"1/2 Hour News Hour" AKA "Conservative Compensation"

[Absinthe]

So I just finished watching an episode of The Daily Show about five minutes ago and it jogged my memory. In the last week, I found myself watching Fox News (somebody else's choice, trust me) and... Behold! A late night comedy special called the "1/2 Hour News Hour". My mind immediately raced back to hearing about the creator of 24 wanting to pioneer a conservative satire show in the same vein of The Daily Show. Gritting my teeth in preparation, I tried to go into it with an open mind. Hey, conservatives can have their fun too, right? It's not like only liberals can be funny. I mean proper "Ha ha" funny, not "Limbaugh/Coulter becoming belligerently outrageous" funny. Surely they too can carry some wit, and maybe even make a few good points along the way?

Amidst the flogged-dead Kerry jokes, the stale host personas, the endless parade of Republican icons, and the canned laughter of the dead, I experienced only my soul being drained of all its strength and will to go on. I need not go into an endless description of torture. You can watch it for yourself.

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=F49e64yq8lI[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=FRrIni6V7VM[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=IP499-11LX0[/YOUTUBE]

Yes, yes... I do believe that's enough. Say what you want about Jon Stewart and his ilk, but at least their cheap pot shots are made up for with an actual attempt at humor that goes beyond "Michael Moore is fat" and "Barack Obama farts". Is this conservative humor? Seriously? Get Anne Coulter to belt out some obscenity and hit the laugh track?

And yet...

The broadcast of the pilot episode on February 18, 2007 was watched by 1,478,000 viewers. The rebroadcast of the same episode on February 25 was watched by 971,000 people, the most watched show on any of the cable news networks that night.
The second pilot received similar ratings with 1,384,000 viewers, and was the top watched show in cable news from 5pm-11pm.

The pilot received generally poor reviews. MetaCritic's television division, which produces composite scores based on prominent reviewers' opinions of television pilots, other episodes, and/or DVD releases, gave The Half Hour News Hour pilot a score of 12 out of 100, making it the lowest rated television production ever reviewed on the site. Despite the pilots' poor reviews, the show has continued to lead its time slot in the ratings among cable news networks.

Hmm... Panning reviews across the board and high ratings. I usually don't like to get on my soapbox and insult half of the political spectrum in the United States. But I can only conclude that conservatives are either watching this show only to spite liberals or because they're too dumb to know what humor is. I'm not even going to touch on the irony of Fox News making a "fake news" program.

Ah, but the good reverend Lewis Black brought up two other cases from conservative Bizarro world! One you're probably already familiar with: Conservapedia. Yes, apparently an information database requiring the input of the online global community - a digital library of knowledge that you and countless others contributed to - has a liberal bias. You have a liberal bias.

But the one that I'd never heard of before was Qube TV. Go ahead and click it. Thank God something like this exists, otherwise I would have never discovered that Youtube is actually run by terrorist sympathizing, leftist pigs! How long would it have been until I grew aware of the socialism seeping from its pores. Hot damn, how else would I have ever seen the wealth of profound joy in watching a disturbingly misshapen Gandhi kicking Michael Moore in the face?

For the supposed kings of the media jungle, you sure do act like a bunch of paranoid chicken shits.

These can no longer be considered isolated incidents. There is a pattern at work here. One in which conservatives victimize themselves and then retaliate against some invisible agent infecting every Average Joe who uploads a video of getting kicked in the balls with the tendrils of liberal bias. Badly, I may add. Are you people really so freaked out about this myth of the liberal media? Do you really need to cluster yourselves around some mirrored, twisted version of reality because you think you're being treated unfairly? George Bush doesn't get mocked 24/7 because liberals are out to get him. He's mocked because the man is a fucking chimp. Literally.

Is this a product of your delusional insecurities? Or is this supposed be another big conservative joke in the Limbaugh/Coulter vein? I'm dying to know.

 

[DeusExMachina]

I hate Ann Coulter with every possible iota of my being, but the things I would do to her conservative body...

 

[Absinthe]

Oh, I'd hit it.

But then I'd kill her along with myself afterwards out of principle.

 

[mastag]

as soon as i saw ann coulter i thought about jumping off a high building. or just pushing her off one.

 

[Glirk Dient]

I lol'ed at the third movie. The first 2 weren't funny.

