MGM has acquired screen rights to ‘Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me’, the best-selling humor anthology edited by Ben Karlin. Script will be written by Kyle Pennekamp & Scott Turpel, who scripted the upcoming ‘Get A Job’. Karlin is the Emmy-winning former executive producer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. In the book, he drew on his own experiences and those of many other men to share that shame walk that has happened to every guy: getting dumped and trying to get over the humiliation.

The film will be produced by Karlin and Kevin Misher, who will cull the Dumped book for the ingredients to a male-oriented comedy.

Source: Dealine.com

I’m joining @iava‘s #GoSilent campaign to honor our #vets this Memorial Day. More info: bit.ly/iKd8s3

— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) May 24, 2013

Welcome to another wonderful episode recap.

Hair report: gorgeous!

Stephen started off the show saying, “I’m Stephen Colbert, your love is like a vacation”. He doesn’t often introduce himself like that, not on the show anyway. I guess the vacation he is referring to is next week when they are off.

AUMF Repeal

The AUMF stands for…wait…gotta go look it up…got it. The Authorization for Use of Military Force. “so called because it is what gives Obama’s unchecked killing authority that special ‘aumf’”.

“Incidentally, heaven and earth? Those are areas where the President is allowed to kill people.”

Apparently Obama is in favor of repealing the AUMF. He wants to repeal it.

“That’s like Ryan Gosling repealing his abs. Or Matthew McConaughey repealing his abs, or me repealing my power to name people with abs.”

Obama is not against giving Congress back the power to declare war. If the AUMF is repealed, then we will not have never ending wars. Sounds good to me.

This resolution says that terrorists have to be linked to 9/11. “So far that hasn’t been a problem, thanks to a high level CIA technique known as ‘Six degrees of guys who don’t eat bacon’”.

“You know they don’t eat bacon, right? I’m not giving away a state secret”

Stephen decides to amend the AUMF

“I’LL AUTHORIZE ANYTHING THAT MOVES!!”

That is one big marker Stephen has there.

Also, I can’t resist: Stephen going “pishoo pishoo” (gun sound effect noise)

AUMF Repeal – Andrew Bacevich

Mr Bacevich is from BU. (WOOO!! Boston!!) He is also a retired Army Colonel.

He doesn’t want wars, except when necessary. He thinks Congress should decide when to go to war.

Andrew: We may differ on the necessity and outcome of the Iraq war, which I would judge to have been totally unnecessary and completely disastrous.

Stephen: So you’d rather see Saddam back in power. Those are your words, you just said that.

(pause)

Andrew: (laughing) You win.

Stephen: (also laughing) You’re my favorite kind of guest.

Redemption for All

“Big Daddy Franks, the lean mean Argentine, The vicar so nice, he speaks for Christ”

The Pope has proclaimed that we should work together and that God will redeem Atheists. This was a personal story for me. As an atheist, I reacted to this statement that all atheists will be redeemed by God in the way that most atheists would: “meh”

I found it interesting though. I like that he said it.

“Stephen” was pissed. He now feels that he wasted all that time as a Catholic. He wants a refund.

Usually in times like this he would turn to the Lord for guidance but now he will turn to a stapler.

Stapler: Who cares? I’m a buddhist. In my next life, I hope to be a fax machine.

C.J. Chivers

He spent the past year in Syria. Also, he was a Marine. He wrote a book about the AK47 called “The Gun”. He is on the only NY Times journalist on the ground in Syria. To say he is a tough guy would be accurate, IMHO.

He is going back to Syria and he travels with the rebels. Stay safe Mr. Chivers!

The show is off next week. Happy Memorial Day to Stephen and the crew! Enjoy!

I can’t help but think it seems only too fitting that the Hub should celebrate it’s birthday this week. As so many of you have rightly pointed out that this weeks UVA Graduation posts and with the ongoing Colbert SuperPAC shenanigans, perfectly highlighting the past year which has seen the real Stephen Colbert emerge more into the spotlight and ‘Stephen’ push the limits even further. I cannot wait to see what the year ahead has in store for the evolution of Stephen Colbert, both the man and character. One things for certain though, the Hub will be along for the crazy ride!!

As always, the Hub would not be possible without the love and support of all of you!! Whether you’re a Zoner, Hubster, C-Sectioner, Social Media follower or silent Lurker, each and every one of you have helped shaped this site in ways I hadn’t even imagined. Even though I will probably never get a chance to meet any of you face-to-face, it has been a pleasure getting to know each and every one of you through your post comments and Stephen-centric adventures. And to all the Lurkers out there, please don’t be shy, we would all love to get to know you to!!

