Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel return from the Emmys to take closer looks at the Iowa Caucus

The late-night talk show hosts returned from the Emmy Awards to tell jokes about the Iowa Caucuses. I begin with Stephen Colbert's Trump To Iowa: Vote, Even If It Kills You | Haley: America Is Not Racist | Ramaswamy Can’t Let Go, his first monologue told after flying back to New York.

The former president values votes more than the lives of his voters, his opponent Nikki Haley thinks she lives in a country free from racism, and Vivek Ramaswamy lovingly embraced the GOP frontrunner after exiting the presidential race.

Stephen, I feel your pain. I thought your show would win Outstanding Talk Series, too.

That was the second time The Late Show with Stephen Colbert made fun of Trump calling for his supporters to risk their lives to caucus for him. The show opened with The MAGA Casket Is Available Now.

Just because you died after voting for Donald Trump doesn’t mean you can’t continue to support him.

I'm reminded of the villain from the first Shrek movie.


Seth Meyers paid as much attention to what Trump did after the Iowa Caucuses as the caucuses themselves in Trump Lawyer Embarrassed After Judge Scolds Her; Low Turnout in Iowa Caucus: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at Trump immediately returning to court for a defamation trial where his lawyer was scolded by the judge after winning the Iowa caucus and solidifying his status as the likely GOP nominee for president.

Turnouts like these are among the reasons I'm glad that Democrats rearranged the dates of their primaries and caucuses to make them more representative, solving the party's Groundhog Day problem. The Democrats postponed their delegate selection in Iowa until March.

As for Trump's many legal problems — the second E. Jean Carroll trial isn't even one of four criminal cases he is facing — I'm being a good environmentalist by recycling my reaction: "'The wheels of justice are grinding slowly in this case, but I expect they will indeed grind exceedingly fine.' May they also grind exceedingly fine for Trump and his seditious supporters, if not as slowly."

Jimmy Kimmel was able to comment on both the Emmy Awards and Iowa Caucus a night earlier than Colbert and Meyers because he tapes his show in Los Angeles, so he didn't have to spent a day flying home; he was already there! Watch Trump Graciously Wins Iowa Caucus, Vivek Ramaswamy Drops Out & Guillermo Back-to-Back at the Emmys.

80% of the country is in the grip of what they call an “Arctic Blast,” there was so much snow in Buffalo the NFL had to postpone Sunday’s Wild Card game, it was -4 degrees at the Kansas City Chiefs game, Dallas fans were very upset over their early exit from the playoffs, the Iowa caucuses were held on Monday and Trump won tiny handily, he even went so far as to predict that all of the other Republican candidates will rally behind him, Vivek Ramaswamy only got 8% of the vote and dropped out of the race, Trump was back in court today with the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her in the 90s, and Guillermo went to the Emmys to chat up the winners and get them drunk!

Jimmy and the rest didn't include Elise Stefanik calling for everyone else but Trump to drop out and endorse the former President, but I saw that and reacted on Twitter/X.

1. She's continuing her audition to be TFG's VP.
2. Pelosi wished for a strong Republican Party. This is what it looks like. She should be careful what she wishes for.
3. https://t.co/wDAB2W3m0e https://t.co/GkjUGDo7lQ

— Crazy Eddie's Motie News (@pinkusensei) January 17, 2024

Follow over the jump for the actual winner of Outstanding Talk Series at the Emmy Awards.

The '2023 Emmys Celebrates Diversity With Most Winning Actors of Color' for the week of MLK Day

I celebrated diversity in acting winners at the Golden Globes on Sunday, so it's time to do the same for the Emmy Awards winners, as I promised thrice. The Hollywood Reporter made it easy for me by uploading 2023 Emmys Celebrates Diversity With Most Winning Actors of Color.

The 2023 Emmy Awards were its most diverse yet! The Emmys celebrated its 75th anniversary on Monday night after being pushed 4 months due to the dual writers and actors strikes. Appropriately falling on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the show handed out five of the 12 acting Emmys during the telecast to performers of color.

In addition to Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Niecy Nash-Betts, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun winning as actors, Lee Sung Jin won three Emmys for producing, writing, and directing Beef, the last of which he shared with Wong and Yeun, who IMDB lists as executive producers of the limited series, for five Primetime Emmys for the show. Added to the three Creative Arts Emmy Awards the show won, that's a total of eight, tying it with The Last of Us and only surpassed by The Bear with ten total Emmy Awards.

The Hollywood Reporter also noted that RuPaul won a 15th Emmy for RuPaul's Drag Race and Trevor Noah won for The Daily Show. IMDB shows the former is warranted, as it lists RuPaul as a producer. On the other hand, I'm not seeing Noah listed as a producer of The Daily Show, so he may have accepted the award, but I don't know if he gets to keep it. That may be an omission on the part of IMDB, not a mistake by The Hollywood Reporter. I found two errors in the IMDB page for the 51st Saturn Awards and the IMDB pages for the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards are complete messes. It's enough to make me want to volunteer for the EMA to fix them as a retirement project.

