2008 February

Colbert: My guest tonight finds beauty in women - no matter what their weight. I find beauty in women - no matter what their area. Please, welcome: Leonard Nimoy!! 

Thanks to Grace for this link

(great response from the audience)
Colbert: Thank you, thank you! Hey, Mr. Nimoy, thank you so much for joining us. 
Leonard Nimoy: You are welcome, thank you. 
Colbert: Now, you got an incredible book here. 
Leonard Nimoy: Thank you. 
Colbert: I'm a lover of photography. And this book is called "The Full Body Project". And it is photographs of women that are larger than what our societal image of beauty is. Is that a fair charactarization? 
Leonard Nimoy: Yes, this is true. 
Colbert: Well, here is my problem with it, Mr. 
Leonard laughs.
Colbert: Society has agreed on what beautiful is: (the audience laughs)  Blond, thin, big titts, okay? This is questioning what society has agreed upon. What other  part of society do you just want to shock out, mister? What's your point? What are you trying to do with this book? What do you want to do? 
Leonard Nimoy: There really is a standard established. You are absolutely right. There really is a standard. And the standard is presented to us by the women who model the clothes that are being sold to the women in this country.  
Colbert: Absolutely. 
Leonard Nimoy: The issue is this: The average woman in this country weighs 25% more than those models do and they will never retain that body shape.

So they are being sold on the idea that they don't look right. So, 
Colbert: I accept that. 
Leonard Nimoy: There is something wrong with  that. 
Colbert: No, its not. 
Leonard Nimoy: They are being told: 'There is soemthing wrong with you' and they have to buy our pills and buy our diet or buy our surgery or buy 
Colbert: That's our market place, mister. You have something wrong with our free market?  Are you charging money for this? (he's holding up the book) Is this free? .. you got protest too much. 
Leonard laughs
Colbert: Now, okay. I don't have anything about women being large. And you've got a good point that the women, the models are thinner, the average American woman is larger. Everything America is big, We've got big acvs, and we've got big bugs to fit in these acvs. That's what we do, we supersize it. okay? That doesn't mean, what you're saying, what seems you are saying is: Everybody is beautiful.  
Leonard Nimoy: That's absolute true. That's right. That's exactly what I'm saying. 
Colbert: What a message is that? There is nothing to shoot for then. 
Leonard Nimoy: These are very, very beautiful people. 
Colbert: Let's look at some of them, shall we? It's beautiful photography. I like this one particulary. She looks relaxed, she looks rested, she looks ready. Have you got a name for these or are they just ..
Leonard Nimoy: I call this a beautiful person. That's exactly what I call it. (Cheering and applause from the audience)

Colbert: Go to the next one, Jim. Now, was this a candid snap or was that in a mall I've never been to? 
Leonard (laughs): This is actually exactly based on a very famous painting by Marc Duchamp around 1913 which was called 'Nudes descendinga staircase'. 
Colbert: I knew that guy. He put a toilet on the wall and called it 'art', right? That's the deal, right? 
Leonard Nimoy (still laughing): That's the guy! This is my version of 'Nudes on a staircase'. And this is based on Henri Matisse 'A Dance' which he did about 100 years ago. 
Colbert: A mass?  
Leonard Nimoy: Henri Matisse! Henri Matisse, Mr. Colbert! 

Colbert: A different guy then. Now let me ask you something. You're taking all these nude pictures of these ladies and making a bug out of them. I'm not going to name you a pornographer, I'm just ging to say: You're making money of other people's nude bodies. Let me ask you something, Len, okay? Can I call you 'Len?'
Leonard Nimoy: Yes, please, do. 
Colbert: Len, have you got any nude pictures of Len in this book? 
Leonard Nimoy: No.
Colbert:  No? Why not, Len?  (Cheers from the audience) 

Colbert: Everybody was beautiful, hey? Come on, show a little spirit!
Leonard Nimoy: This book would be apropriate at every coffetable in the home in the United States, particulary  
Colbert: You are not invited to my home, Sir. 
Leonard Nimoy (laughs): particulary where there are young ladies involved and I tell you why: Because young girls are standing in front of mirrors as a result of what they were being sold as being the standard. They are standing in front of mirrors and say: 'I hate my body'. 'I hate my arms, I hate my legs' and so forth. As a result a recent study shows that young girls are choosing oral sex onto the other kind because they don't have to show their bodies. They don't want to take their clothes off. They are concerned about the body because they don't look like the standard that
Colbert: I want you to know that I don't go up with these young girls. I don't know what you are talking about. 
Leonard Nimoy: This is what's happening in our country today. 
Colbert: Well, thank you, the photography is beautiful, I am offended by your attack on the American standards and I'm grateful that you stopped by. The book is "The Full Body Project" - Leonard Nimoy!!