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Stephen Colbert trouncing Chuck Norris in Hungarian bridge contest
By Stone Martindale Aug 23, 2006, 22:24 GMT
American Stephen Colbert killing Chuck Norris and any Hungarian worth mentioning. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT
Satirist Stephen Colbert has won the first round of votes in an online public vote called by the Ministry of Economy and Transport to find a name for a new bridge spanning the Danube between Újpest and Budakalász, connecting two stretches of the M0 motorway ringroad.
Last week, Colbert asked the audience of his show The Colbert Report to vote for him in the contest. After the show appeared online, he reached the top position within a day. The first round of voting was closed on Tuesday morning, which means visitors can no longer suggest new names but can vote for the top 25 suggestions after registering on the M0 bridge official site.
The Hungary's Economy Ministry has been conducting an online poll to determine the name for a new bridge slated to be built over the Danube River. Word got out over the Internet, and the early front-runner was super he-man star Chuck Norris. Commenters suggested that perhaps the bridge's inscription should be "Chuck Norris does not build bridges, he leaps over rivers."
Norris has fallen badly behind in the polls. Fearsome foe Stephen Colbert, who spent a segment of his late-night program, "The Colbert Report," explaining to viewers how to vote for him. With a whopping 30 percent of the tally (that's more than 6 million votes), Mr. Colbert is clearly in the lead.
Colbert slings his patented "truthiness" on his popular show.
Colbert won the first round of voting with 17,231,725 (53%) votes. 17th century army general and poet Miklós Zrínyi was second with 2,062,649 (6%) votes, and revolutionary poet Sándor Petőfi's lazy hero Pató Pál came in third with 1,805,118 (6%) votes.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Colbert overwhelmingly led the second round with 6,976 (59%) votes. Jon Stewart stood at second place with 1,520 (13%) votes and Chuck Norris was third with 513 (4%) votes.
Hungarians are said to be collectively confused about all of this.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
are you in the States or Hungary?
damn you Colbert-I sh*t lightening bolts if you haven't heard-
you are dead to me!
in the states, for about 2 years
spent most of my life in hungary, though
why is that important?
it's interesting. This site gets worldwide readership-we are sometimes amazed at the recognition of what we think are uniquely American phenomenons, Like Stephen!
it aint just America, us Canadians are watching too! youd think such a pro american show would be some-what unpopular in Canada but its the exact opposite. I myself am rootin for Stephen, I hope he gets his bridge, I hope the hungarian government holds true to its contest because in all honesty it might be good for the govt of hungary to name this bridge after stephen just for the amount of publicity and tourism it will attract especially from Americans.
Mike, you know that Colbert's show is satire, right?
Just checkin'....oh! I get it--you're playing off the stereotype-based satire yourself, eh?
Mike, you know that Colbert's show is satire, right?
Just checkin'....oh! I get it--you're playing off the stereotype-based satire yourself, eh?
Enjoy your communism! kekek
Anyway I thought it would be cool to have a bridge named after me. Although I happen to like chuck norris a lot I will triumph!
-Stephen
page: 1
KaczyAug 24th, 2006 - 02:16:38
we are not confused. it's perfectly normal to make fun of government websites in Hungary. that's how the whole thing started, a bunch of local Hungarian students putting up Chuck Norris' name for fun
a Hungarian
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