comedian -- Dick Gregory, no relation to Peter Gregory, yet another social critic comedian from Carbondale.

Never metaphor I didn't like

This blog will be more interesting if Stephen Colbert's virtual friend Brad Cole is re-elected Mayor today, but no matter who wins the election, Brad, or his opponent Sheila Simon (whom Stephen sorta endorsed), I plan to write about the Colbert Report and the show's guests, and maybe make it to "who's riding my coat-tails now."

In tonight's show, Stephen challenged actor Sean "Bloody Underpants" Penn to a "Metaphor Off" and had The Cars dude's super model wife say Stephen "so hot." Mayor Brad Cole can't compete with that; although if he is reelected and follows-thru on the "Marry the Mayor" resolution, he could.

Waiting for Colbert, Day 5

Watching tonight's Colbert Report on DVR again in search of an endorsement (back-hand, back-slapping, or half-baked) for his virtual friend Brad Cole. He seems to be sticking to his earlier lukewarm endorsement of Simon, joining Bob Pauls who chooses Simon for environmental reasons; while the DE reversed its previous choice of Sheila to endorse Cole this time -- but for the wrong reasons. I've seen the TV ads and listened to (and recorded) yesterday morning's separate radio interviews of Brad Cole and Sheila Simon by Tom "Cap" Miller (who never got around to asking what Brad meant in his ads about Sheila "playing with" the property tax). I recorded each 9 minute interview but haven't had time to re-listen or excerpt shorter clips.

Looking forward to life after the election; no matter who wins, it will be a breath of fresh air, with warmer weather and Bike 2 Work Day rolling around in May (date, tba) -- and other fun things -- such as another new blog inspired by this one. ;-)

Colbert Watch, Day 4

It seems like my persistence in trying to get comedy news pundit Stephen Colbert to weigh-in on the Carbondale mayoral race paid off -- although not how I expected.

On Wednesday night's show, Stephen gave a lukewarm endorsement to Mayor Brad Cole's opponent. Did you see it? The context was a subtextual message about the Simon on American Idol, but the message was clear and uncannily true: Simon would be nicer.

But despite this seeming setback, Cole has been cleaning-up in local newspaper support -- with yesterday's Southern Illinoisan endorsement and Chris Wissmann's surprising Nightlife editorial exposing his Council colleague's false claims about our Mayor. And a few weeks ago, The Murpysboro American endorsed Cole as well. I guess the DE is sticking with Sheila, since Pepper Holder is out of the running.

But now we can add Stephen Colbert's dubious endorsement to the Simon's column. That she'll, uh, be "nicer." But is that sufficient reason to make her Mayor? Not according to another pundit, Great Marmaduke's Ghost, who wrote weeks ago:

"People say Sheila Simon is 'nicer' than Brad Cole. So what? It is not the business of government to make people feel good about themselves. It is the job of city government to foster economic development, provide for the public safety, build and maintain infrastructure and to pick up garbage. Every thing else is secondary -- and Cole tops Simon on all of these basics."

Stephen's Thursday show contained no comment or support for his friend Brad, today.

Hey Colbert! I spoke to Cole yesterday about issuing a Mayoral proclamation making Sheila Simon's birthday (whenever it is) "Stephen Colbert Day" but he just laughed. Maybe if you gave your friend Brad a little encouragement? A shout-out from on high, where the Eagle flies. (You have until Monday to rectify this situation. You're on notice.)

Colbert Watch, Day 2

Still no word from the great man, by whom I mean not our local great man, whose words are boundless, but that Comedy Central character Stephen Colbert, to whom I recently sent a photo of Mayor Brad Cole with him pointing at each other.

Tuesday's show featured more 'over the top' segments and between-the-lines commentaries by Colbert -- including a searing guitar solo by the Hungarian Ambassador to the U.S.

But no Cole.

Brad did get some ink in a local daily, though: two letters in the Southern Illinoisan in support of his candidacy for re-election. I like the first letter (by local business leader Trace Brown) better -- urging voters to put partisan politics aside, and vote for Cole:

Brad Cole puts in more than 60 hours a week as mayor for $9,000 per year, of which he donates a large portion to community charities. If we have someone willing to do this, while doing an outstanding job, then why we want to make the mayor position a part-time job again?

Brown is a partner in the company that built Houlihans and the Holiday Inn at Reed Station Road.

The other letter by local Hall of Famer Marvin Kleinau, former host of Scholastic Hi-Q on WSIU. Marvin argues, why fire a guy who's worked hard and done a great job.

Replacing Brad with Sheila would be like viewers voting Stephen Colbert off his show and replacing him with Tracey Ullman. (ouch).

