James Corden Kicks Off "Late Late Show" Hosting Gig On CBS

By Elana Goodwin on March 29, 2015

On March 23, James Corden began his late-night hosting gig of “The Late Late Show” on CBS, taking over the franchise from Scottish Craig Ferguson, who hosted from 2005 to 2014.

Photo Credit: ign.com

While he may be a relatively fresh face to most American viewers, Corden’s got some impressive credentials. He starred on the British television comedies “Fat Friends,” “Gavin & Stacey,” and “The Wrong Mans.”

Plus, Corden’s been on Broadway twice, and even won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for “One Man, Two Guvnors” in 2012.

In the last two years, Corden’s also been in the movies “Begin Again,” “One Chance,” which he starred in, and the Oscar-nominated “Into the Woods.”

As the host of “The Late Late Show,” James Corden is earnest, British, and charming, and at 36, he’s the youngest of the late-night talk show hosts now on TV.

In terms of how he compares to other hosts of late-night talk shows, the relatability and “aw shucks” attitude that Jimmy Fallon’s become known for, Corden’s got in spades. Additionally, he’s got the straight-shooting, somewhat prying questioning style of Jimmy Kimmel, the storytelling abilities of Seth Meyers, and a wit and quickness comparable to David Letterman.

He’s different however, in that he’s not known for stand-up comedy, and his monologue reflects that as he doesn’t try to make a bunch of jokes to kick off his show but instead focuses more on one topic and throws in a few jokes on the subject. He knows his strengths, which include singing, dancing, and just being all-around chummy and cherubic, and plays those up, rather than trying to be something he’s not.

For his first show, Corden certainly brought the star power as his guests were Mila Kunis and Tom Hanks. As part of the episode, he also aired a pre-recording and celebrity-packed segment, called “James Corden’s Golden Ticket,” which was a play on “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.”

The bit included Jay Leno, Meryl Streep, Simon Cowell, Lena Dunham, Eddie Redmayne, Chelsea Handler, Allison Janney, Shia LaBeouf and more.

Besides that, Corden and Tom Hanks did a live re-creation of every Tom Hanks movie in 7 minutes, with a green screen, quick costume changes, and lots of energy, which garnered over 9.3 million views on YouTube in less than three days.

Though Corden’s only hosted three episodes of “The Late Late Show” so far because of NCAA coverage on CBS, and he definitely has his work cut out for him as far as making a name for himself in late-night TV, I’d say he’s off to a pretty good start.

His other guests for his first couple episodes included Oscar winner Patricia Arquette and Corden’s “Into The Woods” co-star Chris Pine and then “Get Hard” funnymen and co-stars Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart.

Another segment he pre-recorded, “Mariah Carey Carpool Karaoke” in which Corden and Mariah Carey joke around and sing in his car while he drives to work, amassed over 2 million hits in about a day. In the bit, Corden shows off his singing skills and just in general has a great time and indulges in some belly laughs with Carey.

That’s another great thing about Corden – his laugh. Fallon’s gotten some flack for his laughter coming across as fake but whether or not Corden’s is genuine (and I like to think it is), you can’t help but love the sound of it, as it’s often a cross between a giggle and an outright guffaw.

Corden’s also bringing something new to America in his interviewing style. Similar to how British talk show host Graham Norton will converse with guests on his show, Corden has both guests for the night come out together and then he comes and sits by them, rather than setting himself down behind a desk.

He then goes on to interview the both of them, with questions aimed at each guest individually, but the presence and contributions of the other guest make the whole experience more relaxed, collaborative and enjoyable.

Overall, Corden’s boyishness, giddiness, and sincerity make him likable and watchable, which will serve him well as he enters the late-night landscape, and has me eagerly anticipating more great shows with him as host.

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