Follow over the jump for The Hollywood Reporter mentioning other dimensions of diversity recognized at Monday night's ceremony.

Trevor Noah, Wanda Sykes, and Chris Rock, comedians nominated at the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Emmys

I may not be posting the highlights of last night's Saturday Night Live, but I'm still blogging about comedy for the Sunday entertainment feature. The Golden Globes have returned to primetime television and will be the first major awards show, again, on January 7, 2024, beating the Critics Choice Awards on January 14, 2024. The Golden Globes, the Iowa Caucus/New Hampshire Primary of awards shows — they have to be first! This is still true under the show's new management, Dick Clark Productions, which took over the awards upon the dissolution of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Good riddance, as scandals plagued the HFPA. May Dick Clark Productions be less controversial now that they control the show.

In addition to moving the show to CBS/Paramount+, Dick Clark Productions added two new awards to the program, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and Best Stand-Up Comedian on Television. I'll get to the former in a future post; I'm concentrating on the latter for now because it overlaps with both the Grammy Awards and Emmy Awards — three shows with one post!

Three comedians earned nominations at all three shows, Trevor Noah, Chris Rock, and Wanda Sykes. All three are nominated for Best Stand-Up Comedian on Television at the Golden Globes and Best Comedy Album at the Grammys, while Noah and Sykes are nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the Emmys, Rock is nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), and both Rock and Sykes earned nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. Congratulations!

Follow over the jump.

Nixon saying 'Sock it to me' and Outstanding Talk Series Emmy nominees for Presidential Joke Day

Happy National Presidential Joke Day! I begin today's festivities with National Presidential Joke Day | August 11 from National Day Calendar.

This day recognizes the humor often found and yet not so appreciated in the highest office in the land. With a nod to the blunders, take a look back at some of our presidents’ social missteps.

Which president once said, "Sock it to me!" Tell us in the comments, and if you do not know the answer, come find out right here...

I'm being a good environmentalist by recycling my response to the video.

Happy National Presidential Joke Day! Since no one else has answered your question, I will. I didn't have to click on the link, either. I'm old enough to have seen and heard Richard Nixon say "Sock it to me" on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." Strictly speaking, he wasn't President yet when he did that in 1968, but it works.

Here's Sock It To Nixon from the "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" YouTube account. Yes, that's a real thing.


Proof Tricky Dick had a sense of humor, even though he didn't show it much.

Follow over the jump for the Emmy coverage I promised yesterday as I look at the nominees for Outstanding Talk Series, where jokes about presidents are staples of the monologues.

Desi Lydic Foxsplains Trump's Indictment for Flashback Friday

Happy Flashback Friday! Before I look back at the top posts from last year about today's topic, I'm returning to Trump's indictment and arraignment with The Daily Show's Desi Lydic Foxsplains Trump's Indictment.

We made Desi Lydic watch Fox News and chug Logan Paul's energy drink for six days straight so she could explain what's really going on with Trump's indictment.

Thank you, Desi, for watching Fox News so the rest of us don't have to.

I can see why Desi Lydic earned an Emmy nomination for for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for "Desi Lydic Foxsplains." She put on quite a performance. Here's to hoping she receives another nomination. In the meantime, I'm recycling what I wrote about the first post that featured "Desi Lydic Foxsplains," which was also the most read entry about awards show nominations.

The most read entry about January 6th during the blogging year just ended did not feature Colbert. Instead it was Desi Lydic, an Emmy-nominated performer, Foxsplains the January 6th Committee Hearings, written on August 8, 2022. It was the number one post of August 2022, earning ~1,860 default and 2,114 raw page views that month after I shared it at the Coffee Party USA Facebook page. It continued gaining page views, ending calendar year 2022 with ~2,110 default and 2,201 raw page views, and blogging year twelve with the same ~2,110 default but 2,228 raw page views, good enough to rank fifth according to default page views, sixth among entries posted during the previous blogging year and seventh overall accoring to raw page views. It was also one of three pins from the current blogging year saved during September 2022. Look for me to recycle this paragraph when I write about top posts covering awards shows.

It was also the most read entry about awards show nominations. I like posts that do double duty!

Follow over the jump for a retrospective about the rest of last year's most read entries about awards shows.

Sarah Silverman on 'The Daily Show' examines 'The Economy of Anger'

It's time for a different kind of "closer look" from Sarah Silverman on "The Daily Show" explains How Tech Companies Are Profiting Off Your Anger - Long Story Short.

Wondering why you're so angry all the time? It's not a coincidence. Sarah Silverman explains how big companies profit off our rage and attention.