Colbert Watch, Day 1

No email today from Stephen Colbert, or from the Colbert Nation webmaster. On his first day back on the job after vacation, he had the liberal editor Katrina VanDersomething of The Nation. Before her, in a pre-interview with someone called No Impact Man -- two liberals whom he treated well, so Sheila really had nothing to fear.

There are still five new shows before the election, so it's possible that Mayor Cole will make the show. Maybe I should go ahead and do an "unauthorized" photoshop of Sheila with Colbert. Something very proper. On a bicycle perhaps.

If you've never seen Colbert's show, check out his Comedy Central site.

Meanwhile Peter the Great questions on Sheila's latest campaign tactic: accusing Cole of traveling (and he doesn't even play basketball!) and I've tried to address the issue in the comments to Travelin' Man. (Conclusion: the charge doesn't deserve the mileage it's getting in the media.)

I've managed to put together a list of things Cole accomplished as a City Councilman, before he was Mayor! No need to compare. Comparisons are odious. But when you add these to his goals and accomplishments so far as Mayor, the list is quite impressive. He didn't wait for someone else to make things happen. If it seemed worth doing, he went for it -- and usually succeeded.

I understand that his opponent disagrees with some of the things he went for (although she may have voted for them at the time). It's all about style. Brad's a decision maker. He gathers information, then he acts. Next, I'll list things he got done as Mayor. And then a list of things he'd like to finish, or get started, including an intermodal transportation center.

Mayor rhymes with Colbert (Col-bear). Colbert begins with "C" . . . Maybe Cole could promise to put forward to City Council a plan to change Carbondale's name to "Colbertdale" . . . That way the "C's" on the baseball hats wouldn't have to be changed.

Mayor seeks Colbert 'bump'; Councilwoman passes

Over in his busy 'biz' blog, local hero Peter the Great wonders, does it matter who wins the Mayor's race, but I don't have to wonder, I know what will happen if local heroine Sheila Simon is elected: playing it safe, going on 'worst case scenarios', and stalling progress.

I base my conclusion on her decision to decline the photo-op opportunity extended to her (and all Americans) by the nation's hottest pundit (a photoshop photo-op?). But Simon, whose father was a Democrate U.S. Senator from Illinois, is choosing to go the route recommended by Democrat U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel: stay away from Stephen Colbert.

As she explained by email:

"I think Brad and I would be in the same boat -- and on the edge, if I can mix metaphors! So many of the people and places that are on his show are really ridiculed. I don't think we can guarantee that either candidate or the town would come out ahead."

I pitched the idea to both Mayor Cole and Councilwoman Simon that being on the show would be good for our City, but Sheila doesn't 'get it'.

Everybody's talking about how Oooh, SIU needs more students . . . Oooh, the City needs to get its story out . . . Oooh, spend millions on advertising . . . .Well, what better way to get the word out that Carbondale is "a hip place to be on the square" than by having its two candidates for Mayor appear (via telephone) on America's hippest and smartest new television news program -- one that reaches millions of young and young-at-heart viewers with its trademarked brand of "truthiness."

I sprung the idea on Cole when I saw him at a local business, and to his credit (imo) he played along -- by posing for the quick snapshot you see here. He knew enough about The Colbert Report (Col-bear Rep-OR) to trust that both he and Carbondale would get a "Colbert Bump" by a minute or two with the man American loves to love.

Sheila would have benefited, too, but she passed.

PHOTO CAPTION:
Television News Commentator STEPHEN COLBERT, D.F.A. recently took time out at the end of his Comedy Central show to offer a photo opportunity to the viewing public -- an opportunity seized by Carbondale, Illinois, Mayor BRAD COLE, M.L.S, who thiinks that appearing with the influential pundit could boost his campaign for re-election against his opponent, the daughter of a famous Senator.

Colbert for Cole?

At the conclusion of last night's "Colbert Report" fake newsman Stephen Colbert extended a photo opportunity to viewers -- a chance to be in a photo with Colbert (Cole-BEAR) as he posed and smiled as you see here.

Since Stephen is a card-carrying right-winger (in the mold of Bill O'Reilly), I thought it might be a good photo-op for Carbondale's "Right Choice" Brad Cole.

Stephen told viewers to send in their creations. This one was done in a hurry late at night without a mouse, but if I have some spare time later today, I'll do a better one. How about it Simonites? Both candidates could have a bit of fun if some friend of Sheila's would photoshop her into the photo, too. (Let me know if you're interested, and I will send you the image without Cole in it, so you can put Sheila there.) We could send them both to Colbert. It might get on the show, which would be very cool, imo.

Let's see who Colbert endorses. (My guess is that he probably will dance around it... Giving all of Carbondale "the Colbert bump"..... He knows where the town is: Colbert once referred to the "Paducah - Carbondale Corridor" while in a conversation with Randy Newman).