AccountDeleted Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 A few excerpts from the Al Smith dinner. http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=8655 Stephen Colbert (L) and Cardinal Timothy Dolan attend the 68th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Oct. 17, 2013. Credit: Charles Norfleet/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images "For 68 years, this has been an evening of joy and friendship and charity to others," Cardinal Dolan said, explaining the tone of the dinner known for its humor, witty political commentary, and fund-raising efforts for Catholic Charities. This year's dinner raised $3 million for needy children served by Catholic Charities in New York, and honored Brian Thomas Moynihan, president of Bank of America. While it was clear that the dinner was organized to help those most in need, the keynote speaker admitted that he did hope to get something out of the night. “I'm not getting paid for this – do I get a plenary indulgence or anything?†Colbert joked. The comedian – host of the nightly news parody “The Colbert Report†– took the opportunity to poke at Cardinal Dolan, who has appeared on Colbert's show and at a 2012 conversation on faith and humor at New York's Jesuit college, Fordham University. Though on his show Colbert plays a character that is sometimes assumed to be either an atheist or a common person unfamiliar with Church teaching, in real life, Colbert has affirmed his belief and fidelity to the Catholic Church. The father of three teaches a weekly catechism class at his local parish and often comments on the large Catholic family in which he grew up. "Also I am the youngest of 11 children," Colbert explained, rushing through the names of all of his siblings in one breath. "I will hold for you to applaud my parent's passionate obedience to 'Humane Vitae',†he continued, referencing one of the documents outlining the Church's teaching on sexuality. "I am proud to be America's most famous Catholic," the comedian joked, moving on. "I'm sure the Cardinal is thinking, Stephen, pride is a sin. Well Cardinal, so is envy, so we're even." Cardinal Dolan's hearty chuckle could be heard above the laughs of the other attendees as the jokes directed at the cardinal continued. Colbert acknowledged his respect and gratitude for the Cardinal's presence and friendship as well as his position. "Your Eminence. That's a title – that's a fantastic title. He's not just sitting there, he's 'emanating.' He's like a fog of cardinal-ness." "On the other hand, The Eminence sounds like the most boring Spider-Man villain of all time," he deadpanned. "I have great respect for Cardinal Dolan," Colbert continued, more seriously for a moment. "Although I have to say, sir, it's not easy when you're wearing that outfit. In that cape and red sash – you look like a matador who's really let himself go," Colbert said to hearty guffaws. "Did you not see the invite? It said white tie, not Flamboyant Zorro." Colbert praised Cardinal Dolan's time and work in office, noting that "the Cardinal came this close to being selected Pope – but he blew it in the swimsuit competition." Read more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=8655#ixzz2i8NmE6LR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriela Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 That is hilarious. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloysius Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Couldn't find the video, but here's the audio.... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxPFLIto7Vc[/media] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share Posted October 19, 2013 Colbert: 'We need something to be obsessive about - now that Breaking Bad is over!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 "I will hold for you to applaud my parent's passionate obedience to 'Humane Vitae',†he continued, referencing one of the documents outlining the Church's teaching on sexuality. "Protestants ask the Catholics next to you" lol. "You're a throwback to the days of Edward R. Murrow, Scott, if Murrow could bench press 265" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share Posted October 19, 2013 "Protestants ask the Catholics next to you" lol. "You're a throwback to the days of Edward R. Murrow, Scott, if Murrow could bench press 265" There were a lot of good one liners in that speech! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Yep! :) And I loved that EWTN wasn't kidding, you could hear Cardinal Dolan laughing at his own expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anastasia13 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Sometimes I forget just how great that man is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Stephen Colbert (L) and Cardinal Timothy Dolan attend the 68th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Oct. 17, 2013. Credit: Charles Norfleet/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Glad they specified that Colbert was on the left. I was not sure who was who. :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted October 20, 2013 Author Share Posted October 20, 2013 Glad they specified that Colbert was on the left. I was not sure who was who. :| Yeah, the Zorro costume kinda confuses things, doesn't it? :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheresaThoma Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Oh boy! That had to be simply awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seven77 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 I enjoyed that as much as anyone here but am I the only one who thinks that Colbert went a little too far? Seriously, I thought that Colbert came off as a disrespectful buffoon when he joked about Cardinal Dolan losing the papal election “in the swimsuit competition," asking the audience to visualize it. There was more... but if you listened to the audio you probably know what I'm talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 I enjoyed that as much as anyone here but am I the only one who thinks that Colbert went a little too far? Seriously, I thought that Colbert came off as a disrespectful buffoon when he joked about Cardinal Dolan losing the papal election “in the swimsuit competition," asking the audience to visualize it. There was more... but if you listened to the audio you probably know what I'm talking about. The character that Colbert plays is not himself. He intends to come across as a disrespectful buffoon. Have you watched interviews where he discusses his character on his TV show? He has said how he even has to make sure that his kids understand that he is playing a character. He started out imitating Bill O'Reilly but his character has developed into even a caricature of a caricature of Bill. If you want to seethe real Colbert, there are some interviews on youtube with him out of character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seven77 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 The character that Colbert plays is not himself. He intends to come across as a disrespectful buffoon. Have you watched interviews where he discusses his character on his TV show? He has said how he even has to make sure that his kids understand that he is playing a character. He started out imitating Bill O'Reilly but his character has developed into even a caricature of a caricature of Bill. If you want to seethe real Colbert, there are some interviews on youtube with him out of character. I know about his character on the show and i get it but it just seemed so out of place for him to play it at the Al Smith dinner... To play it to that extreme just seemed wrong to me. He came off as a disrespectful buffoon pretending to be a disrespectful buffoon pretending to be a disrespectful buffoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 I know about his character on the show and i get it but it just seemed so out of place for him to play it at the Al Smith dinner... To play it to that extreme just seemed wrong to me. He came off as a disrespectful buffoon pretending to be a disrespectful buffoon pretending to be a disrespectful buffoon. Well, he and the Cardinal are good friends, so perhaps he ran it by him and it was ok. Humor is a personal thing - sometimes too much is too much - it's like walking a tightrope, wondering if something is funny or has gone too far. I can't stand slapstick or bathroom humor but obviously a lot of people love them because there are so many movies using these. But Stephen does sometimes seem to go too far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now