None of this is news to me. I've been examining how social media profits from anger since at least 2018, when I posted Vox explains how social media contributes to polarization and promotes trolls, conspiracy theorists, and fake news. I've been blogging about how political actors have been exploiting social media for even longer, going back at least as far as Sith Jihad's use of social media a double-edged sword in June 2018, followed up by Putin's hackers and agents later that same month, and Vox explains how Russian trolls weaponized social media in June 2018 and that's just foreign actors. I don't feel up to chasing down all the of my posts about domestic political actors using social media to their advantage, so I'm just referring my readers to Brad Parscale calls the Trump digital campaign the 'Death Star' in a tweet. Fortunately, that campaign blew up just like its namesake.

As for cable news, I've known all along they cater to their audiences beginning in 2011, when I asked Who watches Cable News? (Teaser). That pandering may have finally raced to the top of a cliff, as Dominion is not only suing Sidney Powell, but also Fox News. There are new developments in that case, which I might cover. Stay tuned to see if Fox News ends up going over the cliff.

'The Daily Show,' Seth Meyers, and James Corden take more closer looks at the State of the Union and Twitter hearings

I'm not done taking closer looks at the State of the Union Address from Seth Meyers and others. For a change of pace, I'm beginning with MTG Screams "Liar!" as Biden Delivers State of the Union Address | The Daily Show with Chelsea Handler as guest host.

President Biden delivers the State of the Union address and gets heckled by Republicans. Plus, Mitt Romney has a heated exchange with George Santos, and the Twitter hearings address Chrissy Teigen's insults directed at Donald Trump.

I miss Samantha Bee, but Handler's breezy style makes for a good short-term substitute for Bee and her unique perspective.

For a more investigative approach, I return to Seth Meyers for Greene and Boebert Unravel at Twitter Hearing While Biden Gloats About SOTU: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at President Biden making a point of focusing on kitchen table issues during his State of the Union address while House Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene focused on things like why Twitter censored Hunter Biden's Nudes.

Seeing Greene together with Lauren Boebert reminds me of this meme that my friend Nonnie9999 made for me.


Given what both of them sounded like at the hearing and what Greene sounded and looked like at the State of the Union, that cartoon strikes me as about right.

I close with "The Late, Late Show" declaring that The State of Our Union Is Pretty Weird.

Gordon Ramsay is on the show tonight and that always puts us in a great mood. But that good mood becomes testy when James and his producers squabble over some calendar math. In the news, LeBron and President Joe Biden broke records. And James gives a State of the Union recap, including Mitt Romney's exchange with George Santos, Kyrsten Sinema's bowtie pasta look and lots of booing.

On the one hand, this clip shows the lack of focus that discourages me from using Corden's clips. On the other hand, what he and his writers planned reinforced the points made in the clip from "The Daily Show": more people cared about LeBron James beating Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record than the State of the Union, Mitt Romney dissed George Santos, who deserved it, whatever Romney said, and Kyrsten Sinema dressed to draw attention to herself. On balance, it was worth embedding.

I've had enough of the State of the Union. Let's see if I can blog about something else tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Seth Meyers and 'The Daily Show' take closer looks at the Chinese spy balloon and other stories

I'm returning to the Chinese spy balloon today, beginning with "The Late Show with Seth Meyers" in Biden Takes Out Chinese Spy Balloon After Fox News Spends Days Freaking Out: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at the incredibly dumb Chinese spy balloon melodrama that exposed just how vacuous and silly much of the right-wing media discourse is.

Seth packed more facts and jokes in this segment than "Saturday Night Live" did in its two segments on the story. We can still learn more with laughs, so I'm turning to "The Daily Show" with this week's guest host, Chelsea Handler, beginning her week with Biden Murders a Chinese Spy Balloon & Marjorie Taylor Greene Hates Her Job | The Daily Show.

Chelsea Handler tackles the latest news including the Chinese spy balloon shot down in South Carolina, Marjorie Taylor Greene complaining about her job, George Santos accused of groping an aide, and Mt. Washington being reportedly colder than Mars.

Yes, Chelsea and her writers had the gas to get fresh clips and jokes about the balloon. I'm passing over Marjorie Taylor Greene complaining about her job to point out that while the latest thing George Santos did wasn't funny, he continues to make my prediction that he will be a great inspiration for comedy as long as he stays in the news true. Unlike Chelsea, I understand what Mt. Washington being colder than Mars means. Just the same, Chelsea is my first choice to replace Trevor, followed by Wanda Sykes. Let's see if that ranking holds. Stay tuned.

Desi Lydic examines 'How Harassed Election Officials Impact Elections'

It's time for another examination of the 2022 midterm elections through comedy, beginning with Desi Lydic examining How Harassed Election Officials Impact Elections on "The Daily Show."*

Desi Lydic takes a look at the decline in election officials due to the harassment they face.

The bad news is the high level of harassment incited by The Former Guy continued into 2022 even though he was not on the ballot. The good news is that volunteers stepped up to staff the polling places so the poll worker shortage that Desi examined in the previous installment didn't materialize. Watch How Poll Worker Shortages Impact Elections.

