Road to the Games | Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games | CBC B.C. Feature - Action News
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Road to the Games | Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games | CBC B.C. Feature

Colbert comes to town

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He's here! American satirist Stephen Colbert followed up on an invitation to come to the Vancouver games after a mock feud with Canadians on his show and while here, he's taping a number of episodes for Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.

colbert.jpgAfter hearing about the Colbert taping, I decided to make my way down to Creekside Park this morning to see what the madness was all about. Thousands of people had already crowded around the stage set up along the seawall. When Colbert took the stage and saw the masses of people gathered on the grass, he joked: "Isn't there anything else to do in Vancouver?"

Colbert's set featured a life-size moose, fake snow, skiis, a totem pole and a large "Defeat the World" poster with Colbert riding a bald eagle. Between the Michael Bubl interview and NBC reporter Bob Costas riding a moose, the comedian managed to get the already-ecstatic crowd roaring with laughter. While Colbert has poked fun at Canada during his late-night TV show in recent months - calling Canadians 'syrup suckers' and 'iceholes' - he praised Vancouver during the public taping.

Last November, Colbert gained attention for calling out Canadian "iceholes" for not providing American speed skaters enough ice time at the Richmond Oval. Since then, he has accepted the position of official Olympic ombudsmen, offered by the City of Richmond, in order to prevent American discrimination. In a now-famous letter sent from Richmond spokesman Ted Townsend to Colbert, Townsend urged Colbert to "find yourself some sled dogs and venture forth to our great frozen wasteland."

And ventured to Vancouver is exactly what Colbert has done. The public taping of The Colbert Report this morning - with another taping scheduled for Thursday morning - adds to the Olympic mania that has taken hold of Vancouver. Keep an eye out for Colbert's Vancouver 2010 "Defeat the World" posters, which are being plastered all over the city.

Were you at Creekside Park to join in the Colbert Nation frenzy this morning?

From the files of CBC intern Niamh Scallan