In the past year we’ve seen our humble little site has come along way, all of which would not have been made possible without the amazingly wonderful help and devotion of our hardworking Hub Staffers – CNHelper, Llama, Elanor Gamgee, Karenatasha, Kris, Cate, Mrc, Zena, StephenSmile64, Fatima and Michael. Thank you all so much for giving up your free time to help with blogging, researching and working on the back-end and creative sides of the blog. All of which they do for free!! Any proceeds made from the sale of our Hubster Merch goes directly to the maintenance and upkeep of the site.

What can we expect in the upcoming year, you ask. Well, I hope to continue to make the Hub and even bigger and better place by encouraging more Hubster interactivity, continuing to work on the ever-expanding Colbert Archives and tweak our new theme, working on integrating our social media accounts more with the site, and of course working with all of you to help gain the best out of all of your thoughts and suggestions for the site.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a party without a Jerri Blank conga line!!

© thechosenjuan

Stephen and Congresswoman Donna Edwards go arm-to-arm in a football throwing challenge for charity, in this ‘Better Know a District’ web exclusive.

Smarty pants, Noah Feldman is back. Is The Unstoppable Force vs. the Immovable Object about to meet? We will have to see but chances are Dr. Feldman is about to get cool nailed!

More to come!!!

Welcome Back, Potter: Trevor and Stephen file for tax exemption status for Colbert Super Pac SHH! 501 c(4), making for the beginnings of great tax-related mischief.

Episode Round-Up

TCR Prop Master Brendan Hurley likely had a great time procuring and putting together The Obama Scandal Booth. It was a great metaphor for last week’s flurry of scandal activities swirling around Obama. According to the Prez’s poll numbers, none of the “scandals” proved to do much harm. However, I wouldn’t put the Booth away anytime soon, the second term is still young.

This episode also featured Trevor Potter returning with his magical brief case. This time it included a new twist for the 501 c (4) that existed to so graciously whisk away any need for transparency for the coffers of the now defunct Colbert Super PAC. It is exciting to see that the PAC saga has a little life to extend, this time to challenge the IRS. Hopefully everyone is ready for some serious audit activity! :/

Also noteworthy was the more prominent use of integrated sponsorship in this episode, “brought to you by Mazda.” The product placement was so clever (and admittedly, pretty funny) that even the Wall Street Journal took notice.

I am wondering if this tactic is good for the show. On TDS, sponsor segments like these usually appear right before the commercial breaks, in a way that is separated from the show content. Stephen & crew are taking it right into the show, and I have to say, I really don’t think it’s serving the content very well. For someone who has pointedly made fun of blatant product placement on soap operas, it seems a little hypocritical to do it on his own program.

There are examples where the product placement works really well on the show, you may say, for instance the Wheat Thins segment was hilarious! Yes, but it was more about pointing out the hubris behind the marketing more than the product itself. Taunting Radiohead with Dr. Pepper’s sponsorship was just plain darned funny. We were grateful to Pepsi because it brought us Colbchella ’012 on the Intrepid, making for a free, wonderful concert experience available to many deserving fans.

But this kind of placement feels different. We will have to stay tuned to see how it will play out in the long term. Happy sponsors are needed to keep our Joy Machine running strong, but TCR’s material is so beautifully written (and delivered), the use of this integrated sponsorship is frankly baffling to the longtime viewer.

What did you think of the ep? Shout out your thoughts in the comments.

• The Obama Scandal Booth, brought to you by Mazda. It’s not you father’s Oldsmobile. Because it’s a Mazda.

“You know folks, if you watch the news like I do, it seems like lately President Obama cannot swing a dead cat without hitting some sort of scandal. Which reminds me, what’s he doing with all of these dead cats?”

“Like my colleagues, [I will] grasp wildly at any accusation that floats past. “

• Yes, Benghazi was the biggest scandal since sliced bread was caught funneling money to Nicaraguan death squads.

• Folks, I say this just proves that the scandal is global! From Benghazi, Argentina, to Benghazi, Japan. This could even hurt Obama in his hometown of Benghazi, Illinois.

• A White House email, implicating the State Department, and boom goes the scandal-mite. You see with this email Jay Carney is a liar and these folks are in this scandal up to their ball-ghazis. End of story, except the actual story.

• Shut up, Chris [Wallace]. You are on Fox News, for Christ’s sake! I mean, what part of “fair and balanced” do you understand?

• Yes, Jon Karl never saw the email so when he quoted from it, those quotes were in “quotes.” I mean that’s just what you call “journalism.”

