A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!
Encyclopedia
A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! is a Grammy Award-winning Christmas special that debuted on Comedy Central
on November 23, 2008.
The plot is that Stephen Colbert
of The Colbert Report, while heading to the film studio to shoot his Christmas special with Elvis Costello
, becomes trapped in a cabin in "bear country" (upstate New York
or Vermont
) when he hears a bear prowling outside. A number of his friends stop by the cabin to sing Christmas songs with him as Stephen tries to find ways to escape the cabin and make his Christmas as special as possible, ending by revealing that the titular "greatest gift of all" is the DVD
release of the special.
and Adam Schlesinger
, except for "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
", which was written by Nick Lowe
and "Jingle Man, Christmas Boy", written by Colbert himself. "Please Be Patient" was written to the tune of "Angels We Have Heard on High
". Schlesinger and Steven M. Gold produced the songs and created the theme music and score for the program.
, alternate endings" and additional items, including an extra song "Cold, Cold Christmas".
However, the DVD differs from the Comedy Central airing in several ways (compared to its premiere on November 23, 2008 at 10 pm). The DVD's laugh track is not the same as the televised version, and it includes 5-second bumps after each act with the wreathed image of a guest, not seen on TV. The DVD includes two brief parts during the introduction to Jon Stewart and John Legend not seen on the TV version: Jon referring to his having a cabin in the woods a half hour earlier, and John extolling rangerhood by saying singing and the ladies in the audience are OK but his passion is moss and leaves.
On the other hand, the DVD is entirely missing one televised part. Comedy Central puts the credits on split screen, and while the DVD just continues the full-screen credits with music, the premiere has a coda with Elvis Costello helping Stephen finish his "Jingle Bells" parody and supplying the missing line "fighting crime with toys", and then Stephen going to put some coffee on, before cutting to split screen ads. This is not included as one of the alternate endings, or anywhere else on the DVD.
In addition, the DVD is missing the commercial/sponsor (Buff your jingle bells) parody that was shown on TV.
The songs from the special were released as a digital-only format available for download on iTunes. As of 2009, the album has not been released on CD. All proceeds from the iTunes and DVD sales go towards the Feeding America charity.
, where, for a short while, it was #1.
This, coupled with Kanye West
's belief that he is the "voice of this generation of this decade," prompted Colbert to ask everyone watching his show to download his album on Dec. 3, Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, in "Operation Humble Kanye," an attempt to bring him back to the number one spot and earn him the title of the "voice of this generation of this decade". This bumped the album into 2nd place, overtaking West's album. On Dec. 4, Colbert proclaimed Kanye officially humbled.
of The New York Times
wrote that "Mr. Colbert is delightful, a few of the song parodies are clever, but over all, the show is too long and more than a little strained, much like the holiday specials it mocks". Some critics noted that the production values of the special were low, but Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle
said "that's part of the reason it's so funny". Goodman concluded that "it's not a classic, but there are worse ways to spend an hour". The album won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
.
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
on November 23, 2008.
The plot is that Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert (character)
The Reverend / Sir / Dr. / Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A., brain-child of Google, is the persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert, as portrayed on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. Described as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot", the character is a self-obsessed right-wing...
of The Colbert Report, while heading to the film studio to shoot his Christmas special with Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, becomes trapped in a cabin in "bear country" (upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
or Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
) when he hears a bear prowling outside. A number of his friends stop by the cabin to sing Christmas songs with him as Stephen tries to find ways to escape the cabin and make his Christmas as special as possible, ending by revealing that the titular "greatest gift of all" is the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of the special.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an... |
Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert (character) The Reverend / Sir / Dr. / Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A., brain-child of Google, is the persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert, as portrayed on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. Described as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot", the character is a self-obsessed right-wing... |
| Elvis Costello Elvis Costello Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader... |
Himself |
| Toby Keith Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of... |
Hunter |
| Willie Nelson Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized... |
The Fourth Wise Man |
| Jon Stewart Jon Stewart Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian... |
Himself |
| John Legend John Legend John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career... |
Forest Ranger |
| Feist Leslie Feist Leslie Feist , known professionally as simply Feist, is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene.... |
Angel |
| George Wendt George Wendt George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:... |
Santa Claus Santa Claus Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus... |
| Madeline Colbert Peter Colbert John Colbert |
Colbert Children |
Track listing
All of the songs in the special were written by David JaverbaumDavid Javerbaum
David Javerbaum is an American comedy writer and former executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was hired as a staff writer there in 1999, promoted to head writer in 2002 and attained EP status at the end of 2006. He has won 11 Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, two Peabody Awards...
and Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger is an American songwriter, composer and record producer. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy , and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award....