Is being a poll worker a thankless job or an incredibly thankless job? Desi Lydic investigates the reasons behind the poll worker shortage and how it's affecting the integrity of elections.

The possibility of not enough poll workers wasn't the only potential shortage threatening the elections. Desi began the series with Desi Lydic Investigates Paper Shortages Affecting Upcoming Elections.

The most pressing issue leading up to the midterm elections is…a paper shortage? Desi Lydic investigates.

Supply chain issues affected the election, too.  As I've written many times before, everything is connected to everything else.

Watching these segments reminds me that I should view segments by Jordan Klepper, the other Emmy-nominated cast member of "The Daily Show." If I do so, it will be after I cover more awards shows and recap tomorrow night's "Saturday Night Live" episode. Stay tuned.

*It won't be "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" after the end of this month, as Trevor is leaving the show. I'll miss him, but I'm looking forward to whoever replaces him. I hope they'll be just as insightful and funny.

Noah, Meyers, Colbert, and Kimmel take closer looks at the red wave that wasn't

After taking a serious look at the election results in Michigan yesterday, it's time to let the comedians weigh in, beginning with Trevor Noah telling his TV and studio audiences Democrats Fend Off "Red Wave" in Midterm Elections | The Daily Show.

The Republicans "Red Wave" turned out to be a puddle, abortion rights had a major win in several states, multiple Trump endorsed candidates lost their races, and numerous historic firsts came out of the race including Alabama's first woman in the Senate, Maryland's first Black governor, Massachusetts first woman governor and first openly gay governor and Florida's first ever Gen Z congressman.

Jokes aside, that was a good summary of the headlines from Tuesday's election. I will miss Noah as the host of "The Daily Show" when he leaves at the end of the year. That's one of the reason I put him first.

The other reason is that I'd normally feature Late Night with Seth Meyers' Trump & MAGA Implode as Red Wave Fizzles, Fetterman Wins, Boebert Struggles: A Closer Look, but I didn't like the idea of this post having a preview image including the likeness of The Former Guy, so in second position Seth goes.

Seth takes a closer look at several races from last night's wild midterm elections that are still too close to call, including control of both the House and Senate, as results continue to roll in.

Detecting a theme yet? Just to make it clear, watch Steve Kornacki Explains How the Midterms May Separate the Republican Party from Trump.

Steve Kornacki talks about covering the midterm elections, explains the possible reasoning behind several close races and discusses how the 1994 Republican revolution shaped politics in his podcast The Revolution.

I hope the Republican Party finally abandons Trump, but I have my doubts.

Next, I go to "GOP Points Finger At T**** For Disappointing Midterms | Warnock-Walker Race Goes To A Runoff.

While the former president is taking heat for backing losing candidates in the midterms, he prefers to blame his wife. In Georgia, neither Senate candidate got 50% of the vote so Herschel Walker and Sen. Raphael Warnock will battle each other again in a runoff.

It's quite the night when I put Stephen's monologue fourth, especially with the caption on the preview image: "May The Fetterman Win" — and he did!

I close with Jimmy Kimmel's monologue Trump LIVID About Election Results, Fetterman Beats Dr. Oz & Herschel Unfazed and Unintelligible.

The CMA Awards aired on ABC, Democrats were riding the high after election night even though they probably lost the House and could still lose the Senate, MAGA-Land was expecting a big victory, we are still awaiting results from a couple of key states including Arizona and Nevada, it appears Lauren Boebert of Colorado might be out of a job, Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock are headed to a runoff and Herschel remains unfazed and unintelligible, at the Governor level Democrats had their best midterm since 1986, John Fetterman beat Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania and Trump is said to be livid over the loss, prevailing wisdom among Democrats and Republicans is that they might have done better without Trump, Rudy Giuliani provided some excellent election day coverage, five states voted on whether slavery should be banned, recreational cannabis was on the ballot in a number of states, and focus now shifts to who will run in 2024, including someone who just entered the world of board games to burnish his financial credentials.

Once again, Kimmel has the most comprehensive video descriptions of all the late-night talk show hosts. As for that closing bit, it reminds me of Mel Brooks. I'm glad Kimmel said it, because I couldn't.

Stay tuned as I take a break from election coverage to celebrate Veterans Day.

Trevor Noah asks 'Who Is Herschel Walker?'

I wrote about Dr. Oz's latest scandal in PBS NewsHour explains 'How Pennsylvania’s midterm races impact the future of politics'. Now it's time to examine the even bigger news about a U.S. Senate contest as "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" asks Who Is Herschel Walker?

Meet Herschel Walker: COVID conspiracy theorist, storyteller, and pro-life Republican.