I honestly think your taking things too far. You sound more like a paranoid conspiracy theorist than a sane person. Any sensible person by now has learned to take any news station with a grain of salt and avoid fox news.

 

[Stigmata]

I lol'ed at the third movie. The first 2 weren't funny.

I honestly think your taking things too far. You sound more like a paranoid conspiracy theorist than a sane person. Any sensible person by now has learned to take any news station with a grain of salt and avoid fox news.

He may be a bit alarmist, but he's hit the nail on the head. The fact that these websites and TV shows have such popularity, let alone the fact that they actually exist, is a disturbing warning sign of the direction Western society is heading.

 

[Glirk Dient]

He may be a bit alarmist, but he's hit the nail on the head. The fact that these websites and TV shows have such popularity, let alone the fact that they actually exist, is a disturbing warning sign of the direction Western society is heading.

Yeah which is why I have stopped watching news on the TV. I still watch the daily show though but from what I could tell the OP seemed to be alarmed that the right is now making its entrance into satirical news. The left has been there for a while. I don't see much of a problem with the right bringing in satirical news. It is meant for laughs, not news.

 

[Absinthe]

I understand how I can seem crazy. But I was mostly just incredulous to the point of being angry. I can't help but feel annoyance when people stick their heads in the sand for the sake of their own little opinionated bubbles. As I said in another topic some time ago, it would be one thing if such people strove for objectivity and reason in the face of bias. Wrapping yourself in some conservative blanket as a way of making things "fair" is just retarded. Yet that's exactly what things like Conservapedia do. That they're popular by any stretch is a testament to peoples' inherent ability to be stupid by will.

This isn't about the accuracy of the media. We all know that nobody can depend on one station and expect reliable information all the time. This is about the conservative act of getting revenge. But you cannot honestly tell me that shows like the one I linked are due to some serious demand for conservative humor. They're just deliberate retaliatory attacks against Jon Stewart.

"And then there's the make-believe newscast itself, so filled with pointedly partisan jokes that it feels like each punch line should be followed with a bitter "nyah-nyah-nyah."

All in all, "The 1/2 Hour News Hour" makes you appreciate what Jon Stewart and his writers are able to do, day after day. And it also makes you understand a crucial difference between the two fake newscasts. Whether or not you think liberal bias bleeds into "The Daily Show," Stewart's target isn't conservatives, per se. It's the pompousness of traditional news shows, the hypocrisy of government officials, the absurdity of the Washington political dance. For all of his famed snarkiness, Stewart isn't a know-it-all, sneering from on high. He's a stand-in for the viewer, throwing up his hands." - The Boston Globe

This isn't comedy. This is the infantile outcry of "Wahh, liberals aren't made fun of enough!" even though such comedy is meant to be aimed at those who deserve it. Not play to some bullshit quota of fairness. I don't think this is dangerous. I just think this is pathetic. Enough so that it deserves my scorn. And I'm curious as to how many of the conservatives here actually agree with this idea that there's not enough lurve for them in the media.

I'm not shocked at conservative humor. I was taken aback by how poor, juvenile, and incoherent it is. It's just a bunch of jabs at talking points. It's Republican masturbation.

 

[CptStern]

I havent seen the videos in question but I understood your point from the very onset:

This isn't comedy. This is the infantile outcry of "Wahh, liberals aren't made fun of enough!" even though such comedy is meant to be aimed at those who deserve it.

with a side order of "we need to counter the jon stewerts of the world as they're doing far more damage than the democrats could ever hope for"

 

[No Limit]

I don't see much of a problem with the right bringing in satirical news. It is meant for laughs, not news.

I wouldn't have any problem with it if it was funny, I certainly wasn't bitching when Dennis Miller had his show on HBO many years back. The point here is that this is not meant for laughs as there simply isn't anything funny about it. The fact this crap made it past the first episode is simply unbelievable. And the only reason these ratings are so high is because Rush on his radio show keeps saying "watch this show even if it sucks". It shows the absolute stupidity of conservatives in this country when they watch something only because it shares their ideology, not because the show does what its supposed to do and thats to be funny.

