Behind the scenes of `The Colbert Report'

[underpants]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/06/08/entertainment/e210136D18.DTL

"The Report" recently aired its 400th episode. On June 16, he will stroll into the Waldorf-Astoria and accept the prestigious Peabody Award for his show. Colbert says he also expects to play the role of "kingmaker" in this year's election.

"The Colbert Report" debuted on Oct. 17, 2005 with what might still be its biggest success — the coining of the term "truthiness." The term, which means a truth one feels in the gut rather than learns in books, was a home run in the first at bat that Colbert calls the "thesis statement" to everything that's followed.

"People say, `Aren't you going to be sad when Bush goes?'" says Colbert. "No. The show is not about that. The show is not about O'Reilly. The show is not about the shout fest. The show is about what is behind those things, which is: What I say is reality. And that never ends. Every politician is going to want to enforce that, or every person in Hollywood — every person."

"Stephen has such encyclopedic knowledge and I figured using himself as the foundation of a character like that, there was no question he could do this every day," says Stewart. "He was just ready. He wears that character so perfectly."

"When a fictional person declares something news, is it responsible for you to agree? Isn't that interesting?" wonders Colbert. "But so many real people declare fictional news and the press agrees. For instance, the surge is a success, don't you think?"

Since falling while running around his "C"-shaped desk and breaking his wrist, he's advocated "wrist awareness" by selling "WristStrong" bracelets. All proceeds go to the Yellow Ribbon Fund to assist injured service members and their families.

When asked how long he plans to keep wearing the band and stick with the joke, Colbert turned more serious than at any other point in our conversation. He replied firmly, "Not until the war is over."

That's about as close as Colbert comes to any kind of political statement.

"It is a sketch comedy show," he says. "So far, it's a 2 1/2-year sketch. I think of the entire show as a single scene. I'm just working on an 84-hour comedy project, and that's how we think of it."

[liberal N proud]

1. My 15 year old used Colbert to get extra points on a quiz at school

She was taking a Social Studies quiz and wrote at the bottom that she hadn't been able to watch the Colbert Report lately.

She didn't do very well on the quiz and the teacher asked her why, she said she had been watching the news and not Colbert. The teacher laughed and then gave her extra credit for the response.