The Colbert Rapport

By now, of course, you all know that Stephen Colbert has been named to take over CBS's "The Late Show" from David Letterman in 2015.  While it remains to be seen whether Steve will be calling himself "Kol-BEAR" or "KOL-bert" (the latter pronunciation is the one his family actually uses), one thing is certain - you will be seeing Stephen Colbert the comedian, not Stephen Colbert the character on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."  Since it's unlikely that a similar conservative-talk-show parody will replace it, that concentrates more political satire on that channel in the hands of Jon Stewart, who needs the extra gravitasse these days.  Sure, "The Daily Show" is popular, but one can't help but notice how many talents Stewart has lost - Colbert, John Oliver, et. al. - most of whom have gone on to bigger and better things.

Actually, the one person who ought to worry about his future as a result of Steve's new "Late Show" gig is not Stewart but Jimmy Fallon, who will now have to go one-on-one with Colbert in 2015.  Jimmy Fallon is popular, but Stephen Colbert carries a lot more prestige in TV these days, and be it real Colbert or fake Colbert, heaven help the poor sap who has to go against him.  Also, Murphy's Law has prevailed at NBC for a decade - especially at "The Tonight Show" (Conan O'Brien?  anyone?) - so even though Fallon has gotten good notices so far as its host, the bloom may be off the rose once Colbert fills ol' Dave's shoes.

It;s going to be interesting.  Stay tuned.