, except for "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
" Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1970s song written by English musician Nick Lowe and recorded in the best-known version by Elvis Costello....
", which was written by Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
and "Jingle Man, Christmas Boy", written by Colbert himself. "Please Be Patient" was written to the tune of "Angels We Have Heard on High
Angels We Have Heard on High
"Angels We Have Heard on High" is a Christmas carol. The song commemorates the story of the birth of Jesus Christ found in the Gospel of Luke, in which shepherds outside Bethlehem encounter a multitude of angels singing and praising the newborn child....
". Schlesinger and Steven M. Gold produced the songs and created the theme music and score for the program.
- "Another Christmas Song" (Stephen Colbert)
- "Have I Got a Present for You" (Toby Keith)
- "Little Dealer Boy" (Stephen Colbert and Willie Nelson)
- "Can I Interest You in Hannukah?" (Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart)
- "Nutmeg" (Stephen Colbert and John Legend)
- "Please Be Patient" (Feist)
- "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1970s song written by English musician Nick Lowe and recorded in the best-known version by Elvis Costello....
" (Stephen Colbert, Elvis Costello, Feist, Toby Keith, John Legend, and Willie Nelson) - "There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In" (Stephen Colbert and Elvis Costello)
- "A Cold, Cold Christmas" (Stephen Colbert) (iTunes and DVD)
DVD and music releases
The DVD went on sale on November 25, 2008. The special features include "a book burning Yule log, video advent calendarAdvent calendar
An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content...
, alternate endings" and additional items, including an extra song "Cold, Cold Christmas".
However, the DVD differs from the Comedy Central airing in several ways (compared to its premiere on November 23, 2008 at 10 pm). The DVD's laugh track is not the same as the televised version, and it includes 5-second bumps after each act with the wreathed image of a guest, not seen on TV. The DVD includes two brief parts during the introduction to Jon Stewart and John Legend not seen on the TV version: Jon referring to his having a cabin in the woods a half hour earlier, and John extolling rangerhood by saying singing and the ladies in the audience are OK but his passion is moss and leaves.
On the other hand, the DVD is entirely missing one televised part. Comedy Central puts the credits on split screen, and while the DVD just continues the full-screen credits with music, the premiere has a coda with Elvis Costello helping Stephen finish his "Jingle Bells" parody and supplying the missing line "fighting crime with toys", and then Stephen going to put some coffee on, before cutting to split screen ads. This is not included as one of the alternate endings, or anywhere else on the DVD.
In addition, the DVD is missing the commercial/sponsor (Buff your jingle bells) parody that was shown on TV.
The songs from the special were released as a digital-only format available for download on iTunes. As of 2009, the album has not been released on CD. All proceeds from the iTunes and DVD sales go towards the Feeding America charity.
Operation Humble Kanye
On November 25, 2008, the songs went on sale as an album on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, where, for a short while, it was #1.
This, coupled with Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's belief that he is the "voice of this generation of this decade," prompted Colbert to ask everyone watching his show to download his album on Dec. 3, Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, in "Operation Humble Kanye," an attempt to bring him back to the number one spot and earn him the title of the "voice of this generation of this decade". This bumped the album into 2nd place, overtaking West's album. On Dec. 4, Colbert proclaimed Kanye officially humbled.
Reception
The special has received generally favorable reviews. It currently has a Metacritic score of 77 out of 100. Alessandra StanleyAlessandra Stanley
Alessandra Stanley is an American journalist. In 2003 she became the television critic for The New York Times. Stanley was previously co-chief of the paper's Moscow bureau, Rome bureau chief, and as a correspondent for Time. She is the daughter of defense expert Timothy W...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that "Mr. Colbert is delightful, a few of the song parodies are clever, but over all, the show is too long and more than a little strained, much like the holiday specials it mocks". Some critics noted that the production values of the special were low, but Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
said "that's part of the reason it's so funny". Goodman concluded that "it's not a classic, but there are worse ways to spend an hour". The album won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album was awarded from yearly 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time:*From 1959 to 1967 it was Best Comedy Performance...
.