November 19th 2008
Colbert Christmas Special To Benefit Charity, Involve Willie Nelson
Deck the halls with Stephen...
Filed under: donations, film-tv, television — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 11:30 pm
Only Stephen Colbert could put together a Christmas special I’m remotely interested in watching. (Besides A Charlie Brown Christmas — that will never get old.) It’s either going to be an instant classic, or become as forgettable as that Election Night Special he had with Jon Stewart. Either way, you should consider tuning in for this one reason: There’s going to be a duet between Colbert and Willie Nelson.
Called “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All” — the one-hour special will include Stephen singing “Little Altar Boy” and Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s “Little Drummer Boy.” Besides Nelson, Colbert will also be joined by Toby Keith, Jon Stewart, John Legend, Feist and Elvis Costello to sing Christmas songs that were penned by Daily Show executive producer David Javerbaum and composed by Adam Schlesinger. The entire episode will take a place in faux log cabin — complete with a bear lurking outside and stockings by the fireplace, one labeled “Stephen,” the other “Colbert.”
“I had a clear, clear command to everyone involved: ‘No cynicism,’” said Colbert in a recent interview. “We’re not mocking Christmas specials. We’re doing MY Christmas special. And that was the aesthetic we tried to bring into it. Like, we’re really doing this. I want people to see this every year.”
Costume pieces from the special are being auctioned to benefit Feeding America, and a percentage of the DVD proceeds will also go to the charity. Sounds like a wonderful — and hopefully hilarious — Christmas celebration. Look for it this Sunday at 10pm on Comedy Central. Yes, this Sunday. For some reason, it’s now never too early to celebrate the holidays.
Stuff global warming in your stocking! Dedicate trees this holiday season through 
It was an instant classic! I haven’t laughed that hard at Colbert in a LONG time.
[...] Stephen Colbert’s Christmas Special now forever a part of the American holiday season (or so he would have us believe), various props [...]
For real?? Great respect, and “tolerance” for those who actually “believe”. Your Willie video was ridiculous. It’s amazing how your “spoof” is aimed at the religion that founded our great country. What a joke. Obviously, not funny.
Desh Morey - Colbert is a practicing Roman Catholic. He teaches Sunday school. Try learning a bit more about people before you judge them. (And the special was AWESOME.)
Was the Willie Nelson song a parody of any other “real” song? It was really a great tune, and obviously funny.