For nine years, Stephen Colbert has relentlessly maintained his pompous, deeply ridiculous but consistently appealing conservative blowhard character on his late-night show, “The Colbert Report” — so much so that when he puts the character to rest for good on Thursday night, he may have to resort to comicide. The Grim Reaper is his last guest.
九年来，史蒂芬·科尔伯特(Stephen Colbert)一直坚持不懈地维持着自己在他那深夜秀“扣扣熊报告”(The Colbert Report)里的形象：一个浮夸、滑稽之极而又一直十分有趣的保守派吹牛大王——以至于他在周四晚上要让这个大话精永久息影时，他可能要让这个角色死掉才行。穿着斗篷的死神是他的最后一个嘉宾。
Devoted fans of “The Colbert Report” (the final T is silent) have dreaded this day since April 10, when their favorite late-night star announced that he was leaving to become the successor to David Letterman on CBS.
当他们最爱的深夜秀主持人在4月10号宣布自己将要离开，前去哥伦比亚广播公司（Columbia Broadcasting System，下称CBS）接替大卫·莱特曼(David Letterman)时，“扣扣熊报告”（The Colbert Report，最后一个t不发音哦）的忠实粉丝们就一直害怕着这一天的到来。
Mr. Colbert has steered clear of commenting on his plans for the last show, other than on-air comments that the end is near. But whatever comic exercise Mr. Colbert devises to end his multi-award-winning run on Comedy Central, including perhaps some symbolic hara-kiri for the character he brought into American homes four nights a week, he has left an indelible mark on late-night television comedy.
科尔伯特一直避而不谈自己最后一期的节目有什么策划，只是在直播里提到结束的日子快到了。但不管科尔伯特策划了什么桥段来结束这个在喜剧中心频道(Comedy Central)播放、已获多项大奖的节目——可能还包括一些象征性的切腹自杀来终结这个他在每周四天里给美国家庭带来的喜剧人物——他都为深夜电视喜剧界留下来不可磨灭的印记。
And he did it in a way almost no one thought was possible, or sustainable: as a fake host, a fictional character using Mr. Colbert’s own name who was an elaborate parody of a bloviating political talk show host.
而且之前从来没人认为他这样的表演方式是可行的，或者说是可持续的：他是以科尔伯特为名的一个捏造出来的主持人、一个虚构人物，惟妙惟肖而又反讽地模仿着一个喋喋不休的政治脱口秀主持人。
Jimmy Kimmel, the host of ABC’s late-night show, with whom Mr. Colbert shares a manager (James Dixon), said he had been concerned when Mr. Colbert announced his intention to create the parody show in 2005.
和科尔伯特同在一名经纪人（詹姆斯·迪克森[James Dixon]）旗下的美国广播公司(American Broadcasting Company)深夜秀主持人吉米·坎摩尔(Jimmy Kimmel)说他在2005年科尔伯特宣布要制作这部嘲讽模仿节目时就十分关注。
“I remember pleading with Dixon to tell Stephen it was a terrible mistake to do a character the whole time,” Mr. Kimmel said. “That it wasn’t going to last, and also not to name the show ‘The Report’ as a joke. It was just going to confuse everybody. And he did, anyway, and of course, it was a smashing success in every way.”
“我记得当时自己求着迪克森去和史蒂芬说，要一直模仿同一个人，真的是一个糟糕的错误，”坎摩尔说。“我说这没法持续下去，我还说不要戏谑地把这节目名字叫做‘报告’。这只会让所有人摸不着头脑。但他还是做了，当然，这个节目最后在各个方面都取得了绝对的成功。”
Mr. Colbert appeared in character not simply on his show, but in appearances elsewhere, including a memorable knockout performance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2006. (He stirred Bush administration outrage with comments like: “I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least, and by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.”) He even remained at his blowhard best when he testified before Congress in 2010. (Before a Congressional subcommittee on immigration issues and farm labor, Mr. Colbert’s character said things like, “Maybe the easier answer is just to have scientists develop vegetables that pick themselves.”)
