Yeesh, what a lout that guy is. The France bashing stuff was just stupid. Jon got some good shots in but O’Reilly kept filibustering him with idiotic interruptions and inane accusations (like saying that TDS made fun of hurricane victims…the opposite is trye. All the show’s vitriol was directed at government officials on both sides of the fence who let the vctims down).
Stewart looked like it was all he could do to hold it together when O’Reilly called him a “pinhead.” It seemed like he ended the interview a little abruptly, like he was cutting it short before he just popped a cork and went off on that asshole. While I would never have been able to do it, I think Stewart was smart to hold back and just let O’Reilly rave on and expose himself as a moron…not that B O’R doesn’t do that every night on his own show.
I’ve never seen a guest get so openly booed by the audience like that…and what a tough guy Bill was, threatening to “go up there.”
I think Stewart had some points he wanted to raise with O’Reilly but when O’Reilly started with the asinine name-calling and stupid “liberal media” catcalls. Jon just gave up, let him make an ass of himself and dismissed him. I do give him props for being frontal, though and not softballing him at all.
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic]
It seemed like he ended the interview a little abruptly, like he was cutting it short <snip>QUOTE]Turnabout is fair play, after all.
I dunno, it seemed to drag on as long as other interviews.
Very funny–O’Reilly didn’t seem to grasp at all that Stewart was making fun of France as much as he does. And I think the audience was more protective of Stewart than he was minding O’Reilly’s jibes.
I’ll definitely have to see this one on re-runs or if they post it on their web site. After DtC’s spin I’ll be expecting…well, no idea what to expect. Sounds like it will be interesting though if the only comments so far were that Stewart was holding back and Billy was being mean.
Stewart was very respectful of O’Reilly. When the audience cheered at the mention of O’Reilly’s plans for retirement (which was news to me) he shushed them quickly. I give Stewart props for trying his hardest to keep it on the level and let old windbag play along. Hell, Bill O’Reilly could have walked out of there smelling like a rose, Stewart gave him so many chances to just go with the jokes and be civil.
Of course, the guy doesn’t have to play along and I’m sure many will praise him for refusing to do so. But I think he made himself look like an ass.
It still took some big stones to go into the lion’s den like he did.
True. I guess part of being “Bill O’Reilly” is that he can’t let his guard down and kid around with Jon Stewart - he has to be the same blustery ass all the time. Which is too bad, since I was willing to listen. But I guess that’s how he made his millions and he won’t change now.
Line of the night was “We may add insult to injury…but you add injury.”
I kind of got the idea that O’Reilly thought he was playing a character in the interview. Like he was trying to act like he was a good sport and in on the joke or whatever. Really didn’t work.
My reaction to the begining of the interview as it segued from the Colbert Report to the French embargo to “we saved them in WWII” is the same reaction I hold for certain people at a dinner party. I don’t know them that well but we get into a conversation and, all of the sudden, they’ll blurt out a fairly offensive joke. I laugh because I like offensive jokes, despite knowing that this might not be the appropriate time or place to be telling such a thing. Then my mirth turns slowly to horror as the conversation continues on and I realize the guy isn’t joking. He’s just a plain old bigot. At that point I smile politely, maybe make a sarcastic quip or two, look around the room, and find some excuse to leave this person quickly.
I’ll say one more thing and I’ll let it go for the night: Upon a second viewing, I think you’re exactly right. I think he was playing the character of ol’ B.O. He just seemed sort of…shlocky. Hard to put my finger on it, but it just seemed like they were playing.
The feeling I got is that both of them had their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks, and that both of them were engaged in a fairly good-natured but tough sparring match.
But I’ve never seen a single episode of the O’Reilly factor, so I have no idea if this is the way he is normally or what.
I’ve never seen The O’Reilly Factor, because Fox News doesn’t meet the CRTC doesn’t consider Fox News a real news channel and they won’t license it up here.
The last time O’Reilly was on The Daily Show, I was surprised at how human (and even genial) he appeared, since his reputation had preceded him.
This time, he did seem to me to be doing a TV wrestler’s “bad guy” routine. I think it worked out well for everybody.
What was up with JS responding “That’s a good point.” to O’Reilley’s statement “We saved their (France’s) butts in WWII”?
No, it wasn’t a good point. It’s a tired, hackneyed, lazy point that bears little relevance to current events. I assumed it was a simple brush-off to get to other things, but I was kind of startled Stewart just let it slide.
At any rate, it made me glad I no longer watch The Factor. I’m a happier person for it.
I’ll third this. I got the impression that Bill was playing the role he knew was expected of him. The problem is, his timing for delivery is really, really bad - the guy’s just not funny. Jon Stewart really kept it going.
I did like O’Reilly’s “don’t make me come up there” line - that was his single well-delivered, funny line of the evening.
That’s exacty how he is on his regular show, only without any attempts at humor. He’s completely serious about calling France “our enemies” and calling for a boycott of French products. He often attacks Canada too, by the way. To give an example of his mentality, he once went apopleptic about a Molsen Golden commercial in which a Canadian sang the praises of his home country and ended by calling Canada “the best part of North America.” O’Reilly, completely seriously, thought that was an outrage. He invited some Canadian journalist on his show to berate him about the commercial and pulled out that same stupid “we saved your asses in WWII.”
If O’Reilly was kidding about anything last night, he was doing what Al Franken calls “kidding on the square.”
MAybe it was all in fun. I still tune in the factor every now and then. It seems to me that Bill is even more of a white house stooge than he ever was. Some stupid white house talking point gets thrown in for no good reason as if it’s part of his contractual obligation. Occasionally he will make a good point. His crusade to get stiffer sentances for child molesters is legit.
I’m hoping Jon has agreed to go on the Factor as part of the deal. Bill seemed to make it a point that he is really trying to fix things while Jon is only in it for the giggles. I think they’re both in it for the money. Hard to tell how much of the real person we get to glimpse on the show. Jon hasn’t been sued for sexual harrassment yet.
O’Reilly went on the Daily Show last night? Really?
I have my Tivo record TDS, so I’ll watch it tonight. I’m amazed that O’Reilly would go on. TDS spoofs him and makes fun of him all the time. The new comedy central show’s Colbert Report is based on making fun of O’Reilly! I’m amazed that he would be a good enough sport to go on.
FTR, O’Reilly doesn’t blast the candadians. (I’d like to see a cite on that Molsen stuff, BTW.) He is very critical of their media and government, but he likes the folks up there just fine.
