TV Watch: Stephen Colbert continues the countdown to September 8

Since we haven't seen much of each other since December, Stephen asks, "What've you guys been doing?" ("Me, I've been busy," he says.) Here he shaves off the beard he adopted after finding it by the highway, which helped earn him the cover of Homeless Sea Captain Monthly. The beard had to come off, he explains, because on CBS, it turns out, "Tom Selleck's moustache has a noncompete clause."

by Ken

I know I just saw a post somewhere by someone who couldn't believe he'd only just discovered that Stephen has started a podcast. But I lost the link, and in trying to refind it, I stumbled across this nytimes.com "ArtsBeat" post by Dave Itzkoff. I know it's 7½ weeks old, but it turned out that what I had thought was a third-party link, and hence free, wasn't, and I had unthinkingly used the 9th of my 10 free NYT clicks for the month (really? this doesn't sound right -- how sure are we that we can we really trust their counting gizmo? can we demand a recount?), and it's only the 12th, so what the hell, here's the whole damned thing. Note that even though you should now be able to get to the page for free using my link, I have painstaking re-created all the links. At least I think I have, and even if they're not quite right, it's the thought that counts, right? (It's part of the service, and tips are appreciated but not requireed.)

What we could do here is to pretend that it's still June 3. If it helps, you can probably find an online weather report for where you live, to help set the mood. (I'm just going to make something up.)

Stephen Colbert Debuts ‘Late Show’ Video, Podcast and More

By DAVE ITZKOFF
June 3, 2015 3:39 PM

As he prepares to take over CBS’s “Late Show” on Sept. 8, Stephen Colbert now has a beefed-up online and social media presence – but he no longer has a beard.

On Wednesday, Mr. Colbert, who bid farewell to Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” in December, made a long-awaited return to the Internet by announcing various new online offerings for his new CBS late-night program, and saying goodbye to the shaggy salt-and-pepper facial fuzz he had grown during his television hiatus, which had come to be known as “The Colbeard.”

In a video comedy bit, Mr. Colbert gives us some sense of how life will continue without the fatuous Stephen Colbert pundit character he played on Comedy Central. While the beard allowed him to go incognito, Mr. Colbert says, “Now that we’re gearing up for the beginning of the ‘Late Show,’ I need to be more cognito.” He adds, “Plus, CBS is making me shave it off because Tom Selleck’s mustache has a non-compete clause.”

In the video, Mr. Colbert tries out a few other looks before shaving off the beard altogether. (You’ll have to watch until the end to learn its final fate.)

Other new media sites and applications that Mr. Colbert introduced on Wednesday include a Twitter feed, @ColbertLateShow; a Facebook page, facebook.com/colbertlateshow; a YouTube page, YouTube.com/ColbertLateShow; a podcast; and an iOS application called Colbr.

In a statement, Mr. Colbert said: “Say what you will about the Internet, I think it’s here to stay! Launching ColbertLateShow.com puts me in the same league as Google.com, Facebook.com and ferretfancier.blogspot.com!”

MEANWHILE, HERE'S STEPHEN BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Angelo's Pizza is used to nestling under the protective
shelter of the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater. . . .

But while the Ed Sullivan's undergoing rehab for its soon-to-
be tenant, the new guy gives Angelo's a marquee shout-out.

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