CNET News: Video of presidential roast attracts big Web audience

[highplainsdem]

http://news.com.com/2061-10802_3-6068398.html

May 3, 2006 5:59 PM PDT
Video of presidential roast attracts big Web audience

Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert is one of the Internet's hottest acts this week after video of the comedian skewering President Bush spread rapidly on the Web.

Colbert made news Saturday at the White House Correspondents' Association annual black-tie dinner by making fun of the president's falling approval ratings, as well as his record on the Iraq war, and possible use of illegal wiretaps.

On YouTube.com, the leading upload site that lets users showcase homemade videos, at least a half dozen clips of Colbert's performance were posted following the dinner. The video, first broadcast by C-SPAN, quickly generated enough traffic and comments to take up a position on both the Web site's most-viewed and most-discussed videos sections.

Combined, the various clips generated more than a half million viewings before YouTube removed them Wednesday at the request of C-SPAN, which said the airing of the video violated its copyright, according to Julie Supan, YouTube spokeswoman.

-snip-

[Don Claybrook]

1. Too late, CSPAN

It's all over torrent networks and usenet, and I'm sure it's still streaming all over.

[originalpckelly]

2. Doesn't C-Span provide this video free at there website?

If they don't make money off it why are they being such pricks?

[Exultant Democracy]

3. Too bad that he bombed,,,

Once again the American people refuse to listen to the truth because they are so confused by the facts. Truth= Colbert was not funny, think about it, major media outlet all reported on how funny the pResident was and Colbert was just a footnote. If he was funny then why wouldn't fox news tell us about his ground shaking performance? Because there was no ground shaking performance and the fact that it has become the most popular clip on the internet only proves how many Hero's wanted to see the face of the enemy.

[ewagner]

4. Those who proclaim

that Colbert "bombed" don't understand ANYTHING!

The live audience he was speaking in front of WAS NOT HIS INTENDED AUDIENCE. Bush and the entire White House Press Corps ARE THE ENEMY....THEY WERE THE TARGETS.

We were the real audience...he did it for US....He did it because he knew we would like what he did.....he did it because he knew it would fly around the blogosphere and reach 10 to 100 times the audience of just the CSPAN coverage of the dinner....

for Colbert, it was a stroke of marketing genius.....as well as an opportunity to smack Bush and the press corps right in the chops....

every time I hear somebody say that Colbert "bombed" I laugh my ass off....I can't believe pundits (like NPR'S blogger/political expert on Neil Conan's show today) are really THAT STUPID!

[Exultant Democracy]

5. once again i forget to add the irony tag

my bad, I always forget.

[hlthe2b]

6. EXACTLY, ewagner....

It is amazing how many have failed to realize this....(or refuse to realize this)