For a dude that headed a celebrity-driven TV game show, President Donald Trump seems to have a bit of trouble injecting star power into his events. (We suspect this isn’t a problem for Jane Lynch.) No offense to Scott Baio, but that has to be very wounding for Trump. His demeanour has been one of a man that’s had his parade rained on and not in the way he allegedly likes. Buck up, Mr. President. There’s one star from the world of entertainment that says he would love to host the White House Correspondents Dinner. Heck, he even comes with experience from another Republican president’s Correspondents Dinner.
At a fundraiser for the Montclair Film Festival, longtime event booster Stephen Colbert appeared game to help out Trump’s lil’ soiree. Variety reports that Colbert was onstage about to perform the Talking Heads gem “Once In A Lifetime” (it was an ’80s themed party) when he recalled his hilariously merciless performance at the 2006 dinner when George W. Bush was in office. Considering the anger that monologue generated from Bush’s camp and its instant internet popularity, it does seem a role he could play today would see those results times ten.
“Everyone who wasn’t in that room loved (the speech),” he quipped. But despite the heated controversy the speech sparked, Colbert said “it would be an honor” to headline this year. “I’d love to do it (again). I mean, when else are you going to stand next to the President and make jokes? But no one will ever ask again.”
Having a valuable (and increasingly popular) piece of late night CBS real estate will likely have to do for Colbert at the moment. He admitted to the attendees that Trump does not make his Late Show job easy even with all the ample stuff to skew. In fact, the problem is that Trump provides a surplus of material.
“The speed at which the news changes with President Trump is extraordinary,” he explained. “We tape the show at 5:30 p.m., but sometimes we have to change the show at 5 p.m. — after rehearsal, when everything is done — we are writing a whole new first act based around something that he has said or done in the last half hour. The balls are coming over the plate so fast with him and I think that’s intentional. They (the Trump administration) want their actions to be almost un-discussable. They want to swamp the real media.”
This seems like as good a time as any to contact your bookie about betting on a combo of Dennis Miller and Kellyanne Conway hosting White House Correspondents Dinners from now on.
(Via Variety)