I'd forgotten about Walker playing for the New Jersey Generals when Trump owned them, so the two do go way back. However, like Trump Vodka and Trump University, the New Jersey Generals folded along with the old USFL. Welcome to Everything Trump Touches Dies. Good thing he has nothing to do with the current incarnations of either the USFL or the New Jersey Generals. Those might live.

Trevor's point that politicians who complain about actions they claim to be morally questionable often turn out to be doing themselves reminds me of my favorite link to tweet, Projection is the Right's favorite defense mechanism. That has proven to be even more true during the past decade. Too bad their own hypocrisy doesn't seem to bother them or their voters. The flip side of that is that many times when they complain of liberal hypocrisy, they're not seeing an inconsistency between what liberals espouse and what they do, but what they think liberal ideals are. They expose that they don't really understand liberal principles at all. That deserves a good example, but that's a subject for another time.

What's not a subject for another time is why this contest matters. Watch FiveThirtyEight explain how Georgia Is The Key To Control Of The Senate.

In the Senate, tipping-point states are the states most likely to give the winning party control of the chamber. According to the Deluxe version of the FiveThirtyEight Senate forecast, the four likeliest tipping-point states in this year's midterms are Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Galen Druke uses the interactive model to go through the possible scenarios in each state.

Wow! Winning Georgia certainly makes a difference in both parties' odds of controlling the Senate! Despite Walker's issues, this contest is no laughing matter.

'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads competition shows with eight nominations plus three more for its spinoffs

I closed 'Queer Eye' leads structured reality programs with six nominations at the 2022 Emmy Awards by telling my readers "Stay tuned as I return with the nominations for competition shows as "RuPaul's Drag Race" again leads competition program nominees at the Emmy Awards while modeling diversity and acceptance." Without any further ado, I'm sharing the show's nomination at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Competition Program
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (Prime Video)
Nailed It! (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)

I'm going to update what I wrote last year. "RuPaul's Drag Race" has won this award four years in a row, so I consider it the favorite on that criterion as well as its leading in nominations among competition programs with eight for the main show as well as one each for "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars," "RuPaul's Drag Race Whatcha Packin' with Michelle Visage," and "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked." Its closest competition is "Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls" with six nominations, which replaced "Dancing with the Stars" in this category, but the latter still earned three nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Congratulations, Lizzo, Time's 2019 Entertainer of the Year. "Top Chef" almost ties Lizzo's show with five nominations for the show proper and a sixth for spinoff "Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen." The rest of the field consists of "The Voice" with three nominations, followed by "The Amazing Race" and "Nailed It!" each with two.

Before I re-examine the categories I already featured in previous installments of this series and categories recognizing competition programs not nominated in this category, I'm sharing Gold Derby's interview of Tom Campbell ('RuPaul's Drag Race,' 'Untucked' executive producer): 'Tenacity of the human spirit'.

Tom Campbell ('RuPaul's Drag Race' and 'Untucked' executive producer): 'It's really about the tenacity of the human spirit.' The show put 14 queens through comedy roasts, game shows, challenges, musical numbers, soap opera spoofs and lip-sync smackdowns. Gold Derby senior editor Rob Licuria hosts this chat as part of a 'Meet the Experts" panel.

"I make a political statement every time I bat my false eyelashes" — well-said and a perfect quote to support why I cover this show.

Follow over the jump to read about the other nominations for competition shows.

'The Daily Show' examines floods and drought

I'm correcting final exams today, so I only have time to post a video: 'Megaflood' Warning Issued In California | The Daily Show from Comedy Central UK.



The US is hit with floods as Europe faces historic drought
Yikes! That's scary. Good thing Trevor is presenting it as comedy, so I can laugh instead of weeping because I can see the dire message on the hunger stone.

Back to work!

Desi Lydic, an Emmy-nominated performer, Foxsplains the January 6th Committee Hearings

I closed 'Saturday Night Live' earned ten Emmy nominations plus looks back at the 2021-2022 season by admitting a mistake.

There are actually seven nominations for "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" and its three spinoffs. I'll get to the one I missed in the next installment of this series. Stay tuned.

The nomination is of Desi Lydic as herself in "Desi Lydic Foxsplains" for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. Here is the most recent segment, Desi Lydic Foxsplains: The January 6th Hearings | The Daily Show.

We made Desi Lydic watch 439 hours of Fox News so she could explain what the January 6 hearings are REALLY about.

On the one hand, that's hilarious. On the other, that's about all I can take of Fox News opining on the January 6th Committee hearings, even as satire. No wonder a study found Fox News viewers less informed than people who watch no news at all.

