Parody

Much has been made of Stephen Colbert's courageous roasting of the president at the White House Correspondent's Dinner (video can be found at Youtube). What suprises me is the way no one seems to be bringing up Barack Obama's own not-too-kind roast of Bush at last March's Gridiron Club Roast. No one even dared to suggest Obama "bombed." Which basically means, if Obama doesn't get the Democratic nomination in 2008, we're sooo royally fucked. We might get stuck with a candidate that has some substance, some history. Seriously, I'm fine with Barack Obama so far. I'm mystified as to why everyone's in love with him (was there some sort of secret cabal meeting where the powers-that-be annointed Obama's head with oil?), but I do find him to be extremely charismatic and charming (He speaks with an optimism you only seem find in John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton). And that's probably enough for the rest of America. I mean, we fucked up with Kerry and Gore. Who wants to elect those doom-and-gloom fucks? Oh, no! Global warming! Stephen Colbert's bit is getting mixed reactions, but I think that's to be expected. Look at the reactions Jon Stewart's Oscar hosting gig got. I watched the Oscars. I was totally fine with Stewart as host. He was the only reason I tuned in (because I certainly hadn't seen any of the movies that were nominated). And he did what he does on the Daily Show. His comedy nowadays is more about his delivery. He's got this adorable self-deprecating cadence that defies the usual "set-up, punchline, swagger" order of the late-night-comedians we've grown used to (and tired of). So, even when a Jon Stewart joke dies (as it sometimes seems predestined to do), it's a gem. When a Jay Leno joke dies.... it smells bad. Of course, if people don't get the real joke that is Jon Stewart's humor (instead, begging for more Billy Crystal, whom I just can't stand as a host, but I'm young and disrespectful), they're certainly not going to get Stephen Colbert's. Not unless he throws in a parody. A song parody, not a film parody. Because, if the success of Billy Crystal's Oscar hosting and the proliferation of JibJab (it's like they've got people at General Electric and Viacom), has told us anything, it's that the baby-boomer crowd fucking loves them their song parodies. Which should tell us that it's a good time for Weird Al Yankovic to come back... and sing about food.