First he took on Wikipedia and South Carolina. Now Stephen Colbert’s campaign of self-aggrandizement is poised to go galactic; the space shuttle is scheduled to bring the International Space Station a new treadmill, named the COLBERT (Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill), after the Comedy Central host won an online naming contest. Colbert’s persona recorded a (self-) congratulatory message to the astronauts:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tnq4TJYN7A]
Unfortunately, Colbert will have to wait at least until tomorrow to conquer space-flab, as this morning’s scheduled launch was scrubbed. Here on Earth, Colbert’s executive producer, Allison Silverman, announced that she’s leaving the show; a report in the New York Times cites the demands of producing the nightly show. At Maclean’s, Jaime Weinman has a thoughtful look at Silverman’s behind-the-scenes contributions.