The Late Late Show (CBS TV series)
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- Another program called The Late Late Show is Ireland's longest-running TV chat show.
Hosts
| Host | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Snyder | January 9, 1995 | March 26, 1999 |
| Craig Kilborn | March 30, 1999 | August 27, 2004 |
| Craig Ferguson | January 3, 2005 | Present |
Snyder
Tom Snyder hosted the program from its inception in January 1995 until March of 1999. The choice of Snyder as host was apparently made by David Letterman, whose contract with CBS gave him the power to produce the show in the timeslot immediately after his own program.Letterman and Snyder had a long history together: a 1978 Tomorrow episode hosted by Snyder was almost exclusively devoted to a long interview with up-and-coming new comedy talents Letterman, Billy Crystal and Merrill Markoe. And in 1982, when The Tomorrow Show was cancelled by NBC, Letterman took over Snyder's timeslot with his own NBC show Late Night with David Letterman. Because of this, some have speculated that Letterman simply wanted to give Snyder -- whom he had long idolized -- another chance in the late night arena, as a sort of repayment of an old debt.
Snyder's show featured a mix of celebrities, politicians and other newsmakers, but was otherwise quite unlike the program hosted by his boss Letterman. Snyder was a former newsman, not a comedian, and his show featured an intimate interview format with no studio audience present, similar to his old Tomorrow show of the 1970s, or to the then-current Charlie Rose show. Throughout most of the show's run, it was also simulcast on CBS radio stations, and Snyder accepted calls from viewers/listeners somewhat in the manner of Larry King.
Snyder's trademarks included:
- Frequent informal kibitzing with the show's offstage crew.
- His opening remarks, which were delivered while sitting in a chair, and usually told of his adventures earlier in the day while doing everyday mundane things like buying groceries or driving to work.
- Just before the first commercial break, Snyder always invited viewers to "fire up the colortinis and watch the pictures as they fly through the air." A "colortini" was an imaginary drink, rather like a martini, that Snyder felt viewers should enjoy while watching the show. Later, in reference to the radio/TV simulcast of his show, Snyder would often substitute "simultini" for "colortini".
Kilborn
When Snyder announced he was leaving, the show was reorganized into a format closer to Letterman and other major late-night talk programs. Craig Kilborn took over in March 1999, leaving The Daily Show to become the new Late Late Show host.
When Kilborn was on the show, it began with a full moon wavering behind gray stratus clouds on the screen, rated with a white TV-14 D logo, to the warm-up tune of a violin, while the announcer, the recorded, modulated voice of Kilborn himself, blurted out, "From the gorgeous, gorgeous Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, it's the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. Tonight [...]", and then the guests were announced with the show's theme song composed by Neil Finn. Then Kilborn was presented, "Ladies and gentlemen, this... is Mister Craig Kilborn", with the 1970s disco band Wild Cherry song Play That Funky Music.
After Kilborn's stand-up monologue, he walked to his "Bavarian oak desk" while Finn's theme song continued playing with the chorus "The Late Late Show gets started now."
During later seasons, the open consisted of shots of various Los Angeles hotspots is accompanied by a new theme song performed and written by Chris Isaak. For this new theme song, Kilborn would be played to the desk with a chorus of "The Late Late Show is starting".
Segments included:
- In the News
- What Up?, a Friday segment where Kilborn and three other panelists discussed and joked about the news; included a guest, and the director of the program, Mike Gibbons, who was introduced by Kilborn as "[One] of the most brilliant minds in show business", and, then, staff writer Goldie, "He was the editor of his high school newspaper." Each panelist, in turn, greeted, "What up, Craig?"
- Alex, the Disgruntled Old Page, a bad-tempered page acted by one of Kilborn's staff members, who thought his private thoughts "aloud", unintentionally.
- Sebastian, the Asexual Icon
- To Blank with Love; Kilborn dedicated verses to different people and things
- Five Questions; Kilborn asked a geography question, a "blank" question where the guest had to fill a blank with a word related to the guest, a "Now think of other one" question in which the guest had to guess what Kilborn had in mind
- Tuesdays with Buddy, with Buddy Hackett
- Clippings That Tickle Your Funny Bone - "They're Funny!"
