‘High jinks’ not high treason
Late-night TV host Stephen Colbert has issued a blistering response to some of his crew being arrested and detained near the U.S. Capitol last week.
While filming material for a “Triumph the Insult Comic Dog” segment at Longworth House Office Building — just south of the U.S. Capitol — seven members of the production team for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” were arrested and charged Thursday with unlawful entry.
According to Colbert and CBS, the staffers were on-site to have Triumph, a puppet voiced by longtime “Saturday Night Live” writer Robert Smigel, conduct “authorized and prearranged interviews” with congresspeople about the Jan. 6 insurrection hearings.
After finishing two days of interviews, though, Colbert said the team stayed to film additional content, at which point they were detained by Capitol police.
“Which actually isn’t that surprising,” Colbert said Monday in his show’s opening monlogue. “The Capitol police are much more cautious than they were, say, 18 months ago, and for very good reason. If you don’t know what that reason is, I know what news network you watch.”
Colbert admitted it was a very “unpleasant” experience for his staff, although he said both police and the production team remained professional throughout the ordeal.
However, he sharply dismissed claims that the incident was an elaborate plan to interrupt congressional actions, after TV pundits such as Tucker Carlson ran a segment titled “Insurrection Day 2.0.”
“An insurrection involves disrupting the lawful actions of Congress and howling for the blood of elected leaders all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power,” Colbert said. “This was first-degree puppetry. This was high jinks with intent to goof. Misappropriation of an old Conan O’brien bit.”
According to U.S. Capitol Police, the production team could face additional criminal charges for the incident.
“Responding officers observed seven individuals, unescorted and without Congressional ID, in a sixth-floor hallway. The building was closed to visitors, and these individuals were determined to be a part of a group that had been directed by the USCP to leave the building earlier in the day. They were charged with Unlawful Entry. This is an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges after consultation with the U.S. Attorney,” U.S. Capitol Police said Thursday in a statement.
— Los Angeles Times
Weezer books Broadway residency
Weezer is headed to Broadway.
The pop punk band will stage a five-night residency on Broadway this fall tied to its new “SZNZ” project, four EPS each corresponding to a different season, the group announced Tuesday.
The weeklong residency, set for the Broadway Theatre, will run from Sept. 13 through 18, with Weezer playing one “season” per night, along with “a unique set of Weezer classics, many of which have not been played in years.”
On the final night, the band will mix “all the songs from SZNZ and Weezer fan favorites from the previous four nights.”
The first EP in the release, “Spring,” premiered in March and “Summer” dropped Monday. “Autumn” and “Winter” are still to come.
Weezer, made up of Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell, Scott Shriner and Pat Wilson, formed in the early ’90s and has sold more than 10 million copies of its 15 albums, which include hits like “Buddy Holly,” “Island in the Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Pork and Beans” and a cover of Toto’s “Africa.”
The band’s “Hella Mega Tour,” alongside Fall Out Boy and Green Day, was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and wrapped in the U.S. in September.