Stewart sez no W.H. campaign
Daily Show host Jon Stewart yesterday told his would-be political base -- i..e, the people wearing "Stewart/Colbert '08" T-shirts -- to forget about himself and Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert making a run for the White House, a la Robin Williams in Barry Levinson's Man of the Year (Universal, 10.13).
Stewart told New Yorker editor David Remnick on Sunday (10.8) that the T-shirts "are a real sign of how sad people are" with the Bush administration and the general drift of things. "Nothing says 'I am ashamed of...my government' more than 'Stewart/Colbert '08.'"
Just for the record -- were the "Stewart-Colbert" T-shirts in any way inspired by Man of the Year, a comedy-drama about a Jon Stewart-like host being elected president, or have they been happening for, say, six months or longer? I ask because people started began talking and hearing about Man of the Year late last year, and interest in the film started cranking up in July-August.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 9, 2006 at 12:45 PM
comment #1
Josh Massey
says ...
"Man of the Year" had nothing to do with the shirts. Hell, I haven't heard of anybody talking about that film YET, much less late last year.
Posted by Josh Massey
at October 9, 2006 2:11 PM
comment #2
The Winchester
says ...
The poster for the film, with Robin Williams as George Washington, feels like a fake poster from an earlier movie, like the Ben Affleck/"Moonraper" poster in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
I was really hoping for Levinson to return to Wag the Dog form on this one.
Posted by The Winchester
at October 9, 2006 2:34 PM
comment #3
Jay T.
says ...
No way... Busted Tees had a version of this shirt up several months ago, long before I ever heard of Man of the Year.
Posted by Jay T.
at October 9, 2006 6:05 PM
comment #4
Walter Sobchak
says ...
....But Jon Stewart is in NO way partisan one way or another...(vote Democrat) he's just a funny guy doing a fake news show, that's all... taking shots at anyone who's in power, no matter what party they belong to...(except Gore, Kerry, and especially Saint Clinton...but how could you take shots at him?.. he's saving the world... and he's just so dreamy... can't you just get lost in those eyes?)... but he's NOT biased!
Posted by Walter Sobchak
at October 9, 2006 9:34 PM
comment #5
Argen
says ...
Walter, he's taken shots at all of the people you listed: Gore, Kerry, and both Clintons. It's been a little heavily weighted towards the Republicans for a while because they run everything. Sorry. That's part of the trade-off. You control everything, you become the biggest target. I've never fully understood why the party that controls the three branches of government (and the number one news channel) can feel so persecuted.
Take a Valium and a few deep breaths. With any luck the other party will become the prime target within the next two years.
Posted by Argen
at October 9, 2006 9:58 PM
comment #6
Argen
says ...
Reading that over again I take back the "a little heavily weighted". It's been heavily weighted. That's all I'll correct, though.
Posted by Argen
at October 9, 2006 10:38 PM
comment #7
Arthur101
says ...
Pat Paulsen running for President, quite convincingly, is a good reference for this whole premise of comediens or entertainment-supply-side starting to effectively compete with Presidents, who themselves were becoming more and more entertainment figures - - and he managed it during the Nixon era via the Smother Bros. Show.
Posted by Arthur101
at October 10, 2006 4:55 AM
comment #8
Dave Polands Gut
says ...
If I were Stewart I'd be running as fast as I could too from being associated with MAN OF THE YEAR.
Posted by Dave Polands Gut
at October 10, 2006 6:23 AM
comment #9
Cadavra
says ...
"I've never fully understood why the party that controls the three branches of government (and the number one news channel) can feel so persecuted."
They don't FEEL persecuted; they PRETEND TO BE persecuted. One of the best ways to hang onto power is to act like you're the lone gunman staring down those hordes of evil bandits.
Posted by Cadavra
at October 10, 2006 11:34 AM
comment #10
BHay
says ...
Those t-shirts - and variations that simply read "Jon Stewart for President" have been around since the 2004 election season. And Stewart wants nothing to do with either the shirts or 'Man of the Year.' Well, maybe he wants a little success for the movie for Lewis Black, but that's it.
Posted by BHay
at October 12, 2006 10:38 AM
comment #11
BHay
says ...
Those t-shirts - and variations that simply read "Jon Stewart for President" - have been around since the 2004 election season. And, from what I can tell, Stewart wants nothing to do with either the shirts or 'Man of the Year.' Well, maybe he wants a little success for the movie for Lewis Black, but that's it.
Posted by BHay
at October 12, 2006 10:38 AM