UPDATED: Comedy Central's 'fake' anchors deliver real news

While most of us were hanging on the words of Charlie, Brian, Wolf, Brit and Katie last night, waiting for the official network projections of the winner of the 2008 presidential race, some chose to get the news from less traditional sources.

Over on Comedy Central, which put on a live "Indecision 2008" special, comedian Jon Stewart broke from his sardonic character for a moment to announce at 8 p.m. PST that Barack Obama had won the presidency. (So much for only offering "fake news.")

As the audience cheered wildly, Stewart's co-anchor, Stephen Colbert, peered at his laptop. "Jon, McCain can still pull this thing out," he said, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Watch here:

UPDATE: Maybe Stewart should try reporting real news more often. Tuesday's Comedy Central special shattered ratings records for the network, delivering 3.1 million viewers. It was the most-watched election special ever for the entertainment channel, drawing 45% more viewers than Stewart's "Prelude to a Recount" special on election night in 2004.

But last night's special still didn't get as many viewers as Stewart's interview with Barack Obama on the Oct. 29 edition of "The Daily Show," when a record 3.6 million people tuned in.

-- Matea Gold

Comments

[Chicka]

I had Comedy Central going on one side of me, and CNN's webcast of Grant Park on the other. I didn't expect an announcement so early, so I watched the Daily Show for a break from coverage.

It was weird hearing him make The Announcement, and his crowd starts screaming, and at the same time, the Grant Park crowd started screaming. Then he starts tearing up a bit, and I flashed back to the last time he did that, after 9/11.

I wound up going for a walk, because *I* was about to get emotional.

For all the hard work the Daily Show (and Colbert by extension) has done - they earned this opportunity.