Comedy Central confirmed today that it has temporarily suspended taping of "The Colbert Report," the popular news satire program starring Stephen Colbert.

They gave no reason in their statement: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the show will air repeat episodes on Wednesday, February 15 and Thursday, February 16.”

Last night's episode, which followed a new episode of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," was a repeat and was apparently canceled at the last moment.

Brian Stetler, a New York Times media reporter, tweeted earlier this morning that there doesn't seem to be any professional drama going on: "There's no indication of any corporate drama re: Colbert's unforeseen absence. Comedy Central expects to be back to new episodes soon."

Update: The Wall Street Journal reports that Colbert canceled the tapings due to a family emergency.

Wake County school board member John Tedesco is turning Stephen Colbert's mocking criticism of him into a tool to help him get elected as state schools superintendent.

On his campaign website, Tedesco uses a cropped screenshot of his picture on Colbert's "Disintegration" segment from January 2011. Last year, critics of the Republican board majority repeatedly pointed to the segment on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."

"Opposition, obstructionists, and status quo bureaucrats are met head-on by John Tedesco's pledge to his constituents," says Tedesco's website. "This has caused fans and critics alike in the media to chronicle his every move; some just waiting to see what he will do next. The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, LA Times, The Economist, The Washington Post, Education Weekly, and more have joined North Carolina's news outlets WRAL, ABC 11, NBC 17, News 14, and The News & Observer in their coverage of Mr. Tedesco."

Tedesco includes a line from a not terribly flattering New York Times story in February 2011 that says "since he was elected, his ups and downs have been chronicled practically daily in the media." (The website incorrectly says it was a 2010 article.)

Democrats are now using Wake County school board vice chairman John Tedesco as a campaign issue to help boost Kevin Hill's re-election bid over Heather Losurdo.

In an e-mail message today to Democrats, Wake County Democratic Party Chairman Mack Paul writes that "if Heather Losurdo wins, it means John Tedesco ascends to the chairmanship of the Wake County School Board."

In writing about what Tedesco's elevation to chair would mean, Paul rips into Tedesco for his Tea Party remarks about "bringing conservative values to education.” Paul also brings up Stephen Colbert's satirical attack on Tedesco on Comedy Central.

The Wake County Democratic Party is going after school board chairman Ron Margiotta's recent campaign mailer, saying it doesn't reflect the incumbent's "real record."

In a press release Tuesday, Wake Democratic Party Chairman Mack Paul said Margiotta's "real record of achievement is far different." Paul accused Margiotta of putting high school accreditation and federal funding at risk, insulting parents, violating the Open Meetings Law and making Wake a "national punch line" on the Colbert Report.
 
"Ron Margiotta left off some key parts of his record, including the poor leadership that threatened accreditation for our high schools," Paul said in the press release. "He also left off his 'success' at putting our federal funding at risk in his single minded pursuit of creating high poverty schools.

Any success we have had has been as a result of hard working teachers and our students. Many of the results that he trumpets came as a result of policies and work that happened prior to him taking a leadership role on the Board."

The Wake County Democratic Party is promoting the words of former school board member Tom Oxholm and comedian Stephen Colbert to bolster their school board candidates.

In a press release today, Wake Democrats point to Monday's N&O op-ed piece by Oxholm in which he criticizes the board majority for trying to implement neighborhood schools. Oxholm, a former Republican turned unaffiliated voter who has given money to Democratic candidates, asks people to "vote Oct. 11 to preserve our school system - it is critical to our future."

The Wake Democrats also point out how Colbert's scathing "Disintegration" segment on Wake schools was played nationally Sunday night on the Primetime Emmy Awards.

"If you agree with Tom Oxholm, that it is time for a change and that this election is critical, then we ask you to volunteer to help our efforts," says Wake Democratic Party Chairman Mack Paul in the press release. "If you are ready to move Wake County forward, and stop the jokes, then head over to http://movingwakeforward.com/ and find out more about our effort."

Stephen Colbert lost a fundraising challenge with Jimmy Fallon and the punishment is that he has to sing "Friday" on Fallon's show tonight.

Colbert explains how it all happened and rehearses a bit in the video below.

'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' airs on NBC at 12:30am.

In a move likely to fuel conspiracy theorists even more, Wake County school board member John Tedesco is slated to speak at another Tea Party Tax Day Rally.

Tedesco is among the list of speakers scheduled to talk at Tax Day Tea Party 2011 on April 15 in downtown Greensboro, according to YES! Weekly, a weekly in the Triad area. The event is being organized by Conservatives for Guilford County and they will be joined by groups such as AnyStreet NC, NC Right to Life, the Civitas Institute, the John Locke Foundation and the National Rifle Association.

Conservatives for Guilford is listed as a member group of the state chapter of Tea Party Patriots.

The Wake County Democratic Party is looking ahead to this fall's school board elections while noting Wednesday's anniversary of the move away from the old diversity policy.

In a press release Wednesday, the Wake Democrats said that day was "the first anniversary of the Wake County School Board's historic vote to take this community down a path toward high poverty and high cost schools."  It was on March 23, 2010 that the school board majority passed the community-schools directive.

Much of the press release focuses on the release last week of the AdvancED report, which the Democrats say "validates" the critics of the GOP board majority. The release also notes how the school board has been panned by former President Bill Clinton, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and television satirist Stephen Colbert.

The Colbert Report has a little fun on the iPad 2.

Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata is challenging former President Bill Clinton to visit the area to see for himself what's happening in the school district instead of just criticizing from afar.

Clinton had chastised Wake for abandoning the diversity policy in a speech Saturday. Tata was indignant about the remarks as he spoke with reporters during a break at today's school board retreat.

"It was a cheap shot against a great school district," Tata said of Clinton's remarks.