Enough of that for now, although I think I will embed more of Lydic's videos in the future. It's time for the nominations for acting in short form comedies and dramas from 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Jacinte Blankenship – Intersection as Jenaya (YouTube)
Patricia Clarkson – State of the Union as Ellen (Sundance TV)
Desi Lydic – Desi Lydic Foxsplains as Desi Lydic (YouTube)
Rhea Seehorn – Cooper's Bar as Kris Latimer (AMC)
Sydnee Washington – Bridesman as Judith (YouTube)

Out of all the nominees, I'd say the favorites are the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Patricia Clarkson and Emmy-nominated Rhea Seehorn. These are the only Emmy nominations ever for Lydic, Jacinte Blankenship, and Sydnee Washington and the only award nominations period for Blankenship and Washington. Lydic at least has a Webby Award for Video - Best Web Personality/Host, but she may have to be happy with that this year.

Now that I've covered Lydic's nomination, I can share the following image from #ShareSouthAfrica on Twitter, who correctly counted the number of Emmy nominations for "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" and its three spinoffs as seven, not six, as I carelessly did. Oops.


With that, "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" has the lead among talk variety shows, beating both "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," both with six including "Tooning Out the News" for the latter. Congratulations!

Follow over the jump for the rest of the short form nominations.

Kansas votes to uphold abortion rights as seen by Colbert, Meyers, and Noah

I posted a serious examination of Michigan's primary election in No good deed goes unpunished as Meijer loses primary to Gibbs in Michigan yesterday, so today I'm sharing comedic examinations of the rest of Tuesday's primary elections beginning with Stephen Colbert's monologue Kansas Votes To Preserve Abortion Rights | Processed Foods Are Killing Our Brains.

Kansas voters upheld abortion rights by 59% to 41% in yesterday's election, and scientists have really bad news about some of our favorite foods.

I agree with Stephen; Kari Lake sounds incoherent. No wonder The Former Guy endorsed her. For what it's worth, NBC News currently characterizes the contest for the Republican nominee for Arizona Governor as "too close to call" with Lake leading. Go Katie Hobbs, who is the Democratic nominee for Arizona Governor.

Of course, the headline election story is Kansas rejecting a proposed amendment removing the right to an abortion from the Kansas constitution. Seth Meyers had more to say about that and other primary election news in Kansas Voters Back Abortion Rights; Trump Endorses "Eric" in Missouri: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at voters in Kansas overwhelmingly rejecting a state ballot measure that would have restricted abortion access and Trump endorsing multiple dudes named "Eric" in the same Missouri Senate race.

The GOP dirty tricks both Seth and Stephen described didn't work and a good thing, too. Here's to the measure protecting abortion passing in Michigan this November. Also, I knew there had to be an Eric Trump joke in there, and there was, even if I had to wait until the very end to hear it.

BTW, welcome back from quarantine for Seth and congratulations on his shows' three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Variety Talk Series, Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series, and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series. To celebrate, I'm sharing the Twitter images promoting the show nominations.


Good luck, although I think John Oliver, James Corden, and "Saturday Night Live" will win these categories instead.

I close with Trevor Noah's take on the election results and other news, Kansas Votes Pro-Choice, Alex Jones Caught in Lie & Beyoncé Tweaks Album Again | The Daily Show.

Kansas votes to uphold the right to have an abortion, Alex Jones' attorney accidentally gives his texts to the prosecutor, Beyoncé tweaks her album again, Brad Pitt wears a skirt to his latest movie premiere, and Airbnb will no longer rent out slave quarters.

Last night's results reinforce what I first wrote in Colbert and Meyers take closer looks at replacing Liz Cheney and Arizona audit and repeated yesterday, "'this fight is not over conventional ideas of left and right. Instead, it is about loyalty to Trump, which is odd considering that major American political parties generally move away from losing presidential candidates. Not now — the GOP is sticking closer to Trump than ever.' That has become even more true since then." Worse yet, if TFG's endorse nominees win, a lot of them will be in charge of certifying elections. Who needs an armed insurrection when the coup will happen through legal means?

Speaking of legal means, LOL, Alex Jones. I might have more to say about his trial later. Stay tuned.

Trevor Noah examines Manchin deal, monkeypox, and Russia announcing it will leave the ISS plus six Emmy nominations for 'The Daily Show' and its spinoffs

I concluded Colbert examines Manchin agreeing to the reconciliation bill that would fight climate change by telling my readers "Stay tuned as I continue examining the Emmy nominees with the categories recognizing "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," possibly as early as tomorrow." I'll do that over the jump, but first I'm sharing three clips from "The Daily Show" about my picks for top stories last week, starting with Manchin Shocks Washington and McConnell with Bill Compromise.

In a surprise turn of events, Sen. Joe Manchin released a statement saying he’s on board with the Inflation Reduction Act, a renamed version of the Build Back Better bill, shocking Washington, D.C. and Mitch McConnell.

I'm being a good environmentalist by recycling what I wrote yesterday for the first part of my reaction.

The good news is that Joe Manchin agreed to a bill that would fight climate change, making it possible to follow the IPCC roadmap to fix climate change. Even better, he helped the Senate Democrats bypass Mitch McConnell, who prides himself on being the Grim Reaper for progressive legislation. I just hope Kyrsten Sinema doesn't gum up the works.