- a movie poster review segment
- A Recreation of a Press Photo
- Yambo, an elimination game between two guests
- Craig Kilborn, Man of 537 Faces
- A Late Late Show Do-Over
- a dance segment in which Kilborn said, "All I wanna do is dance"
Transition
Subsequent new shows featured guest hosts, culminating in week-long showcases for four finalists: Craig Ferguson, D. L. Hughley, Damien Fahey (an MTV VJ), and Michael Ian Black. It was announced on December 7, 2004 that Ferguson, a Scottish comedian best known from his role on The Drew Carey Show, was to become Kilborn's permanent replacement. A Chicago Sun-Times television critic reported that Letterman made the decision.Ferguson
Ferguson's first show as permanent host aired January 3, 2005. Ferguson, who introduces himself as "TV's Craig Ferguson", spent the show's first few months tailoring the show to his own style. He opens the show with a (relatively) long monologue (10 to 15 minutes) consisting of a single topic that weaves its way through each joke (similar to a stand-up comedy routine), rather than the typical list of unrelated one-liners or that day's USA Today various headlines. Occasionally, there will be story arcs for several days, such as "Flu Watch: 2005" and his successful ambition to be cast as "Fisherman #1" (formerly Fisherman #2) in the made-for-TV movie "Vampire Bats" (Which aired on Sunday October 30, 2005). His reformed "blackout drinking" and his two divorces are often used as fodder for his humor.
Current (2006) regular segments include
- Answering e-mails sent by viewers (for comedy, Craig usually provides an obviously fake e-mail address, such as Craig@the internet/jeeves/google/hotmail.com, which changes constantly)
- Writing letters with a feather "pen" to various people (examples: his boss (David Letterman) asking for a raise, to President Bush asking for a copy of a telephone conversation, and to Donald Trump about his argument with Martha Stewart)
- Interviews, impersonations, and skits (often played by Ferguson in costume) done in front of a green screen (used to project computerized images)
- Soap opera-style showdowns with actor Dan McVicar
- Accessing his voice-mails through a several-dozen digit extention. These usually contain either embarrassing messages or complaints, both of which he dismisses to the audience as being from "one of those... telemarke'ers."
- Field reports from correspondent Tim Meadows in which it is revealed that Meadows did not complete or seriously botched his assignment
- A lesson from "expert" Dave Foley on numerous subjects that he is obviously not an expert on
- Craig "getting his freak on" (dancing) during commercial breaks.
One recent (March, 2006) recurring segment has featured clips of United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a news conference with a second pair of hands added, performing various activities to occupy himself while being questioned, such as sorting a deck of cards and folding paper.
Another running gag (materialising gradually over the course of several months in the summer of 2006) was Craig going out of his way to pick on fellow CBS show host Bob Barker (who, he eventually concluded, was a vampire). At the end of each Bob-bashing segment he would chuckle to himself and say that "Bob Barker is going to kick my ass one of these days!" The climax was reached on July 15, 2006, when Bob, flanked by the rest of The Price is Right's staff, including announcer Rich Fields and some of Barker's Beauties, staged a surprise visit. Although Bob did not kick Craig's ass, he did do some serious damage to his desk with a single blow. The desk was later totally destroyed by the models, and Craig returned, after the commercial break, with a card table covered by a checkered picnic cloth.
Other impersonations frequently done by Ferguson on the show include Michael Caine, Dr. Phil, Larry King, Kim Jong Il, Mick Jagger, Prince Charles, and Sean Connery. A recurring skit is for the Rather Late Programme, in which Prince Charles (Craig) reads parchments (rather than emails) sent in by viewers. Ferguson's impersonation of Prince Charles includes a costume consisting of a wig, false teeth, huge fake ears, and a red robe.
The opening theme for the show was dropped after Kilborn left. When Ferguson was hired as the full-time replacement, he co-wrote a new theme song, which he sings. Starting on July 7th, 2006, the show's opening was time-cropped and featured only the ending of the song.
On January 30, 2006, Craig showed the compassionate and serious side of his personality by turning his opening monologue into a eulogy for his father who died the day before.
External links
- [The Late Late Show]
- [On Being a Candidate to Take Over a Late-Night Network Talk Show], a McSweeney's article by Michael Ian Black
- [The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder at IMDB]
- [The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn at IMDB]
- [The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at IMDB]
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