Water cooler: Innovative late night hosts are all in with at-home look
Everyone in the entertainment industry has had to evolve with coronavirus restrictions, and for late-night television that means things have become a bit more laid-back. Many hosts have turned to broadcasting from home for a quieter and less-polished production, but their innovations offer a uniquely entertaining and heartening experience.
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
Jimmy Fallon opened his show from home for the first time on the March 23 episode, and it began with a bang. Actually two bangs – one from his daughter ringing the cowbell and another from his other daughter slamming the piano. The camera dollied into a sheet of white construction paper that read “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in multicolored kid’s handwriting.
His guests for the new “At Home Edition” have already featured Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, John Legend and Jennifer Garner. He still plays games, has covered “Stuck in the Middle with You” with The Roots over video chat and you won’t believe the variety of differently themed spaces Fallon has in his house.
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah”
Trevor Noah launched “The Daily Social Distancing Show” March 18 from his slick New York apartment. It features his usual conversation on the news of the day with one or two guests, but in shorter segments under 20 minutes. One of his most notable shows so far features an interview with Dr. Anthony S. Fauci in conversation about conflicting information and advice regarding COVID-19.
“Late Night with Seth Meyers”
Seth Meyers recently launched his show on YouTube as well, initially as a pared down version with just the “A Closer Look” segment, in which he offers viewers an opportunity to process the surreal, quarantined lives we are all living. After the first episode he shifted his shooting location from an ominously empty hallway to a cheerier backdrop of his colorful bookshelf. His first guest appearance was Sen. Bernie Sanders, who appeared in Monday’s episode.
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”
Samantha Bee chose to take to the woods of her backyard for the quarantine version of her show, “Beeing At Home,” launched March 25. Bee easily has the highest-quality video and audio in the home-grown late-night show game and it even features, in lieu of guests, an animation of her own isolation-induced “hallucination” – a condescending, “Sleeping Beauty”-esque bluebird.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Jimmy Kimmel’s YouTube presence during coronavirus has given us a new series called “Quarantine Minilogue” featuring, like Fallon, a custom kid-made intro. The “minilogues” so far have featured discussion of Guillermo’s quarantine snacks, “Friends” trivia with Courteney Cox, a casual chat with Joe Biden and the launch of “Formal Friday” to, in his words, “pretend we are humans rather than parents living in a cage.”
“Conan”
Conan O’Brien along with Team Coco launched “Conan At Home” on TBS last night, but in the week prior he released short videos on YouTube in preparation for his return to TBS, featuring Conan’s introduction to the wonderful world of selfie sticks, and quarantine humor like toilet paper life hacks and homemade hand sanitizer that definitely will not work.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
Perhaps making the biggest splash in late-night television is Stephen Colbert, who shot a special social distancing edition of the show from his bathtub on March 17, with a shield of bubbles in the forefront. But worry not, he’s wearing a suit regardless. Each day he migrates to a different section of the house, so tune in on YouTube for the whole tour.
“Some Good News with John Krasinski”
An honorable mention goes to John Krasinski, who despite not being a talk show host, has launched a YouTube talk show series “dedicated entirely to good news” that featured Steve Carell as his first guest, to mark the 15th anniversary of the premiere of “The Office.” With only one episode he already has over 4 million views.
Social circle
Brain train
Test your knowledge with today’s trivia question
How many years was Johnny Carson the host of The Tonight Show?
- 30
- 27
- 34
- 21
Monday’s answer: England
Listen to learn
Looking to become the movie buff of your friend group during quarantine? Here are some podcasts to prepare you for flexing your movie and television knowledge during the next video chat with your unsuspecting buds.
“The Director’s Cut – A DGA Podcast”: Produced by The Directors Guild of America, this podcast delivers in-depth, behind-the-scenes stories and reflections that can only happen in filmmaker-to-filmmaker conversation. Hear Martin Scorsese interviewed by Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino interviewed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Todd Haynes interviewed by Gus Van Sant, Noah Baumbach interviewed by Ben Stiller and many more.
“You Must Remember This”: Karina Longworth, writer and host of the podcast, takes you down some of the craziest, most-haunting and sadly forgotten stories of Hollywood in the 20th century. In this treasure trove of information, some of the most notable episodes feature series on the Manson’s involvement in the Hollywood scene, the infamous Blacklist, and stories of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.
“The Movies That Made Me”: Hosted by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson and “Gremlins” director Joe Dante, both collaborators on the YouTube series “Trailers From Hell,” this podcast is the place for niche. Each interviewee must bring a Top 10 list of some sort, ranging in topics from best theater experiences, movies that influenced them as a child, favorite shots, favorite scenes or really any movie topic that can be made into a list of 10.
“The Rewatchables”: Part of the podcast network, The Ringer, this podcast features roundtable discussions about the movies that people can’t help but revisit over and over. The movies dicussed include favorites like “The Breakfast Club,” “Vision Quest,” “Pulp Fiction,” “The Shining,” “Remember the Titans,” “King of New York” and plenty more.
Also: “It Happened in Hollywood”
Crank it to 11
There are several playlists floating around the web to accommodate all your pandemic-themed listening needs. Here are some of the songs (and their eerily relevant lyrics) popping up most frequently. You can go ahead and start your dance party of one, now.
“Toxic” by Britney Spears: “It’s in the air and it’s all around.”
“Don’t Stand So Close To Me” by The Police: “He starts to shake, he starts to cough.”
“Hysteria” by Def Leppard “Hysteria when you’re near.”
“In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins “So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you’ve been.”
“Unwell” by Matchbox Twenty: “All day staring at the ceiling, making friends with shadows on my wall.”
“You Sound Like You’re Sick” by Ramones: “You look like you’re sick too.”
“Shake the Disease” by Depeche Mode: “Some people have to be, permanently together.”
“Burnin’ Up” by Jonas Brothers: “Baby who turned the temperature hotter?”
“I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News: “One that don’t cost too much.”
“Hand in My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette: “I’m sane but I’m overwhelmed.”
“Panic” by The Smiths: “Could life ever be sane again?”
“Toxicity” by System Of A Down: “Now somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep.”
“Survivor” by Destiny’s Child: “They don’t ever see your face or say your name.”
“Fever” by Carly Rae Jepsen: “Don’t tell me this is how it ends.”
“Closing Time” by Semisonic: “Time for you to go back the places you will be from.”