• I was surprised that this past week Jon Karl wasn’t on “This Week with George Stephanopolous,” or at the very least “Walking Back Your Statements with the Stars.”

• Second scandal: the IRS! Which reminds me, if anyone asks, that booth is my home office. Also, my son.

• ….a process which Fox News describes as “slow walking,” which also describes their viewers.

• Warning: the following footage contains graphic depictions of the U.S. tax code.

• Yes, a c (4) is like a Super PAC that doesn’t have to reveal its donors, which means it can be anyone from one of the Koch brothers, to one of the other Koch brother.

• Your 501 c (4) can spend 49% of its efforts producing ads calling Barack Obama a socialist, as long as it spends the other 51% doing something good for the community, like educating our children that Barack Obama is a socialist.

• Is it possible that this whole scandal is really about me?

• Yeah, the scandal breaks and the IRS caves faster than a spelunker on meth. Here to tell me why I am on Obama’s hit list, please welcome…Trevor Potter!

Stephen: Why has my application for tax-exempt status for my 501 (c) 4 never been granted?

Trevor Potter: Because we never filed it.

Stephen: But I have a 501 (c) 4!

TP: Yes, you do, it’s a Delaware Corporation, and it’s doing business.

Stephen: Hundreds of thousands of dollars have passed through it.

TP: At least.

Stephen: How is that possible that I didn’t apply?! Am I breaking the law?

TP: No. Your lawyers advised you that there is no legal requirement that you file with the IRS an application for exemption.

Stephen: So you can form a 501 (c) 4 without asking to form one!

TP: Right.

Stephen: These Tea Party anti-big government organizations didn’t have to ask for permission, but they did anyway?

Stephen: What a bunch of pussies!

Stephen: Anyone who applied for tax exempt status right now, like a conservative tea party organization, the IRS would be under some pressure to approve them, wouldn’t they?

TP: That would put them in a very awkward position.

Stephen: That sounds like something I would like to do.

Stephen: Trevor, can I file under a different name, because “Colbert Super PAC Shh!” isn’t sufficiently Tea Party enough for me….I want to use something to put a little more pressure on the IRS. I was thinking maybe, umm, “Making America a Better Tea Party Patriot 9/12 Place to Constitution America Tea Party Nominally Social Welfare Conservative Political Action Tea Party Secret Money Liberty I Dare You to Deny This Application of America Tea Party.”

TP: That will do it.

Stephen signs the paperwork applying for the tax exemption on the air, and a new game is started.

• Stephen: Why are you covering environmental stories? A lot of organizations are closing down they environmental desks. The New York Times closed their environmental desk last year. That’s “all the news that’s fit to print.” Doesn’t that prove that your environmental news is not “fit to print?”

• David Sassoon: They made an error in closing down their environment desk and getting rid of their two environment editors.

• Stephen: You are more lefty than The New York Times?

• DS: Not at all. The environment wraps everybody together in one.

• Stephen: It may, but talking about the environment is lefty.

Hi there Hubsters! This weeks Better Know A Guest has everything: actors, activists, show hosts, musicians, and basketball coaches. So let’s get to it!

Don’t forget to vote in our weekly favourite guest poll!!

Monday, May 20th (2013)
David Sassoon (Founder and Publisher: InsideClimateNews.org)

David Sassoon is a editor, publisher and writer. He’s been involved in research involving areas like human rights, cultural preservation, healthcare, the environment, and education. something else he is known for is that he worked for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, beginning in 2003. They work that he did as part of the group was lead to was both the listing of various businesses carbon emissions and the decision to work on decreasing those carbon emissions. In 2007, following that work he did he created a blog that would later became the award winning site InsideClimate News.

Education: Harvard University | Columbia’s University Graduate School of Journalism
Awards: Pulitzer Prize for Journalism

Follow: Website | @InsideClimate

Tuesday, May 21st (2013)
Noah Feldman (Author: “Cool War: The Future of Global Competition”)

Noah Feldman is a law professor at Harvard Law School, columnist, author and a Senior Fellow at Society of Fellows at Harvard. He has also been a contributing writer for the New York Times, an adjunct Senior Fellow on the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also been a part of the Senior Constitutional Advisor to Iraqi Constitutional Process as a Coalition Provisional Authority. He has also been a Carnegie Scholar and a professor at Yale Law School and New York University School of Law.