科尔伯特不止在他的节目里以那个虚构人物出现，在其他场合也是如此，包括2006年在白宫记者协会晚宴上的那次让人印象深刻的绝佳表演。（他是这样讥讽布什政府的暴行的：“我相信管得最少的政府就是管得最好的政府，以这个标准的话，我们已经在伊拉克建立了一个绝好的政府啊。”）甚至2010年在国会发表证言时他还是不改自己的戏谑本色。（在一个国会移民与农工问题小组委员会面前，科尔伯特扮演的角色是这么说的，“可能最好的解决办法就是让科学家研发出一种新蔬菜，让它们自己把自己从田里拔出来好了。”）
Mr. Colbert has worked with many of his late-night colleagues, including Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon, appearing in character, of course. (He showed up on Mr. Fallon’s debut “Tonight” show on NBC, pouring a bucket of pennies down the host’s collar, then welcoming him with a colorful phrase.)
科尔伯特曾和包括柯南·奥布莱恩(Conan O’Brian)和吉米·法伦(Jimmy Fallon)在内的很多深夜秀同行合作过，当然了，他还是以他的虚构角色出现的。（当法伦第一次在全国广播公司[National Broadcasting Company]的“今夜秀”[Tonight]主持时，他带来了一桶硬币，都倒进了法伦的领子里，然后用脏话欢迎了他。）
Like other competitors, Mr. Fallon professed unabashed awe that Mr. Colbert could sustain this performance at such a high level for so long. “Before he won the Emmy, I had been preaching that people had to recognize what he was doing: He’s faking a person,” Mr. Fallon said. “I was one of those who said, ‘He’ll do it for six months and then he’ll move on.’ Imagine if you were still trying to do the Coneheads on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ It’s gets old. But not this. He’s a genius.”
和其他竞争者一样，法伦对于科尔伯特居然能让这个节目长期维持在高水平，表示了不加掩饰的崇敬。“在他赢得艾美奖之前(Emmy)，我就一直说人们要知道他在干嘛：他在假装是另一个人，”法伦说。“我当时就是那些人之一，我们说‘他会玩这个玩六个月，然后就得玩点别的了。’想想看如果你还在‘周六夜现场’[Saturday Night Live]里装蠢人会怎么样。这个桥段有点老套。但他的这个不一样。他是个天才。”
But for all the effort and talent Mr. Colbert has invested in keeping the character going, he appears resolute in his intention to allow him to pass into comic history. This decision, Mr. O’Brien said, reflects tremendous confidence. “There is something really cool about Stephen saying, ‘This needs to stop at some point, so let’s stop now,’ ” he said.
尽管科尔伯特花费了如此多的精力和才干让这个节目得以持续下去，但他似乎对于让自己退入喜剧界历史十分坚决。奥布莱恩说，科尔伯特的这个决定反映了其超然的自信。“史蒂芬这么说真的很酷，他说，‘这个节目在某天总会结束，那就现在结束好了，’”奥布莱恩说道。
In some cases, a classic comic creation defines a performer for life. Jack Benny was long associated with being a cheapskate, butchering his violin playing and lying about his age. Classic comic characters are often too fully realized to abandon.
在一些例子里，一个经典的喜剧节目会定义一个表演者的一生。杰克·本尼(Jack Benny)的形象长期以来就一直和守财奴联系在一起，他搞砸了自己的小提琴表演，还在年龄上撒谎。经典的喜剧角色往往给人留下的印象太深刻，实在难以摆脱。
Mr. O’Brien said that hanging on to a persona was an American convention, while British performers seem willing to walk away from their signature creations. He cited John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty and Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge (a narcissistic media personality), though Mr. Coogan has resurrected Partridge a few times.
奥布莱恩说，坚持演同一个角色是美国的传统，而英国的表演者看起来更愿意撇开自己的成名之作。他提到了约翰·克里斯(John Cleese)饰演的巴塞尔·弗尔蒂(Basil Fawlty)，以及史蒂芬·库根(Steven Coogan)饰演的艾伦·帕特奇(Alan Patridge)（一个自恋的媒体人），尽管库根之后又复兴了帕特奇的几次。
Ricky Gervais has also recently revived David Brent, the bumbling manager he portrayed on the British version of “The Office,” in live concert performances. “I did consider not bringing him back to life,” Mr. Gervais said. But in a new context — Brent as would-be rock star — the character could be seen as realistically having moved on.
里奇·格威斯(Ricky Gervais)最近同样重新唤醒了大卫·布伦特(David Brent)这个角色，这是英国版的《办公室》里一个爱管闲事的主管。“我的确考虑了不要让这个角色复活，”格威斯说。但在一个新的环境里——布伦特会是一个准摇滚明星——所以这个角色可以说已经开始了新生活。
“What’s interesting about what Colbert is doing,” Mr. Gervais said in an interview, “what’s brave and possibly confusing about it, is that he’s always used his own name.” He added: “It can be a dangerous game to play. He presented himself as the character, and now he’s not going to be it. And people are going to miss the character. It’s a joy to watch someone do a really great parody with a character saying the opposite of what you know is right.”
