Late Late Show Highlights
Last night was the premiere of The Late Late Show with James Corden. Overall I thought it was a good first episode. James did a nice job, and I think he’s going to be a fine host once he gets into a grove. The set will take some getting used to; it has a bar for goodness’ sake, and there are lamps in the audience section, among other things. LLS made some formatting choices that I’m not crazy about, specifically around the guest segments, but we’ll see if those stick around or I just get used to them.
Here’s the link to the episode on the CBS website. If you have the time I suggest watching it. It’s always interesting to see the first show of anything, if for no other reason than to revisit it years later and see how it’s changed. If you don’t have time for the whole thing, then here is most of it in clips. I highly recommend “James Corden’s Golden Ticket,” “Every Tom Hanks Movie in 8 Minutes” and “James Corden’s Late Night Ballad.” They were very entertaining.
Again, good show. I give it:
– Woody
From what I’ve heard, the guest format where all the guests are on the couch at the same time is from British talk shows (though the only one I’ve heard referenced is Graham Norton on BBC America). I think it’s a nice change of pace, and the interaction between fellow guests, rather than just between the guests and the host, is something that makes each guest’s visit unique. Even if they’re on multiple times, it’s rare that it will be with the same person they were guests with last time.
Yeah, I agree, it is more unique. Maybe in the long run it’ll work out fine. My experience when two guests come out together is that they tend to talk over each other a lot accidentally, unless it’s Penn and Teller.
Also, I don’t think I like that the guests come out and walk down the audience aisle before reaching the stage. That’s probably British too, but, man, it looks weird, and Tom and Mila looked uncomfortable doing it.
No, the aisle thing isn’t British. The only show we have which I can think of where the guests come one through the audience is Top Gear, and that’s not a chat show. There, they give the week’s special guest the opportunity to swank out of the audience in order to create a ‘man / woman of the people’ vibe. Maybe that’s what Corden is after? His main presenting gig over here was a spoof sports quiz, very laddish.
From the clips you’ve posted (can’t see the whole show) it looks fantastic and I think deserved at least 4 Woodys – you even describe it as a “good show” – 3 Woodys would be mediocre.
I can confirm that British chat shows often have guests on the couch at the same time (and sometimes individually as well; some have a format of the first comes out then the second is added then the third is added, others have a “green room” where you can see the guests but they all get individual bits as well as being on together usually). It can provide quite interesting interactions.