Trevor even mentioned the possibility that Sinema could mess things up. On the other hand, he showed even more enthusiasm for the deal and he and his writers came up with even funnier jokes about it.

That was the good news. "The Daily Show" uploaded two segments featuring bad news last week, beginning with some that Stephen Colbert mentioned, Monkeypox Labeled Global Health Emergency, U.S. Sizzles & Robot Breaks Kid's Finger.

The World Health Organization labels monkeypox a global health emergency, cities across America hit record-breaking temperatures, and a chess-playing robot breaks a 7-year-old's finger.

As I wrote in June, "it looks like I may have been too sanguine about monkeypox." I didn't think it would get this bad. Now I expect it will get worse. I'm also recycling my reaction to Trevor's treatment of the climate and weather news from yesterday's post: "That was grim, but at least we're doing something about climate change now."

Now for Russia Pulls Out of International Space Station & The Pope Issues Historic Apology, which at least opened with good news, even if it got second billing in the subject and description.

Russia announces it will leave the International Space Station, and the pope issues an apology to Canada’s Indigenous people.

I've been worried about the possibility of Russia exiting the ISS since 2014, when I posted Returning without Russia and other space and astronomy news for the Ides of March, but my anxiety became more pronounced this April in Vox explains 'What Russia's war means for the International Space Station' plus DART and Artemis updates. Now we have two more years to figure out what to do. At least the U.S. has crewed spaceflight again, so we aren't dependent on Russia to get to and from the ISS.

Follow over the jump to read about the Emmy nominations for "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" and two of its spinoffs, "Between the Scenes" and "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Globe - Hungary for Democracy."

Closer looks at the January 6th Committee hearings from Meyers, Colbert, Kimmel, and Noah

I told my readers to "stay tuned for reactions to the ongoing January 6th Committee hearings" on Flag Day. I begin with Seth Meyers' Blockbuster Jan. 6 Hearing Focuses on Drunk Rudy, Debunks Trump’s Big Lie: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer [look] at multiple Trump aides and advisers confirming on tape there was no evidence of Trump’s stolen election lies and Rudy Giuliani getting wasted on election night.

I've been writing about The Former Guy's fondness for conspiracy theories in 2017, so I'm not surprised that he has continued believing them instead of the facts. I am a little surprised that the January 6th Committee connected that to "The Big Lie," itself a conspiracy theory. I guess I shouldn't have been.

Stephen Colbert made Monday's hearings the subject of two monologues. In the first, he told his audience the "Jan 6th Hearings Are Can't-Miss TV" and then asked "How Drunk Was Rudy Giuliani On Election Night?"

The televised hearings of the Jan 6th Committee are proving to be must-see events, in particular the moments when witnesses have been asked to comment on the drinking habits of a certain former mayor of New York City.

Hahaha! Giuliani's double Razzie-winning performance made a cameo!

Stephen and his writers couldn't resist returning to make fun of Giuliani's alleged drinking in last night's monologue, How T**** Duped $250M From His Most Passionate Fans | Somebody's Going To Jail For This Right?

The former president scammed $250 million dollars in low-dollar donations from his most passionate followers for his bogus Election Defense Fund, and only time will tell if the DOJ prosecutes anybody after the Jan. 6th Committee investigation concludes.

Not only did The Former Guy try to steal the election, he apparently defrauded his own supporters. That's crookedness on a scale that would make Richard Nixon blush. Speaking of Nixon, the segments about Watergate deserve their own post. I might get to that tomorrow since today's hearing has been postponed.

Jimmy Kimmel couldn't resist the easy targets either in his monologue, Trump and Drunk Giuliani Cause an Insurrection & Putin’s Got a Poop Suitcase!

On Friday night we conducted a very dumb experiment and asked people to tweet at Steph Curry before halftime saying that he had eaten a bug and a lot of people did, episode two of “CSI Can’t Believe Donald Trump’s Not in Jail Yet” took place in Washington, every reasonable person in Trump’s orbit told him he lost the election, an “apparently inebriated” Rudy Giuliani gave Donny the bone-headed idea to declare victory on election night, we help make the hearings a little more interesting with some filters, former Attorney General Bill Barr said Trump had become “detached from reality,” Andy Biggs of Arizona believes we have bigger chips to fry, Vladimir Putin reportedly travels with a suitcase to poop in, the Tony Awards took place in New York last night, and country music Superstar Luke Combs has managed to turn one of his hobbies into a lucrative endorsement deal.

*Snork* That's a hilarious montage of Giuliani spouting off.

I close with The Daily Show's Jan. 6 Hearings: Trump Cons His Supporters & Gets Advice from Drunk Giuliani, which summed up both of the first two televised hearings.

As part of the January 6th hearings, those close to Donald Trump reveal that the insurrection may have been a coordinated plot by Trump and an inebriated Rudy Giuliani.

