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Colbert Auctioning Off Colbert

Wed., Oct. 18, 2006 4:21 PM PDT by Josh Grossberg

Those of you in the Colbert Nation have something to celebrate—and to buy.

In honor of The Colbert Report's one-year anniversary Tuesday, Stephen Colbert, the Emmy-nominated Comedy Central series' namesake host, is giving fans a chance to own a piece of Colbert history by auctioning off the portrait of himself that hangs above his on-stage trophy mantle.

The painting, which went up for sale on eBay earlier Wednesday, features a realistic-looking Colbert striking one of his classic "Lincolnish" poses while standing by the fireplace in front of a previous portrait of him in a different pokerfaced pose in front of the same fireplace.

The meta-work is in the tradition of surrealists like Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali, which is to say it's not far from the mindbending humor of The Colbert Report.

A spinoff of The Daily Show, the Report sends up the kind of news punditry practiced by The O'Reilly Factor, with Colbert in full deadpan mode espousing "truthiness," expressing a deep distrust of bears and trying to nail his guests into buying into his skewed version of reality (i.e., people shouldn't read books; they should "feel" them--in their gut).

In the past year Colbert has become a huge online phenomenon. At his urging, fans deluged an official Hungarian Website and wrote in his name for a new bridge in that country. His recently concluded Green Screen Challenge encouraged fans to take some footage of him rolling around with a prop lightsaber and transform it into a Star Wars-worthy blockbuster.

George Lucas himself got in on the act during an episode last week. Colbert marked the end of the challenge by showcasing an entry from a viewer named George L., with a little help from the Industrial Light & Magic team. The end of the episode featured Colbert and Lucas in a battle royale that would put Darth and Luke to shame. Or not.

What's in store for The Report's second year? There are some tantalizing hints.

The Decatur Daily News in Tuscumbia, Alabama, reported earlier this month that camera crews for the hit program were in town to film an upcoming segment on the grand opening of the Stephen Colbert Museum and Gift Shop—and not so grand closing on the same day. Hundreds of residents turned out for a ribbon-cutting ceremony that was accompanied by a marching band and the Colbert County High School cheerleaders.

And in honor of Colbert, locals opted to pronounce their county name minus the usual "t," the way the entertainer pronounces his name (as in Col-BEAR). According to the paper, the Colbert gift shop featured items like a cardboard cutout of the host that were "sold out" as soon as the doors opened.

As for the painting, bidding runs through Oct. 30. All money raised is going to charity, specifically Save the Children USA, which helps children out of poverty.