COREY SPRING

Recovering Journalist

Articles Posted: 110 Links Seeded: 242

Member Since: 2/2006 Last Seen: 3/17/2012

Call Colbert at 1-888-OOPS-JEW

Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:23 AM EDT

entertainment, television, jewish, judaism, new-year, stephen-colbert, colbert-report, repentance, rosh-hashanah

By Corey Spring

Stephen Colbert wants viewers to apologize for all the wrong they have done to him this year... and he's set up a real hotline for them to do it.

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Update: The hotline is now closed. Selected submission that went on the air can be seen here.

Stephen Colbert is up to his old tricks again.

On Tuesday night's edition of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert continued a recurring gag his show involving a 'Repentance Hotline' that he had allegedly set up for Jewish people to call him and, in accordance with the Jewish New Year tradition of repentance during Rosh Hashanah, apologize for all the wrong things they have done to him this year. On this particular night, however, Colbert changed the number for his hotline to 1-888-OOPS-JEW.

During the show's airing, however, dialing the phone number elicited not even so much as a dial tone. Many fans and viewers chalked it up to a simple gag that wasn't actually supposed to be legitimate.

As it turns out, Colbert wasn't fooling.

On Wednesday's episode, Colbert again brought out the segment, this time informing his viewers that so many people had tried to call the phone number at the same time, it broke the messaging system. Sure enough, placing a call to 1-888-OOPS-JEW (1-888-667-7539) will be greeted with a chipper:

Shalom, and welcome to Stephen Colbert's atonement hotline. At the beep, please be a mench, and unburden your soul by stating how you've wronged me - Stephen Colbert...

This isn't the first time Stephen Colbert has gone interactive with his users, either. In the past he has encouraged his users to name a bridge in Hungary after him, make viral videos of him using footage from a green screen, and vandalize Wikipedia. This combination of viewer interactivity and viral marketing may contribute to Colbert's fierce popularity with viewers of his show. Dozens of users submitted their own viral videos in his 'Green Screen Challenge' and in return several have been featured on the program. The same will likely be true of his 'repentance hotline,' and will likely keep his loyal viewers tuning in time and again to see if they one day turn up on his show.

Again, if you've got something to say to Stephen, the number to call him is 1-888-667-7539

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Public Discussion (34)

Corey Spring

If anyone calls and leaves a message, they should post it here.

2 votes

#1 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:39 AM EDT

Cary Quinn

And if you do leave a message, try to include the words "News" and "Vine" in some creative way.

2 votes

#1.1 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:24 PM EDT

Corey Spring

Haha, yeah. I called in earlier and apologized for buying into the pro-bear agenda.

And for calling the hotline and not being Jewish.

3 votes

#1.2 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:57 PM EDT

finalcut

...and will like keep his loyal viewers tuning in time and again to see if they one day turn up on his show.

is the "and will like" an intentional inclusion of the speech pattern? Is it a reference to something on the show or is it, like, you know, just you, like, typing, like uh, like you talk?

#2 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:47 AM EDT

Corey Spring

Like that's likely.

2 votes

#2.1 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:01 AM EDT

finalcut

uhh, I'm still confused. I don't watch Colbert so I don't know if this is a subtle reference to his show or just a case where you typed exactly what you were thinking. It stood out to me since few people write in a "dialog" fashion (though I suppose that is getting more common with online communication).

I'm not trying to be an ass I really was just curious why the "and will like" was in there.

#2.2 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:23 AM EDT

Corey Spring

It was a typo for likely

#2.3 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:38 AM EDT

Dennis P. McCannDeleted

finalcut

thanks :O) i thought maybe you were being sarcastic when you said "Like, that's likely"

#2.5 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:51 AM EDT

edomaniac

I am up for any of his gags, as long as none of them result in mass bear-slaughter

1 vote

#3 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:18 AM EDT

urbane gorilla

aaaah, so you support the right to arm bears.

3 votes

#3.1 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:06 AM EDT

Sean Balsiger

I called the number but didn't leave a message. I think someone needs to write an article about all these code books because he brought up a good point, nowadays anything with code in the title does get published. The only upside to that will be the publication of Stephen Colbert's Alpha ~~Squad~~ Code 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jensen AdCodeventure

6 votes

#4 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:26 AM EDT

insert_name_here

I was going to leave a message, but after Stephen stopped talking, some lady started talking for a long time about needing my parents permission to leave a message, so I didn't. Oh well.

I almost called it last night when I was watching the show, but I doubted it was a real number.

2 votes

#5 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:36 PM EDT

Sean Balsiger

I just wasn't sure what to say. I might leave him a message later today though. It would be cool to have your message on air. Also you could leave a message there's no way for them to know if you are under 18.

2 votes

#5.1 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 3:34 PM EDT

ACoolie

I tried to find the translation for the old number (in Hebrew) when he aired that, but couldn't find one. I have yet to call OOPS-JEW yet though, especially since I'm not Jewish, but I do still need to apologize to him..

FYI: Your article and seed counts show up as zero for me on this page.

1 vote

#6 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:50 PM EDT

Corey Spring

Yeah everyone's have been doing that for some reason today. Maybe new features are on the way or something.

I really think stuff like this is why Colbert 'works' - he involves his audience in his little world.

4 votes

#6.1 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:04 PM EDT

lauhal

Oy Vey! This is funny.

3 votes

#7 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:28 PM EDT

WebWeasel

It suprises me that the Oy Vey didn't show up earlier. You people miss all the good straight lines.

#7.1 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:05 AM EDT

Cardinal Biggles

"Hey Stephen, it's your good friend [my real name]. Yeah, I know, I haven't called in a while, and I'm sorry about that.

Yeah, I also haven't been watching your show regularly, and I'm sorry about that too. I'm also sorry about telling my friends not to watch it - I swear, cutting off their cable was purely accidental!

I'm also sorry about paying Osama Bin Laden to…you know…take you off his Christmas card list. Oh yeah, and I'm also sorry about that whole Charlene business.

She says 'hi,' by the way."

Though I am very afraid my stuttering for comedic effect my have degenerated into purely annoying stuttering.

4 votes

#8 - Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:02 PM EDT

Corey Spring

LOL

1 vote

#8.1 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 4:01 AM EDT

urbane gorilla

If you hear Hebrew with a pretty good Israeli accent, that might be me.

2 votes

#9 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:04 AM EDT

Levi

I just dialed it and it was busy.

#10 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:18 AM EDT

Cardinal Biggles

I just left another one:

"Hey, Stephen! It's me, Jesus Christ! Yeah, remember how I'm Jewish? I gotta repent too! Crazy, huh?

Yeah, I just wanted to apologize on behalf of my dad for this whole bear business; he says they were an accident.

I'm also sorry he couldn't speak to you personally. You see, Daddy doesn't talk much any more…Doesn't do much of anything, really…just sits there with his whisky…

So! That's a load off my back! I will see you during the Rapture!"

4 votes

#11 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:07 PM EDT

Corey Spring

Haha, I'm surprised he didn't leave the comment himself.

1 vote

#11.1 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:13 PM EDT

Sean Balsiger

Haha, great message cardinal.

Wow, I love how Jesus' URL is pwnt.newsvine.com.

2 votes

#11.2 - Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:54 PM EDT

Brad Leclerc

Ah Colbert, funny funny stuff. My message is between me and Colbert (or the guys that decide if they want to use it i guess hehe), but it's about bears, and world of colbert craft and other things.. it'll be pretty obviously me if it airs.

#12 - Sat Sep 30, 2006 10:21 AM EDT

Sean Balsiger

They played a few messages last night. You can see the clip here.