[DVD REVIEW] “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!”

As a reviewer of DVDs, “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” was really a treat. I had no idea that a Colbert Christmas special was even in the works, let alone ready to be reviewed on DVD before it’s TV air date of November 23 at 10:00 p.m., so imagine my pleasant surprise when a review copy was mailed and I got a chance to check out what one might call a bit of “Christmas come early” (…and one’d be right! The review copy was sent to me in early November, far before Chrstmas!).

As a big Colbert fan, (Yep, it’s been blogged before! Check it here, here and here!) I was pretty excited to get my hands on this disc and started laughing from the second I saw the DVD cover where Colbert is wrapping dozens of copies, and holding, the very DVD case that holds the Christmas special (not to mention the TV screen fireplace on mute behind him).

The cover pretty much sets the tone for the delightfully ludicrous spoof of Christmas specials that features plenty of “in jokes” for members of the Colbert Nation. Including musical numbers by Colbert himself (one solo, one alongside “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart and featured parts in each of the other guests’ numbers), Toby Keith, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, John Legend and Feist, the hour TV special (about 45 minutes on DVD) plays off the overly musical specials of the past while delivering a playfully satirical view of America and arguably it’s biggest holiday. Elvis Costello is drop dead hilarious throughout as he dons numerous pageant costumes and delivers deadpan humor at its finest, while fans who miss Colbert in a less pundity format will enjoy getting to see a bit more of his comic acting (i.e. “Strangers with Candy”) within the world he’s established during his run on “The Colbert Report.” Comedy-wise, it’s a must-watch for the Colbert Nation and humor enthusiasts alike. Well worth the time for anyone out there with a pulse!

As far as special features go, the single disc has some real fun additions to the hilarious headlining program.

Three alternate endings are included. After watching the special, you’ll almost see a few times where you think, “Huh? I thought they were going to do something else there.” A few of those moments are shown in the alternate endings that are a silly little addition, but certainly an entertaining one! Another bonus feature has Colbert doing a country-western tune called “A Cold, Cold Christmas,” which will definitely garner laughter, but doesn’t touch the DVD’s best special feature. Going by the name of “Video Yule Log of Burning Books,” this 20-minute feature is a spoof of that silly channel that pops up everywhere around Christmas that just plays footage of a fireplace. The Colbert crew do the same, but toss books into the flames throughout the duration. When a copy of “Fahrenheit 451” hit the blaze, I lost my sh%t! I just can’t wait to slip this in the DVD player at a holiday get-together and watch as people unaware of the joke slowly go from confusion to disgust. Just one more genius bit from this DVD that should get you out there grabbing a copy (it’s on sale now!) even before you catch it on TV.

Forget Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, I’m spending my Christmas with Colbert!

Share

A Hodg(man)e-Podge post

Ok, I’m here to run down a few things that were all spurred on by this Onion AV Club interview with John Hodgman.

Picture shamelessly stolen from The Onion, so GO READ THE ARTICLE!

Now if you are only familiar with Mr. Hodgman as the PC in those Mac commercials, then you need to get your ass in gear and check out the man’s writing and other hilarious TV appearances including numerous appearances on “The Daily Show,” a sure-to-be-awesome upcoming stint on “Battlestar Galactica” and an episode of one of my favorites, “Flight of the Conchords.”

I loved Hodgman’s first book, the laugh-out-loud compendium of fake trivia The Areas Of My Expertise, and saw his new book(More Information Than You Require) over the weekend and immediately scooped it up. While I haven’t started into More yet, if it promises half the laughs of Areas it’ll be more than worth the investment.

Seriously, go pick both of these books up. You’ll be hard pressed to find a funnier read!

I know I mentioned it above, but I have to say I am super excited to see Hodgman on “BSG.” Think he’ll be the final cylon?!

Lastly, all this info about the frequent “Daily Show” contributor led me to realize I hadn’t given any sort of update on my trip to see a taping of “The Colbert Report,” which I attended this past Thursday (Oct. 23).

If you get the chance to reserve tickets for a taping of “The Report,” do it! Colbert is hilarious in person and even answered questions out of character before the taping, which was both fun and interesting. The guy is spry as heck and just keeps a smile on your face or has you buckling over with laughter the entire time. The comedy is gold when you watch the show on TV, but in person, it definitely reaches a new level of hysterical.

Now, while you can’t see me in any crowd shots of the show I attended, when Colbert ran over to meet his guest (Newsweek senior editor Jonathan Alter) he stopped to right in front of my section of the audience and raised his hands in the air. I stood and applauded, first among my entire audience section. And, if you’re paying attention and looking closly, you can see Colbert’s nod to me, featuring eye contact (which you can’t see on TV), before he sits with his guest.

Ok, that does it for today, folks! Thanks for your continual patronage on this blog that sometimes has a point, and other times (i.e. today) is just ramblings about things that interest me.

Share