Air Apparent Words by Richard Dorment    Photographs by Jake Chessum Stephen Colbert's knack for pointing out the weird and hilarious has landed him his own Comedy Central show. Prepare for topsy-turvy madness.

The bad news is that after nine years as a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert has moved on. Tragic, we know. But the good news is that he didn't go very far. As you may already have seen, his new show "The Colbert Report" follows The Daily Show, where Colbert honed his comedic skills by tackling political and lifestyle issues with an ironic touch.

If The Daily Show is like Headline News," he explains, "this is like Bill O'Reilly or Joe Scarborough. It's a parody of a one-man pundit show." But aren't talking heads, all hot air and hair spray, an easy target? Colbert doesn't think so.

"These shows aren't about the news. They're about personalities," he says. "O'Reilly gets America. That's his whole thing: 'I get America. I get the audience. I am America.' Certitude and self-importance—that's the voice I'm copping. I might even start referring to myself as America. 'America is thirsty. America wants a sandwich. America wants to know where the bathroom is.'"

And, unlike O'Reilly and other assorted windbags, Colbert doesn't take it all that seriously. "My entire objective and responsibility," he says, "is to be funny."

COLBERT ON...
BRIAN WILLIAMS I like NBC Nightly News. I'm not entirely sure what Williams is saying, because I don't turn up the volume, but I think he's just adorable. He's got a very deep tan, but they need to touch up underneath his eyes. And sometimes he wears a blue shirt with a white collar. I think that's kind of fey. ANDERSON COOPER He's much sexier than Brian Williams, but Brian is in a position of power and you know how attractive that is. LARRY KING I can't watch him. It's like watching Tales from the Crypt.		MSNBC I'm an MSNBC man. I love the brunettes they've got on during the day—I'm a big Contessa Brewer fan. Anybody can go blonde, but they've cornered the market on super-hot brunettes. FOX NEWS They're great at getting my blood pressure up.

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