Previous ‘Colbert Report’ Appearance: Interview – April 30, 2008

Born: 1970
Education: Harvard College | University of Oxford | Yale Law School

Follow: @NoahRFeldmen

Wednesday, May 22nd (2013)
The National (Album: “Trouble Will Find Me”)

The National is an indie rock band that formed in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger, who is the singer and lyricist for the band. The other members of the band are two sets of brother, who take up the instruments. Aaron Dessner plays the guitar and keyboard; his twin brother Bryce plays the guitar. The remaining members are Scott and Bryan Devendorf who play the bass and drums, respectively. The band got big with their self titled debut album; which was released in 2001.

Follow: Website | @The_National

Thursday, May 23rd (2013)
C.J. Chivers (Reporter: The New York Times)

C.J. Chivers is an journalist, author and works for the New York Times. He worked for the Times first in 1999, covering the NYPD. Later he became a foreign correspondent, where he covered most areas of the Middle East and also in all of former Soviet Union nations. As an author he’s wrote The Gun, a book about the social history of the AK-47. He’s also done work for Esquire, Wired, Surfer, Foreign Affairs and Military History Quarterly.

Born: 1964
Education: Cornell University | Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Awards: Pulitzer Prize

Follow: Website | @CJChivers

And now to check in with our good friend Jon Stewart, over at The Daily Show!

Monday, May 20th (2013)
Ellen Page (Actress: “The East”)

Ellen Page is an actress best known for her roles in the films Juno as the title character and Inception where she played Aridane. She first began acting when she was 4 in various plays. At 10, she made her television debut on the show Pit Pony. From that point on her appeared mainly in television roles until 2005 when she had her first major film role in Hard Candy. After Juno however, her career really took off. She also has appeared in the films Whip It, Super, Smart People, and as the narrator of the documentary Vanishing of the Bees.

Born: Feburary 21, 1987
Education: Vaughan Road Academy
Awards: Independent Spirit Award (Best Lead Female) | Teen Choice Award (Choice Movie Actress: Comedy) | Teen Choice Award (Choice Movie: Breakout Female) | MTV Movie Awards (Best Female Performance) | Saturn Award (Best Actress)

Follow: @EllenPage

Tuesday, May 21st (2013)
Phil Jackson (Author: “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success”)

Phil Jackson is former NBA player and coach. As a player he played for the New York Knicks during the 1970s, where he won two champions of his own. As a coach he is considered to be one of the greatest in the history of the NBA. He served as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, where he and a general manager of the team clashed. After his contract went out he served as the head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 to 2010. He’s credited as being one of greatest in the NBA’s history in part because his teams have won 11 titles in the past 20 years.

Born: September 17, 1945
Education: University of North Dakota
Awards: 1996 Coach of the Year Award | Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award

Follow: @PhilJackson11

Wednesday, May 22nd (2013)
Bill O’Reilly (Author: “Keep It Pithy: Useful Observations in a Tough World”)

Bill O’Reilly is a frequent guest of The Daily Show, along with being a political commentator/the host for the Fox News program The O’Reilly Factor and a historian, journalist, columnist and author. His career first began in the late 70s where he worked as a reporter for various news stations before moving onto CBS News and later ABC News. He also served as the host of Inside Edition from 1989 to 1995, before moving onto Fox News in October 1996. As an author he has written 10 books, including Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Culture Warrior, Those Who Trespass and The No Spin Zone.

Born: September 10, 1949
Education: Marist College | Boston University | Harvard University
Awards: National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Governors’ Award

Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearances: Interview – October 4, 2012 | September 28, 2011 | September 27, 2010 | November, 13, 2008 [Part 1] | [Part 2] | October 15, 2005 | October 7, 2004 [Part 1] | [Part 2] | March 14, 2002 | January 22, 2001

Follow: Website | @O’ReillyFactor

Thursday, May 24th (2013)
Morgan Freeman (Actor: “Now You See Me”)

Morgan Freeman is an actor best known for his roles in films such as Driving Miss Daisy, Street Smart, The Shawhank Redemption, Invictus, Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven, Glory, Seven, Deep Impact, March of the Penguins,The Bucket List, Bruce Almighty, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. His first became known through his work on The Electric Company but gained the most fame through his film roles, which first happened in 1989 with the release of Driving Miss Daisy.

Previous ‘Daily Show’ Appearance: Interview – June 2, 2010

Born: June 1, 1937
Education: Board Street High School
Awards: Independent Spirit Award (Best Supporting Male) | Golden Globe Award (Best Actor) | Empire Award (Best Actor) | Screen Actors Guild Award (Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role) | Cecil B. DeMille Award

That’s it for this week Hubsters! See you next time!