 

[Glirk Dient]

I wouldn't have any problem with it if it was funny, I certainly wasn't bitching when Dennis Miller had his show on HBO many years back. The point here is that this is not meant for laughs as there simply isn't anything funny about it. The fact this crap made it past the first episode is simply unbelievable. And the only reason these ratings are so high is because Rush on his radio show keeps saying "watch this show even if it sucks". It shows the absolute stupidity of conservatives in this country when they watch something only because it shares their ideology, not because the show does what its supposed to do and thats to be funny.

Yeah I watched the first 2 and they weren't funny at all. The 3rd video posted I did like, but I honestly won't watch the show.

 

[No Limit]

Yeah I watched the first 2 and they weren't funny at all. The 3rd video posted I did like, but I honestly won't watch the show.

The 3rd one wasn't bad, but it was clearly edited. So out of that whole segment which probably lasted at least 5 minutes live they were able to pull out 30 seconds of something that was actually funny, thats 3 jokes in total. An eventhough the jokes were decent the delivery was horrible.

But like I said, this show is a perfect example of why most fox news viewers are retarded.

 

[mastag]

Another thing, even though the daily show has an obvious liberal bias, it occasionally makes fun of liberals, and is actually funny.

 

[No Limit]

Another thing, even though the daily show has an obvious liberal bias, it occasionally makes fun of liberals, and is actually funny.

I don't know, maybe it does have some liberal bias but I think the main reason for this is republicans have been in power for the last 6 years. He has come down a lot harder on democrats lately.

 

[brink's]

Ok i knew this was going to be lame but " the half hour news hour"? It sounds like some bastardized version of this hour has 22 minutes...except our title is actually clever( believe me it's the only thing that show has going for it)

****ing idiots.

 

[Absinthe]

I think it's undeniable that The Daily Show has something of a liberal bias. The difference is that the bias is not the point of the show like it is with Fox's bastard child. It's more like a natural result of Jon Stewart being a liberal, and even then he's always approached things from a position of sanity and common sense. His target isn't conservatism. It's the absurdity of politics, which is what enables him to target everybody on the political spectrum. It also helps that he, y'know, acts like a human. He laughs at his own bombed jokes, screws up, and has a dialogue with the audience. There's a reason his signature deadpan look gets a laugh every time. It's because anybody watching the show understands how ridiculous politics can be. He shares in the audience's disbelief. He doesn't lead them into it.

Besides, the Republican administration has been in charge for two elections now. As the most visible, powerful, prevalent, and ridiculous group in the United States, they are by default the primary target, regardless of political affiliations. Up until recently, the biggest attack you could launch against Democrats was that they were spineless (which Stewart did point out in abundance), because other than trying to mimic Republicans, they were literally doing jack shit.

On a more fundamental note, liberalism is far more conducive to comedy than conservatism is. Comedy revels in its ability to thumb its nose at authority and mock both the sacred along with the profane. It's what makes people like Bill Hicks and George Carlin legends. That kind of breadth is hamstrung from a more traditional, conservative approach.

 

[leib10]

I don't know, maybe it does have some liberal bias but I think the main reason for this is republicans have been in power for the last 6 years. He has come down a lot harder on democrats lately.

Maybe conservative bashing finally got old.

I think it's undeniable that The Daily Show has something of a liberal bias. The difference is that the bias is not the point of the show like it is with Fox's bastard child. It's more like a natural result of Jon Stewart being a liberal, and even then he's always approached things from a position of sanity and common sense. His target isn't conservatism. It's the absurdity of politics, which is what enables him to target everybody on the political spectrum. It also helps that he, y'know, acts like a human. He laughs at his own bombed jokes, screws up, and has a dialogue with the audience. There's a reason his signature deadpan look gets a laugh every time. It's because anybody watching the show understands how ridiculous politics can be. He shares in the audience's disbelief. He doesn't lead them into it.

Besides, the Republican administration has been in charge for two elections now. As the most visible, powerful, prevalent, and ridiculous group in the United States, they are by default the primary target, regardless of political affiliations. Up until recently, the biggest attack you could launch against Democrats was that they were spineless (which Stewart did point out in abundance), because other than trying to mimic Republicans, they were literally doing jack shit.

On a more fundamental note, liberalism is far more conducive to comedy than conservatism is. Comedy revels in its ability to thumb its nose at authority and mock both the sacred along with the profane. It's what makes people like Bill Hicks and George Carlin legends. That kind of breadth is hamstrung from a more traditional, conservative approach.

