May 13 Stephen Tyrone Colbert's Birthday

The dust jacket on Stephen Colbert’s best-selling book, I am America (And So Can You!), contains a concise summary of Stephen Colbert that is more complete than any we could offer:  Stephen Colbert is America. This single sentence is printed under an image of a Hulk-like Colbert jabbing an American flag into a bear. It’s the perfect illustration of the ludicrous persona Colbert has crafted for himself – first as a special correspondent on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, and then as the host of his own spin-off comedy news program, The Colbert Report. Colbert masquerades as a hyper-conservative, jingoistic, loudmouthed parody of conservative television and radio pundits. His show, consistently one of the highest-rated shows on cable television, features segments like the “Threat-Down” – a humorous list of the five biggest current threats to Truth, Justice and The American Way.

Colbert, born on May 13, 1964, like many of comedy’s finest, started his acting career as a member of Chicago’s famed Second City troupe, performing as an understudy for his later Daily Show cohort Steve Carell.  In 1997 Colbert debuted his “character:” Stephen Colbert, a well-meaning but highly misinformed political pundit broadcasting inflammatory reactionary material in a manner spoofing the many “personalities” of conservative news media.

In 2005, with the burgeoning success of The Daily Show, Comedy Central was looking for a way to extend the franchise. Colbert’s pitch for a right-wing media show parody was picked up for an eight-week trial run. The show’s strong ratings and immediate media attention earned it a full two-year contract. The Colbert Report (the last T’s are silent) and the Colbert Nation were formed. The Report takes the form of a conservative news program – recent headlines are introduced and discussed at the beginning of the show, and more in-depth analysis of threats to America and other pressing political matters fills time until the show’s daily interview with a celebrity, author or political figure. Of course, the entire show is patently ludicrous– Bears consistently rank as one of America’s greatest threats and Colbert’s interviews with junior senators for his “Better Know a District” segment are merely excuses to dig up ridiculous facts about the various districts across the country.

In 2006, Colbert as Colbert was invited to speak at the White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner, where, in character, he ruthlessly ridiculed President Bush and his low approval rating. He encourages his viewers to spam bridge and mascot-naming elections with write-ins for himself. He has an ongoing feud with Korean pop star Rain. Colbert is at once a truly unique look at how ludicrous political newsmedia can be and a legitimate rallying point for genuine interest in the events of the world – albeit through a deliberately warped lens. Colbert is nothing short of a national treasure – and that’s the word.

So if Stephen and his lovely wife Evelyn ever accept you invitation to come over for a birthday dinner for him, what should you serve as the first course? That's easy. Emeril Largesse's Consommé Colbert. And you can even purchase a video of Emeril making this fantastic soup on "The Essence of Emeril: Episode: Consommé." We suggest that your pair this remarkable soup with with a DVD of The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear (2010).
 

Serves 4

© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes