August 8, 2006

Stephen Colbert interviews Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Oh, my, that's funny. (Thanks, Throwing Things.)
Posted by Ann Althouse at 9:27 AM

9 comments:

Laura Reynolds said...

Very funny, she's never seemed to have much of a sense of humor, but she was funny in this, perhaps not intentionally

8/8/06, 10:13 AM
Wade Garrett said...

I too was at Eleanor Holmes Norton's class day speech. I seem to recall her addressing you as the class of 2000 more than just twice, and hundreds of people cheering when she finally addressed you as the class of 2005. It was an awful speech, transparently recycled from some earlier occasion.

The speech was about her career and the obstacles she's overcome as a black woman in politics. Sure, she's had a great career, but it wasn't much in terms of a graduation address. Still better than Harvard's policy of hiring the jackass comedian du jour, but still less than you deserved. My class had George Pataki, who had the good sense to keep it short and throw in a few good self-deprecating jokes.

8/8/06, 10:53 AM
Simon said...

She has to be in on the gag. I mean...It's hard to believe that she could actually be that clueless.

8/8/06, 11:36 AM
Simon said...

Katie Baker said...
"She rambled incoherantly about the filibuster, and made no connections to anything."

She understands that it's the House that she's in, not the Senate, right? LOL.

8/8/06, 11:42 AM
knox said...

I could be wrong, but I believe she was playing along, and doing it very well.

I loved her sarcastic "Paris or its environs???" jab.

8/8/06, 11:58 AM
vnjagvet said...

I thought that she was trying to play along.

Her sense of humor deficit caught up with her, though.

8/8/06, 12:55 PM
Danny said...

I don't think one can 'play along' with Colbert. Anyone who tries usually fails, and those who succeed probably don't make it into an episode.

8/8/06, 1:10 PM
Editor Theorist said...

On 'internal evidence' I am 99 percent sure that this interview was scripted and rehearsed - it was a comedy sketch, surely?

Anyway, despite having no idea who the people were (I live in England) I found it very funny and clever.

8/8/06, 9:56 PM
Editor Theorist said...

On a second viewing - I am now 100 percent (not 99 percent) sure this sketch was scripted, rehearsed, and edited.

Has to be - it is brilliantly shaped and structured, both participants quick on their cures - overlapping but not obscuring each other, the 'voting' buzzer timed exactly etc. etc.

Sorry to disappoint those who thought it was a spontaneous rap, but stuff this good doesn't 'just happen', it takes a lot of work - lots of writers, lots of takes and lots of skilled editing.

8/9/06, 10:40 AM

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