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I can only guess why so few (in the front tables) at the Correspondence Dinner did not laugh. For myself, I can only offer the following of why I did not laugh at Stephen Colbert as I watched his presentation.
One does not laugh when they are stunned and their jaw is dropped.
One does not laugh when the delivery is so incisive and deliberate and unrelenting that one does not want to miss the next thrust of the stiletto, the next nuanced rip, the next revealing gesture, the next slap to the bully’s face.
One doesn’t laugh when they’re awestruck.
When I watch Lennie Bruce I do not laugh. I pay attention.
Colbert’s performance is Bruce turned inside out. Bruce was in agony. Bruce was on fire. Colbert is coolly deliberate. Bush is the one in agony and reportedly “about to blow”.
Good Night And Good Luck presents Murrow speaking to a celebratory dinner of news and television celebrities. What Murrow said did not seem to please or entertain those self-satisfied. Of course Colbert’s performance did not please or entertain, why would things have changed?
