Stephen Colbert Crashes R.N.C. Stage to Burn Trump, Launch “Hungry for Power Games”

Stephen Colbert Crashes R.N.C. Stage to Burn Trump, Launch “Hungry for Power Games”

Hear ye, hear ye! Stephen Colbert is up to his old tricks, by which we mean Republican rabble-rousing—and not a moment too soon. The Late Show host somehow snuck up to the podium at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Sunday, one day before the convention officially kicks off, to deliver an impromptu speech dressed as Hunger Games emcee Caesar Flickerman—played by Stanley Tucci in the films—before being booted offstage.
Why, exactly, was Colbert dressed in his Capitol finery? Because he had to officially open the “Hungry for Power Games,” which he’s been documenting meticulously on The Late Show for months (always in the same Flickerman getup, naturally).

On the R.N.C. stage, Colbert performed with a straight face—as straight as a face can be when it’s topped with a cobalt wig and bright-blue painted-on eyebrows, at least—before an audience of mostly empty chairs. (Was Clint Eastwood a consulting producer here?) He declared that Donald Trump has “formed an alliance with Indiana governor Mike Pence” before officially announcing that the Games had begun—which is when a security guard appeared to hustle him away from the microphone. “Look, I know I’m not supposed to be up here,” Colbert told the guard. “But neither is Donald Trump.”

Right about now is probably when the R.N.C. regrets giving Colbert permission to film bits on the floor this year. But to fans of both Colbert and levity in the face of imminent doom, his prank is inspired—not least because it’s the sort of thing Colbert would have done on his old Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report.
Since making the jump to David Letterman’s old stomping grounds, the comedian—who made his name by mercilessly roasting George W. Bush to the president’s face—has been a bit quieter, gentler, and less unpredictable. Perhaps that’s to be expected; a venerable late-night institution can’t and won’t ever be as experimental as a basic cable program, especially one that launched without great and hindering expectations. His opening move at the R.N.C., though, indicates that Colbert may be ready to sharpen his comedic knives once more. Maybe this was always the plan; maybe he’s simply decided to step up his game following the ascendence of John Oliver and Samantha Bee, plus last Thursday’s Emmy nominations, which ignored both Colbert and The Daily Show (now hosted by Trevor Noah) for the first time in years. Either way, we all win. (Except Trump.)

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مدون وأحب القراءة وكل جديد التكنولوجيا والإنترنت . إنشاء فولفولي جاء من الرغبة في مشاركة تجربتي المتواضعة ولأكون مساهما ولو بالقليل في محتوى الإنترنت.

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