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penpusherBack in the days of Vaudeville, the best acts were the ones that were most versatile. The people who could do "One Man Shows" were always headliners, top billing, favorites of the audience and commanded a lot of attention and a lot of scratch.
And really, that's still at least a little bit true. If you look at who audiences clamor over - People like Neil Patrick Harris, Hugh Jackman, Maya Rudolph (who is bringing the Variety show format back to television, two weeks from tonight on NBC), these aren't just actors or comedians or musicians or dancers or raconteurs. They are performers that can do it all!
And that brings us to:
WAYNE BRADY
@waynebrady for the twitter followers
As I stated, the four people I have selected as my top contenders for Craig Ferguson's eventually vacated job as host of the Late Late Show are already in the CBS stable, and Mr. Brady is no exception. His current employment is as the host of the long time, popular game show "Let's Make a Deal." But he's also a regular on the comedy game show - The CW's "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" which he has been doing since that program was a staple on Comedy Central. (Note that both The CW *and* Comedy Central are part of the Viacom family - first cousins of the CBS Television Network).
Hosting a talk show would be nothing new to Wayne. He had a self-named daytime program that aired from September, 2002 through May, 2004. The program won an Emmy for Best Talk Show in its first season and Wayne himself won the Best Talk Show Host Emmy in 2003 and 2004, both years it aired! Those credentials speak for themselves. What network wouldn't want a multi-Emmy winning talk show host to take charge of a late night broadcast?
But the point is, Wayne Brady is so talented, he could host a show without guests and pull it off! His years of experience in improv mean he is ready for anything. And his vocalizing talents are quite impressive as well. Throw in some impressions, some self-deprecating humor, maybe a taped segment from somewhere in Los Angeles, some ad-libbed segment with some audience members and... hey! The hour is up! Just imagine the extra fun when we mix in some celebs for him to converse with!
Though he does a great job as the ringmaster of "Deal," bamboozling contestants and handing out prizes or Zonks, Wayne's best talents are being squandered on the game show host routine. That's why he should be hosting The Late Late Show. He would be able to do a lot more of what he's great at and that's a lot of different stuff!
Ideally, he should have a house band because he is that dynamic with the singing, though that's the one thing the Late Late Show has never had, from Tom Snyder to Craig Kilborn to Craig Ferguson. So I hope that's something the network is willing to spring for. But if not, don't worry about it, CBS. I'm sure the unflappable Brady will be able to cope.
Now, just as women haven't had much chance to appear in Late Night, Persons of Color have also had limited opportunities during that time period. In fact, if he landed the gig, he would be the first African American to have his own daily network talk show that aired before 1 AM, ever. So, it would be quite a coup for Wayne to take the helm of Late Late. And certainly if you like what he's done on "Let's Make a Deal" these past several years, he can bring the very same approach to the format at 12:37. Still need him to host the daytime show? I'm sure he could work that out, too. Game show schedules often only require a couple of days of work a month.
But Wayne Brady is so great at pretty much whatever he does, I know adding Late Night Talk Show Host to his list of jobs would be a piece of cake.
And really, that's still at least a little bit true. If you look at who audiences clamor over - People like Neil Patrick Harris, Hugh Jackman, Maya Rudolph (who is bringing the Variety show format back to television, two weeks from tonight on NBC), these aren't just actors or comedians or musicians or dancers or raconteurs. They are performers that can do it all!
And that brings us to:
@waynebrady for the twitter followers
As I stated, the four people I have selected as my top contenders for Craig Ferguson's eventually vacated job as host of the Late Late Show are already in the CBS stable, and Mr. Brady is no exception. His current employment is as the host of the long time, popular game show "Let's Make a Deal." But he's also a regular on the comedy game show - The CW's "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" which he has been doing since that program was a staple on Comedy Central. (Note that both The CW *and* Comedy Central are part of the Viacom family - first cousins of the CBS Television Network).
Hosting a talk show would be nothing new to Wayne. He had a self-named daytime program that aired from September, 2002 through May, 2004. The program won an Emmy for Best Talk Show in its first season and Wayne himself won the Best Talk Show Host Emmy in 2003 and 2004, both years it aired! Those credentials speak for themselves. What network wouldn't want a multi-Emmy winning talk show host to take charge of a late night broadcast?
But the point is, Wayne Brady is so talented, he could host a show without guests and pull it off! His years of experience in improv mean he is ready for anything. And his vocalizing talents are quite impressive as well. Throw in some impressions, some self-deprecating humor, maybe a taped segment from somewhere in Los Angeles, some ad-libbed segment with some audience members and... hey! The hour is up! Just imagine the extra fun when we mix in some celebs for him to converse with!
Though he does a great job as the ringmaster of "Deal," bamboozling contestants and handing out prizes or Zonks, Wayne's best talents are being squandered on the game show host routine. That's why he should be hosting The Late Late Show. He would be able to do a lot more of what he's great at and that's a lot of different stuff!
Ideally, he should have a house band because he is that dynamic with the singing, though that's the one thing the Late Late Show has never had, from Tom Snyder to Craig Kilborn to Craig Ferguson. So I hope that's something the network is willing to spring for. But if not, don't worry about it, CBS. I'm sure the unflappable Brady will be able to cope.
Now, just as women haven't had much chance to appear in Late Night, Persons of Color have also had limited opportunities during that time period. In fact, if he landed the gig, he would be the first African American to have his own daily network talk show that aired before 1 AM, ever. So, it would be quite a coup for Wayne to take the helm of Late Late. And certainly if you like what he's done on "Let's Make a Deal" these past several years, he can bring the very same approach to the format at 12:37. Still need him to host the daytime show? I'm sure he could work that out, too. Game show schedules often only require a couple of days of work a month.
But Wayne Brady is so great at pretty much whatever he does, I know adding Late Night Talk Show Host to his list of jobs would be a piece of cake.