‘Colbert Christmas’ entertains with wacky antics, musical guests

Viewers of Comedy Central’s nightly pundit program “The Colbert Report” know what to expect from its host, Stephen Colbert. Whether he’s tipping his hat, wagging his finger or dance-battling Korean pop stars, Colbert does everything over-the-top. His most recent endeavour, a Christmas special, is no different.

“A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All” is a satire of the cheesy holiday variety specials of yore — it feaures singing, dancing and special musical guests, not to mention wonderfully outdated title graphics and commercial bumpers. Filmed in what is supposed to be Stephen’s woodland cabin, he welcomes guests Elvis Costello, Toby Keith, John Legend, Feist, Willie Nelson and of course, Jon Stewart. The odd mishmash of guests is silly enough, but everything about the hour-long program is pure Colbert wackiness, from the frequent bear attacks to the unnecessary sexual tension he tries to create between himself and all of his guests.

The duets Colbert shares with Stewart and Costello are probably the funniest segments.

During the Stewart segment, the former co-stars engage in the timeless debate about the wonders of Hanukkah versus Christmas (“I’ll keep Jesus, you keep potato pancakes,” Colbert sings). It doesn’t break new comedic territory, that’s for sure. But Colbert and Stewart’s excellent dynamic is enough to leave longtime fans highly satisfied — after all, one of the funniest parts of the very funny “Daily Show” is when Jon checks in with Stephen at the end of the program. The two work very well with each other and adding song and dance to the mix just makes it all the better.

The Costello bit closes the program and sees the music legend fake-playing the piano while he and Colbert sing “There Are Much Worse Things To Believe In” — a funny and strangely poignant song that defends the silly, commercial Christmas that so many Americans take part in.

But at times, the show relies too much on its wacky premise instead of actually delivering jokes — a crime that many comedy programs commit but one that “The Colbert Report” has generally avoided in the past. The Willie Nelson portion of the show has one joke — Willie Nelson smokes weed — and it simply repeats itself until the next guest arrives. It seems as though the writers thought that the (admittedly funny) idea of seeing Nelson dressed as a wise man in the Nativity and talking about marijuana was going to be enough to solicit laughs through an entire ten minutes of airtime.

“A Colbert Christmas” is definitely worth a watch, especially if one is a fan of Colbert, Stewart or any of the program’s guests. “Report” watchers will catch many inside jokes (too many of them to list). Even fans of Colbert’s idol, Bill O’Reilly, will be pleased with the show — Toby Keith performs an enthusiastic song in support of the Christian side of the “War on Christmas.” (He calls it “a late-December Fourth of July.”) It might not be Colbert’s best work, but it certainly entertains.

“A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All” premiered Sunday night on Comedy Central and will be in reruns throughout the holiday season. The DVD will be available in stores on Tuesday, and the soundtrack album will be available for download on iTunes on the same day. Part of the proceeds from both will be donated to Feeding America.