'The Colbert Report' Resumes Production Today

Hope you enjoyed the vacation, super-PACers: the unofficial President-Elect of the United States of South Carolina is back on the clock today.

After a personal emergency suddenly halted Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" tapings late last work, the comic this afternoon gets back to the business of making politics a laughing matter, reports the New York Times today. When Colbert's 91-year-old mother Lorna fell seriously ill last week, Wednesday "Colbert Report" taping ticket-holders received an email announcing that the show was off. Reruns were aired starting that evening with one featuring Colbert riffing on failed Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain.

The Huffington Post clarified later that production would "resume soon" but not until Colbert was ready. Scheduled guests were to include Claire Danes and Susan Cain.

When various audience members began tweeting the email, the story broke to websites such as Mediaite and Third Beat. "The Daily Show" tapings have twice been canceled - once due to the birth of host Jon Stewart's second child, and once following a staff member's unexpected death. This is the first time a "Colbert Report" taping has been so quickly halted.

Stewart and Colbert were together in the midst of an Indecision 2012 farce that lampshades the loopholes in the newly effective "super-PAC" campaign finance regulations allowing "independent expenditure-only" committees to raise unlimited funds from groups supporting a candidate's election - in this case, Colbert's farcical-but-officially-disclosed "Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow" organization.

Colbert briefly handed his organization over to Stewart when he attempted getting onto the ballot for his home state of South Carolina's presidential primary, seeking election to the office of "President of the United States of South Carolina."

Novelist and independent bookstore owner Ann Patchett will be Monday night's guest, reports the Times. Colbert reached out to his audience over the weekend, tweeting "My family and I would like thank everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers. We are grateful and touched by your concern."