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Stephen Colbert Makes a Surprise Return to Late Night Stephen Colbert Makes a Surprise Return to Late Night
(8 days later)
Late night did not stay dark long.Late night did not stay dark long.
Days after announcing that his show would be off the air for several weeks, the host of CBS’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” made a surprise appearance on Monday, delivering a 10-minute monologue from his bathtub.Days after announcing that his show would be off the air for several weeks, the host of CBS’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” made a surprise appearance on Monday, delivering a 10-minute monologue from his bathtub.
“Welcome to my bathroom. I’m your host, Stephen Colbert,” he said at 11:35 p.m. “You’re watching a very special social distancing edition of ‘The Late Show.’”“Welcome to my bathroom. I’m your host, Stephen Colbert,” he said at 11:35 p.m. “You’re watching a very special social distancing edition of ‘The Late Show.’”
Surrounded by bubbles, Mr. Colbert was dressed in a dark suit, sporting facial scruff and wearing AirPods. A toilet was visible in the background.Surrounded by bubbles, Mr. Colbert was dressed in a dark suit, sporting facial scruff and wearing AirPods. A toilet was visible in the background.
Like his fellow late night hosts — a group that includes NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, TBS’s Samantha Bee, HBO’s John Oliver and Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah — Mr. Colbert said last week that his show would suspend production until at least March 30 to guard against the spread of the coronavirus.Like his fellow late night hosts — a group that includes NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, TBS’s Samantha Bee, HBO’s John Oliver and Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah — Mr. Colbert said last week that his show would suspend production until at least March 30 to guard against the spread of the coronavirus.
“I wish I could stay onstage to share this uncertain moment with you, but I don’t do this show alone, and I have to do what’s best for my staff,” Mr. Colbert said on Thursday. “Hope to be back soon.”“I wish I could stay onstage to share this uncertain moment with you, but I don’t do this show alone, and I have to do what’s best for my staff,” Mr. Colbert said on Thursday. “Hope to be back soon.”
He was.He was.
From his bubble bath on Monday, Mr. Colbert brandished a container of Head & Shoulders shampoo and a slice of a pear and almond cream tart he had made. He also grabbed a can of Goya beans that he said he had been hoarding.From his bubble bath on Monday, Mr. Colbert brandished a container of Head & Shoulders shampoo and a slice of a pear and almond cream tart he had made. He also grabbed a can of Goya beans that he said he had been hoarding.
“There’s literally hundreds of beans in this can,” he said. “One of them has to be magical. That’s just math.”“There’s literally hundreds of beans in this can,” he said. “One of them has to be magical. That’s just math.”
The monologue had the rapid-fire cadences of the lines he usually delivers from the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan. It included video clips of President Trump’s Monday news conference, with commentary. The host also mocked Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Monday visit to a Y.M.C.A. gym, which had been the subject of much ridicule on social media.The monologue had the rapid-fire cadences of the lines he usually delivers from the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan. It included video clips of President Trump’s Monday news conference, with commentary. The host also mocked Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Monday visit to a Y.M.C.A. gym, which had been the subject of much ridicule on social media.
“Come on, Mr. Mayor. Don’t you know that during an epidemic, it’s fun to stay at your h-o-m-e,” he said, to the tune of the vintage Village People hit “Y.M.C.A.” “’Cause if you don’t, we’ll be d-e-a-d.”“Come on, Mr. Mayor. Don’t you know that during an epidemic, it’s fun to stay at your h-o-m-e,” he said, to the tune of the vintage Village People hit “Y.M.C.A.” “’Cause if you don’t, we’ll be d-e-a-d.”
After the monologue, Mr. Colbert turned to a piece taped last week featuring a “Late Show” producer and his mother learning about coronavirus. The rest of the show comprised segments from a February episode.After the monologue, Mr. Colbert turned to a piece taped last week featuring a “Late Show” producer and his mother learning about coronavirus. The rest of the show comprised segments from a February episode.
Updated July 7, 2020
The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
When the late-night shows went on hiatus, some observers lamented that the hosts would not be around to add comfort, humor and a skeptical voice to the national discourse as they had during earlier times of crisis.When the late-night shows went on hiatus, some observers lamented that the hosts would not be around to add comfort, humor and a skeptical voice to the national discourse as they had during earlier times of crisis.
David Letterman’s return to CBS six days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 was a landmark in the genre’s history. Mr. Letterman — along with Mr. Fallon on NBC — also broadcast episodes without a studio audience in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Veteran late-night producers have also noted that moments of crisis give hosts a chance to break the rigid formats of their nightly shows.David Letterman’s return to CBS six days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 was a landmark in the genre’s history. Mr. Letterman — along with Mr. Fallon on NBC — also broadcast episodes without a studio audience in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Veteran late-night producers have also noted that moments of crisis give hosts a chance to break the rigid formats of their nightly shows.
Mr. Colbert, who has the most-watched show in late night, did not have any competition on Monday. ABC showed a repeat of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” a night before “Nightline” temporarily takes over the 11:35 slot. New York’s NBC affiliate, WNBC, went with the local news until midnight, pushing a repeat of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to early Tuesday.Mr. Colbert, who has the most-watched show in late night, did not have any competition on Monday. ABC showed a repeat of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” a night before “Nightline” temporarily takes over the 11:35 slot. New York’s NBC affiliate, WNBC, went with the local news until midnight, pushing a repeat of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to early Tuesday.
But Mr. Colbert’s bathtub monologue could signal weeks of do-it-yourself comedy from late-night entertainers.But Mr. Colbert’s bathtub monologue could signal weeks of do-it-yourself comedy from late-night entertainers.
Two of his competitors were not entirely absent on Monday. Mr. Fallon posted a 21-second original song dedicated to hand washing to his Twitter account. And in a short video posted on YouTube, the TBS host Conan O’Brien sanitized a jigsaw puzzle by boiling its pieces while singing “Happy Birthday to You” in various accents.Two of his competitors were not entirely absent on Monday. Mr. Fallon posted a 21-second original song dedicated to hand washing to his Twitter account. And in a short video posted on YouTube, the TBS host Conan O’Brien sanitized a jigsaw puzzle by boiling its pieces while singing “Happy Birthday to You” in various accents.
When asked if Mr. Colbert would be back with a new monologue on Tuesday, a CBS spokeswoman declined to comment.When asked if Mr. Colbert would be back with a new monologue on Tuesday, a CBS spokeswoman declined to comment.