“科尔伯特做的事情有趣之处，”格威斯在采访中说，“同样也是勇敢和让人困惑之处在于，他一直在用自己的真名。”他补充道：“这个把戏可能会很危险。他自己表演的是一个虚构人物，而他自己又要不成为这个人物。人们会想念这个人物的。能看到一个把反讽模仿做的这么棒的节目真的很开心，那个角色说的都是与你明知是对的事情相反的东西。”
That is the essence of what is upsetting so many of Mr. Colbert’s fans. While moving up to a bigger stage is in the tradition of late-night stars pushing their careers forward — as Mr. Letterman, Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Kimmel have all done — none of those moves have required a singular comic character’s disappearing forever.
这也是科尔伯特的粉丝们之所以沮丧的根本原因。虽然对于传统的深夜秀主持人来说，走向更大的舞台是他们职业晋升的常态——就像莱特曼，奥布莱恩，还有坎摩尔，他们都是这样的——但他们的这些职业转换都没有要让一个如此优异的喜剧人物永远消失。
Some who have worked on “The Colbert Report” have said that Mr. Colbert was tiring of the demands of constantly staying in character, and that he had subtly been doing pieces that did not depend on it. (His recent skewering of sweep month excesses by “Good Morning, America” was a comedic tour de force with little connection to his character.)
一些在“扣扣熊报告”工作的员工说，科尔伯特已经厌倦了不断的维持角色的要求，而且他已经开始在做节目时巧妙地慢慢不再依赖于扮演角色。（他最近做的讽刺“早安，美国”[Good Morning, America]为提高收视率损招频出的节目就是一个和他角色没有太大关系的喜剧杰作。）
Mr. O’Brien commended Mr. Colbert for breaking what he called the American tradition. “Our system is, if there’s another nickel to be found in it, you keep playing that character,” he said, “just beat it to death — and then do it another 10 years.”
奥布莱恩说科尔伯特打破了他称为美国传统的东西。“我们的体系是，如果还能再在这里面挣到一毛钱，你就继续演下去，”他说，“就演到死为止——然后再演十年。”
He added: “You always have performers saying, ‘I think I’ll go out on top, while it’s still great.’ And then it’s a sitcom, ‘Who’s the Boss?,’ and it’s the 18th season, and you’re like: ‘Tony, I like you, but ... .’ This is one of the few times when a performer is saying, ‘I want to get out while it’s still great,’ and it’s actually true.”
他说：“你总会听到表演者说，‘我想功成身退，趁我还不错的时候。’接着就是情景剧桥段了，‘谁才是老板？’，这都演了18季了，然后你就会说：‘托尼，我喜欢你，但是……’这是少有的一次当一个表演者说‘我想功成身退’,然后还真的实现了。”
But going out on a slab — if that’s Mr. Colbert’s plan? “I think that’s a really funny idea,” Mr. Kimmel said. “And it would make it clear to people that he’s not that character anymore.”
但就这样以死掉的方式离开——这是科尔伯特的想法吗？“我觉得这是一个有趣的想法，”坎摩尔说。“而且这会清楚地告诉人们他不再是那个角色了。”
Mr. Gervais agreed: “As surreal as that would be, it does make people get it. ‘I was that character, and that character is dead now. Do you get it? This is me now.’ ”
格威斯也同意：“尽管有点虚幻，但这的确让人们明白了。‘我之前只是那个角色，现在那个角色死了。你们明白了？我现在就是我。’”
And then, presumably, Stephen Colbert can turn up next September on CBS as Mr. Letterman’s successor and be quickly accepted as a real talk show host.
之后，史蒂芬·科尔伯特应该就可以于明年九月在CBS登台接替莱特曼，然后作为一个真实的脱口秀主持人迅速被观众接受了。
“I think he’ll be great and funny, and people are going to still enjoy him plenty on that level,” Mr. O’Brien said. “And then, every now and then, there’ll be a cooking segment.”
“我认为他还会很棒、很搞笑，而且人们还会像现在那样享受他的节目，”奥布莱恩说。“然后，时不时地，就会有做菜环节了。”