Yep yep. When the Democrats are elected next time, you'll see a lot more liberal bashing. People love to ridicule whoever is screwing up the country at the time.

 

[leib10]

delete

 

[No Limit]

Absinthe, although I totally I agree with you I think the reason it is hard for me to say flat out the daily show has a liberal bias is because in todays society if you don't report both sides, no matter how absurd and redicilous the "other" side is, you will be labeled biased. That's the biggest reason as to why the media in this country is so screwed up. Everyone is so worried about being called liberal they will do everything in their power to be "fair & balanced". This means giving the side that is completely batshit crazy equal air time. Thankfully the Daily Show doesn't do this and because of it they are labeled liberal.

 

[K e r b e r o s]

Hmm... Panning reviews across the board and high ratings. I usually don't like to get on my soapbox and insult half of the political spectrum in the United States. But I can only conclude that conservatives are either watching this show only to spite liberals or because they're too dumb to know what humor is. I'm not even going to touch on the irony of Fox News making a "fake news" program.

You know I very thoroughly enjoyed Jon Stewart and the Colbert Reports. When I compared this to them, attempting to find an almost center of the line, equal oppertunity bashing ... I gave up.

Why try if you cannot even pull of the wit let alone the charisma. Most watched? Temporarly. Then again, people are entitled. That is, of course, they ressurect Fasrouh the Terrorist Mouse and have him gesturing with an invisible AK47 bayonet at a painted visage of John Kerry when he was elected senator.

 

[Jintor]

Absinthe, although I totally I agree with you I think the reason it is hard for me to say flat out the daily show has a liberal bias is because in todays society if you don't report both sides, no matter how absurd and redicilous the "other" side is, you will be labeled biased. That's the biggest reason as to why the media in this country is so screwed up. Everyone is so worried about being called liberal they will do everything in their power to be "fair & balanced". This means giving the side that is completely batshit crazy equal air time. Thankfully the Daily Show doesn't do this and because of it they are labeled liberal.

All in all, the American Public is totally insane.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Besides, the Republican administration has been in charge for two elections now. As the most visible, powerful, prevalent, and ridiculous group in the United States, they are by default the primary target, regardless of political affiliations. Up until recently, the biggest attack you could launch against Democrats was that they were spineless (which Stewart did point out in abundance), because other than trying to mimic Republicans, they were literally doing jack shit.

Correct. The Daily Show attacks 'Conservatives' more than 'Liberals' because the Conservatives are in power; it's not sporting to skewer the underdog too often, nor is it entertaining.

 

[Godron]

My mind immediately raced back to hearing about the creator of 24 wanting to pioneer a conservative satire show in the same vein of The Daily Show.

Doesn't that mean that the show was meant to favour conservatism? If so, then it can't really be called biased IMO, or it can, but that's only a bad thing if it's not specifically part of your purpose in the first place. Everyone arguing an agenda will be biased in favour of it. Then again, if they wanted to argue a point, I suppose they should have started a blog or something, not a comedy show. I don't know... it there could be good and bad bias, I'm just not sure which is which.
I agree with everything else you said, of course. The fact that ratings are so high is a testement to how little logic actually enters into people's though processes, and how much people think or do things simply because it feels comfortable to them.

 

[brink's]

I also find it ridiculous that this conservative satire show is an a repected news network. One that on the surface prides itself on being "fair and balanced". How much longer is Fox going to be able to parade that phrase around before people come to their ****ing senses? The DS and Colbert R are on the Comedy Network so pretty much everything they dish out is fair game, but F news as a news network are obligated( or should be ) to take an objective stanch on politics. Doesn't this breech guidelines that every news network needs to follow? I know Fnews gets around them on pretty much every show they air..but this is so utterly blatant it's ridiculous.

Plus, it isn't funny at all.

 

[The Monkey]

Ann Coulter is the ugliest being I've ever come across in a long time.

That "comedy" show was a laugh, though, but not in the way its creators intended. It's just pathetic.

 

[Stigmata]

My favorite bit was when Ann Coulter made that self-depreciative "Tune in, or we'll invade your country and bomb your cities!" joke as if the Conservatives are ****ing proud of ruining nations. :|

 

[K e r b e r o s]

Holy crap. I just did not make sense ANYWHERE in this thread.