Stephen! Stephen! ... It's a no-brainer that the man with the chant has paid his dues. Stephen Colbert's time has come. He's poised to hit for the big leagues, aka network TV (if you can even call it that anymore).
CBS announced Thursday that it is snatching the Comedy Central host from his basic cable gig to replace outgoing David Letterman, who's retiring in 2015.
In our feature, "So long Letterman; hello ...?, " CL said that "Stephen Colbert has proven that his talents extend beyond the shtick of his right-wing caricature and has a knack for big surprises." Apart from his gags, he's a great interviewer and brought high-profile recognition to a show with a potentially limiting and often tiresome premise.
Though I and many others felt that CBS should have given the Late Show gig to a woman (like Chelsea Handler or Tina Fey) or African American man, we can live with this pasty white dude. The multitalented, Emmy-winning actor, comedian, writer and host of The Colbert Report, Colbert has a solid shot against the Jimmies.
Colbert, incidentally, was CL contributor Nicole Abbett's pick to succeed Letterman because "he's a real fucking American."
It will be fun to see how Colbert breaks the news to his fans. We're sure he will frame it in the most patriotic, winner-takes-all, self-congratulatory fashion. "Nation, there comes a time in a gifted celebrity's career ... "