Yes, The Former Guy scamming his supporters is predictable. As Trevor Noah said, he's nothing if not consistent.

I'll have more reactions from the next scheduled hearing. Stay tuned.

Noah, Kimmel, and Maher on January 6th hearings

After featuring Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers on the January 6th Committee hearing, it's time for me to share the viewpoints of other late-night talk show hosts beginning with The Daily Show with Trevor Noah's segment Insurrectionists Experience Consequences As Jan. 6th Hearings Begin.

Insurrectionists find out the hard way that the police are not always their friends as the January 6th hearings begin.

Trevor had exactly the same reaction to Marjorie Taylor Greene's remarks as I did. It's not hard to imagine; it happens all the time in the U.S.

Speaking of Greene, she was the focus of the middle of Jimmy Kimmel's Trump’s Manic Response to January 6th Hearings & Fox News Attempts to Distract Viewers from Watching.

The fans in Boston have a special dislike for Draymond Green, he and his Warrior teammates are upset about the abusive Boston fans, last night was the first night of the January 6th Congressional Hearings, we learned how pre-meditated and coordinated the effort to take control of the White House was, it was revealed that Trump did not call the National Guard to stop the attack, multiple Republican lawmakers asked Trump for pardons, Fox News attempted to bury the hearing by going commercial free for two and half hours during it, Trump responded to the hearing with fourteen manic posts on Truth Social and defended Ivanka for believing Bill Barr when he told her the election wasn’t rigged, Klan Mom Marjorie Taylor Greene continues to kiss Trump’s ass but finished a distant second to a reporter from OAN and we duped a passionate Warriors fan into missing the fourth quarter at an NBA Finals game.

May Kimmel have as much success in his rivalry with Greene as John Oliver did with AT&T.

Now for Bill Maher's Monologue: America's Got Treason.

Bill reacts to the top stories of the week, including the opening night of the January 6th Committee hearings, in his Real Time monologue.

Bill wasn't as sharp as either Noah or Kimmel, as I think he's more incredulous than angry. Fortunately, he and his guests continued examining the subject in "Mike Pence Deserves It".

Kellyanne Conway and Josh Barro join Bill to discuss whether President Trump's words and actions on January 6th should bar him from public office.

I think they should disqualify The Former Guy based on the Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Let's see if the January 6th committee presents evidence for that and proposes any action. The only fly in the ointment is that the amendment does not specifically mention President and Vice President, although I would argue that "any office, civil or military, under the United States" would cover both.

The committee hearings resume on Monday. In the meantime, stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature.

Trevor Noah examines gun violence

As I promised at the end of Samantha Bee reminds us that 'Congress Has the Power to Stop Mass Shootings' I'm continuing my series examining late-night talk show hosts looking at guns with clips from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. I begin with Trevor Debunking Conservatives’ Excuses for Gun Violence.*

The latest wave of mass shootings in America has led Republican lawmakers to suggest solutions that involve everything but actual gun control.

As Trevor pointed out, it's not music, video games, not going to church, or too many doors that contribute to gun violence, but the number and access to guns, particularly weapons like the AR-15.

Trevor had the same guest that Seth Meyers did, Sen. Chris Murphy - Finding Common Ground on Gun Safety.

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy shares details from the bipartisan gun reform conversations following the Uvalde shooting, discusses how the once unbreakable gun lobby is now losing steam, and explains why the current Senate rules have restricted action.

The good news is that Senators are talking across the aisle and that the formal gun lobby, particularly the NRA, has less power. The bad news is that the Senate rules are an impediment to getting things done, something Mitch McConnell, who prides himself on being the Grim Reaper for progressive legislation, takes advantage of. It doesn't help that Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema won't vote to end the filibuster to removed the roadblock. As I wrote three years ago, "Ugh. It's enough to drive one to drink."

I close with a segment pointing out the ridiculousness of blaming too many doors for the shooting, America’s Door Problem & What Foreigners Think About the USA’s Mass Shootings.

How do we stop mass shootings in America? The answer is simple: fewer doors. Michael Kosta talks to foreigners about the real threat.

The tourists see this suggestion as silly, which it is.

*It was a good thing I wrote "probably finish this series" yesterday, as Samantha Bee uploaded videos about the NRA convention, which Jimmy Kimmel satirized, so I have at least one more post on this topic tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Highlights of the White House Correspondents Dinner from MSNBC

For your entertainment, I'm sharing Watch: Top Moments From The 2022 White House Correspondents' Dinner from MSNBC.

The 2022 White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton was one for the books as President Joe Biden and comedian Trevor Noah, who was the featured entertainer this year, both poked fun at the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump, the pandemic and the press.

I hope you all learned or at least were reminded of the importance of a free press in a democracy while having a good laugh at politicians, journalists, and even the pandemic. I did