By: CHRISTINE AIKEN
Columnist
aikenc@umail.iu.edu
This week’s column may be a slight departure from my standard nerdy fare, though I always say there is nothing without a hefty dose of silly on a regular basis. Silly is a very tame word to describe many of the hilarious segments you can currently view on late night television.
While I have not watched every late night show out there, I can highly recommend the comedy stylings of Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Jimmy Kimmel for various reasons. Fallon is certainly the most well-known and beloved of the three, with a long history prior to taking over for Jay Leno when he was a player on Saturday Night Live.
Jimmy Fallon’s lip sync battles with celebrity guest stars are epic and well-known. Two personal favorites are the episodes where he battled Joseph Gordon Levitt and also when he took on Emma Stone. This, of course, is not the only highly entertaining segment he offers up.
Another terrific Fallon segment is the Wheel of Impressions, and its sister segment the Wheel of Musical Impressions. You haven’t lived until you have heard Kevin Spacey’s Michael Caine impression or heard Jamie Foxx singing and strutting around the stage like Mick Jagger. Occasionally, you will witness a bad impression like Seth MacFarlane doing a surprisingly horrible Ray Romano impression, but overall it is a highly entertaining segment.
Lesser known to Americans is Late Late Show host James Corden, a Brit with a real knack for funny. I recommend checking out his Role Call segment, where he acts out brief scenes from every significant movie in an actor’s career with the actor. Prepare to be tickled as you watch Corden and Arnold Schwarzengger act out the infamous bedroom scene from True Lies, which ends in Corden giving the Governator a lap dance.
You may also want to check out Late Late Show segment Carpool Karaoke. In this bit, Corden drives a famous musician to the studio, and for much of it, they sing along together with that artist’s music as well as other music. One of the most amusing was the one he did with Justin Bieber, as they ran through several songs from Bieber’s own “Baby” to Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road”.
Finally, we come to Jimmy Kimmel. I cannot say I have watched a lot of his show, but I have learned one thing from what I have watched. After seeing his version of Family Feud with the cast of “The Avengers,” I can honestly say that Family Feud (with adults only of course) should only ever be played while drinking. Thank you, and goodnight.
