Kokomo Tribune Entertainment NOW
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1497747
Entertainment Now | April 22 - 28, 2023 By Dana Simpson TV Media A lmost one year ago to the day, comedian James Corden announced his decision to leave "The Late Late Show," which he began hosting when Craig Ferguson ("The Hustler") stepped away from the desk in 2015. Neither the host nor the show has plans to go quietly, however, and CBS is mark- ing the end of an era with the prime-time special "The Last Last Late Late Show," airing Thursday, April 27, ahead of the show's final broadcast later that night. For 18 of its 28 years on the air, the late-night show — which de- buted in January 1995 and fea- tured more "talk" than "show" under original host Tom Snyder — has featured a unique comic style for many North American viewers: dry, sardonic British humor. Ferguson — a Scottish treasure and successor to the show's sec- ond host, Craig Kilborn ("The Kilborn File") — occupied the desk with snake mug in hand for nearly a decade before passing the torch to Corden, who is origi- nally from the greater London area in England. Corden, who will always be remembered for his "Carpool Karaoke" segments, nearly surpassed Ferguson's host- ing tenure before deciding to re- turn home to the U.K. this year; what's more, it appears "The Late Late Show" will exit stage right alongside its current host. To see "The Late Late Show" out, however, the show's writers and producers have helped Cor- den to make it an affair to remem- ber. Titling it "The Last Last Late Late Show," the prime-time spe- cial will welcome a friend of the show, Tom Cruise ("Top Gun: Maverick," 2022), for "an epic musical performance during 'The Lion King'" at Hollywood's Pan- tages Theatre. (The pair are re- portedly set to star as Timon and Pumbaa on stage.) Also anticipat- ing sizeable crowds that evening, the show's staff has expanded their possible audience size to fit the bill. With this in mind, it's pos- sible the "Last Last" edition will look a bit more like the Oscars than a traditional episode of "The Late Late Show." That said, the venue, the audi- ence and the star power may not be the only big things during the night of April 27, as Corden is fully prepared for some big water- works to come his way. "There will be so many tears," Corden said in an interview reported by the Los Angeles Times. "This has been the hardest decision I've ever had to make, it really has. I've never taken this job for granted. Ever. Not once." CBS's decision not to replace Corden came as a shock to many fans (and no doubt staff) who have borne witness to many talk show host replacements since the dawn of the genre some 74 years ago. (For those wondering, the first late-night talk show has its origins on CBS in October 1949 with "The Faye Emerson Show.") But given TBS's July 2022 cancel- lation of "Full Frontal With Sa- mantha Bee" and Trevor Noah's departure of "The Daily Show," many viewers are starting to spot a creeping trend. While the post-prime-time slot has been popular in the past, with hosts such as Johnny Carson ("The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson"), Jay Leno ("The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"), David Letterman ("Late Show with David Letterman") and Conan O'Brien ("Late Night with Conan O'Brien") holding down the genre, the steady decline in cable subscriptions has greatly af- fected this segment of the enter- tainment industry. There has also been a clear and present rise in streaming content and apps such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, all of which have their own stars, segments and burgeoning comedians. Despite this shift in preferred outlet (and, let's face it, demographic), it re- mains tricky to predict whether the end of "The Late Late Show" marks a deciding moment for late-night comedy or whether it is simply a part of a survival-of-the- fittest model to pare down an in- dustry that has occasionally been referred to as "overcrowded" (as reported by FanSided.com). Re- gardless of the outcome, late- night TV will be down another se- ries come late spring. While CBS doesn't plan to re- place Corden as host of the show, the network still needs to fill the time-slot. Enter "@midnight," the aptly named late-night comedy game show formerly at home on Comedy Central. Originally hosted by Chris Hardwick ("Talking Dead"), the two-time Primetime Emmy-win- ning series released more than 500 episodes between 2014 and 2017. Driven by content available on and popularized by the inter- net, this panel show welcomed celebrity guests to comment on and critique (always through hu- mour, of course) some of the most ridiculous and pervasive GIFs, memes, videos, pictures and more that the World Wide Web — and now several apps — has at its disposal. At this time, there have been no reports to confirm or deny that Hardwick plans to return as host of the show, but CBS has been clear in its intention to issue the reboot (and likely modify it for to- day's audiences). Regardless of the series' fit in the newly vacated time-slot, there is no doubt that "The Late Late Show" and its current host, Cor- den, will be sorely missed by many. Don't miss Corden and Cruise as they sing "Hakuna Matata" and bid farewell to an era in the prime-time special, "The Last Last Late Late Show," airing Thursday, April 27, on CBS, just a few hours ahead of the final broadcast of "The Late Late Show." The late- night show is also available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. James Corden, host of "The Late Late Show" The last last show: Corden, 'Late Late Show' exit after years on CBS 2 | Cover story Grindstone Charlie's 1 x 4" Moore's Home Health 5 x 2"