Written by Jennifer Amato
This was one heck of an anniversary!
To celebrate The Late Late Show‘s first year on CBS, host James Corden shared his favorite scenes of the show he revamped since inheriting it from Craig Ferguson a year ago.
The opening scene was awesome: an extended music video introducing Corden and his crew to the 10PM audience, since his show usually runs at 12:35AM.
He then showed the most viewed clip in the history of online television: the infamous segment with Adele on “Carpool Karaoke.” The car ride is an ingenious idea, driving around town singing with celebrities. They come off as funny, down-to-earth and “real,” telling stories that make you feel more connected to them than if they were sitting on a couch in a studio for five minutes. I admit I haven’t watched too much of The Late Late Show, but I did spend an afternoon watching the carpool clips on YouTube and I’m hooked!
Other memorable moments from inside his SUV included Corden eating French fries with Justin Bieber, ordering food at a drive through with Jennifer Hudson singing her order, rapping with One Direction and having Stevie Wonder call his wife.
Corden also showed other clips from the show, such as when he and fellow cast members blocked traffic on Beverly Boulevard to reenact scenes from Grease – the drivers’ reactions were awesome. Or, he tried to act as a real estate agent for Tyga, while jumping into the backyard pool and walking around naked looking for a towel. The two then rapped in the shower to show off its acoustics. Nonstop laughs!
As an intern from 2003-04 at NBC, I’ve been slightly partial to watching Saturday Night Live alumni Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers progress their careers – but Corden is just plain awesome. I think the primetime special is exactly what he needed to attract an even bigger audience. He’s funny, he can act, he has a decent singing voice and he is very relatable. Congratulations to CBS on replacing esteemed and popular talk show hosts Ferguson and David Letterman with such talent.
The highlight of the primetime special, however, was the premiere of “Carpool Karaoke” with Jennifer Lopez. J. Lo and J. Co pulled over to mimic her music video from “Waiting for Tonight.” He asked if she has insured her butt, to which they started singing about a big booty. He then took her cell phone, impressed at the list of celebrities she is friends with, and decided to text Leonardo DiCaprio – who actually texted them back before the car ride was over.
Corden is not afraid to make a fool of himself or be himself, which makes him so endearing. He has a great personality which is not forced at all. His nightly show is definitely worth watching.
