'The Colbert Report' Report

I had the good fortune to catch a taping of one of the best shows on television today, and walked away with an even greater admiration for its star and the production on whole. Following the recent 'Daily Show' debacle, in which Katie and I were shut out of the studio audience despite our pre-arranged tickets, this experience was the complete opposite.

Katie was unable to make it, so I was flying a solo mission. Arriving at the studio well before the appointed time, I was lucky enough to run into an Australian couple who were attempting to get in on the standby line. These Aussies, Geordie and Jess, helped pass the time spent on line with some great stories and tales about their trip and homeland. Really, several hours spent on line never went by so fast, and I have them to thank. Luckily, they both found their way into the show.

The studio setup was like any other live show, but the staging of the props on display were especially satisfying to long-time viewers of the show. Bits of show history were tucked into the bookcases and shelves, alongside pictures (oddly including Harriet Meiers and Bill Cosby), books, and the microwave oven Colbert liberated from his O'Reilly appearance.

As far as the show, it was, as expected, excellent. Before the taping began Colbert came out and addressed the audience. He took a few questions, including one from me where I referenced a joke gone flat from the night before about lutefisk. (Strangely, he pulled an obscure fact out on Tuesday about the Norwegian dish and broke character for a moment to acknowledge that he had lost the audience. For some reason I had read a recent article about lutefisk, and understood his joke.) Two other highlights would have been missed by anyone outside the studio: The presence of the New York Jets coaching staff - including head coach Eric Mangini - sitting in the row right behind me, and the music played in the studio before the show and during the breaks. At one point Colbert appeared to be in a serious discussion with his stage manager during a break. They seemed to be discussing some script change or timing issue. But, upon closer observation, Colbert was actually lip-syncing the words to the song playing on the PA. He dead-panned his way through a faux conversation, mouthing the words to one of my all-time favorite (and almost completely unknown) songs, "Holland, 1945" by Neutral Milk Hotel. It was the cherry on top of a great day.