The real Stephen Colbert isn’t so different from the fake Stephen Colbert after all.
From the moment his tenure as host of CBS’ “The Late Show” began Tuesday night, Colbert evoked the ultra-patriotic blowhard character he channeled for nearly a decade on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” The cold open featured the host singing “The Star Spangled Banner” while standing alongside ordinary Americans in ordinary settings–a bowling alley, a farmer’s field. It was the show’s second most marvelous moment, and it ended with Jon Stewart, the erstwhile “Daily Show” host who grew Colbert from his own rib, dressed as an umpire and shouting, “Play ball!” From there we cut to the opening monologue (yes, there was one of those) which Colbert kicked off by addressing the audience with the same familiar greeting he employed in the “Report” days–“Nation.”