Cake and Dr. Pepper will be flowing in Oshawa on Tuesday, as the southern Ontario city celebrates Stephen Colbert Day — the result of Mayor John Gray losing a bet against TV's popular pseudo-political pundit.

According to city spokeswoman Shannon McFadyen, Colbert is not scheduled to be in Oshawa to take a sip of his favourite beverage nor a bite of Mayor Gray's birthday cake Tuesday.

Oshawa will celebrate Stephen Colbert Day Tuesday, after its mayor lost a junior hockey league bet to the host of The Colbert Report, above.
(Adam Rountree/AP)

However, a producer from The Colbert Report may visit to gather material for a future segment of the show, seen on Comedy Central in the U.S., and The Comedy Network and CTV in Canada, McFadyen said.

Of the more than 1,500 projected to descend on Oshawa's new General Motors Centre for the celebrations, "we're getting a really interesting mix of people who are coming," McFadyen said, adding that both locals and groups from New York and Newfoundland are expected to attend.

"It's a real blend of people because the themes are hockey and comedy."

Among the evening event's headliners will be hockey legend Don Cherry — Canada's own beloved bombastic TV pundit from CBC-TV's Hockey Night in Canada — and comedian Darrin Rows, who will preside over a Stephen Colbert look-alike contest.

The festivities will also include a scoring competition between Shooter, the mascot of Oshawa's Ontario Hockey League team the Generals, and Shooter's rival, Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle, mascot of fellow OHL team the Saginaw Spirit.

Origins in hockey rivalry

The Michigan-based Spirit has counted comedian Colbert as a fan ever since they named their mascot after him. On his hit show, Colbert has included updates about recent Spirit OHL matches and also trash-talks opponents, including the Generals.

In turn, the Generals sent footage of their annual teddy-bear toss fundraiser to the bear-hating Colbert to taunt him.

In January, Gray and Colbert bet on an OHL game between the two teams, with the TV host promising to wear a Generals jersey if his team lost and the mayor pledging to hold a Stephen Colbert Day on the host's birthday if Oshawa lost.

When Oshawa did lose the match, Colbert chose to have his namesake day on the mayor's birthday instead.

Stephen Colbert's bombastic on-screen persona is based on real right-wing TV pundits like Bill O'Reilly, left.
(Time Magazine/Ivan Villegas/Associated Press)

A spinoff from the satirical The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report debuted in the fall of 2005 and is based on personality-driven U.S. current affairs shows like cable hit O'Reilly Factor on Fox News.

Colbert, who portrays an outrageous, tough-talking, ultra-patriotic American TV persona based on right-wing political pundits like Bill O'Reilly, often pokes fun at Canada on his show.

For instance, when the the current Conservative government ousted the long-reigning Liberals from federal power not long after his show's debut, Colbert declared "I fixed Canada in 77 days!"

In April 2006, the comedian appeared in character as the featured entertainer at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. On the Washington, D.C., stage, he delivered a more than 20-minute set in which he skewered both the media and U.S. President George W. Bush, who was in the audience.

With files from the Canadian Press