This is not a column that is going to say that The Colbert Report has stopped being funny. The show is still strong in that regard, delivering at least one good laugh per episode. But what I'm concerned about that it seems as if the writers of the show are going through a creative drought right now, and I'm wondering if they're going to come back from that drought.

The big indicator to me that there's a bit of an ebb is that lately the producers have been booking two guests on a single show; one gets interviewed during the first segment and the other gets interviewed during the usual third segment. Last night, Colbert spoke to Madeleine Albright, and in previous weeks, first-segment guests have included Al Sharpton, Ben and Jerry, and District of Columbia's congressional delegate Elanor Holmes Norton. While I'd imagine these segments do entail some writing, as Stephen tries to figure out the direction of his questioning, much of the comedy in these interviews depends heavily on his impressive improvisation skills.