Don’t expect a pie in the face, or a gong or Ashton Kutcher jumping out of a van.
Nonetheless, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, the 2nd District Democrat, is ready to be the butt of the joke.
Tonight, Larsen will put himself on the line, taking a position few politicians would dare to take: a seat across from Stephen Colbert, host of “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central. The show airs at 11:30 p.m.
He will be the subject of Colbert’s occasional “Better Know a District” segment, in which Larsen is likely to be made to look a little silly.
It’s all part of the job, he said.
“How do you prepare for a fake interview with a fake reporter on a fake news show?” Larsen wondered aloud. “The answer was to play the straight man and to realize it’s for the audience.”
Colbert has made quite a name for himself on the political landscape since his show was spun off from Comedy Central’s hit “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” in October.
His on-screen presence overtly mocks TV political pundits such as Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity by slightly exaggerating their staunch, authoritarian and supremely patriotic personas.
Colbert has been known, as O’Reilly does, to put people and things “on notice.” He keeps a running list of those on notice, which currently includes grizzly bears, “The Black Hole at the Center of the Galaxy,” the British Empire and Barbra Streisand.
Colbert hit the political landscape big-time at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April, when he delivered a speech roasting President Bush, who was sitting at the head table just a few feet away.
Now, most everyone in Washington knows about the Colbert phenomenon, or “Colbert Nation.”
Some members of Congress who know the show avoid being featured on it, Larsen said. Others don’t know it at all, accept an invitation to appear and are befuddled or embarrassed.
Larsen said he knows the show and knows his role, and he’s certain that what airs won’t be much like he remembers the hour-long interview that took place last month.
The show is notorious for its crafty editing and for taking quotes out of context.
The five minutes that make him look the most ridiculous will be what airs, Larsen said.
“And if that’s the service that I can provide, then I want to do it, because this job is all about public service,” he said. “Sometimes you have to have a little fun.”
Jeff Cooperman, senior producer for “The Colbert Report,” didn’t give away anything in a phone interview about the segment, which Larsen hasn’t seen.
“It’s hard to imagine a better local congressman,” Cooperman said. “The work is going to speak for itself, but I think he will be a terrific addition to the incredible lineup of representatives we’ve visited.”
Reporter Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
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