Borky Won Late Night This Week

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As a seasoned cinephile who’s been around the block more times than I care to remember, this week has been an intriguing mix of the bizarre and the ordinary in the world of late-night talk shows. The Luigi Mangione saga, while tragic in its real-life implications, has certainly provided a unique twist to the usual chatter – it’s like we’ve stumbled upon a new character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, albeit one with a darker backstory.

Late night had a hard time tackling alleged United Healthcare assassin Luigi Mangione this week. There was definitely a gap between what people IRL were saying and what network talk-show hosts could say on their advertisers’ dime. Mangione might be the first man to enter the Good for Her Cinematic Universe, but most late-night shows could only refer to the “tragic” nature of Brian Thompson’s murder. That’s the exact word Stephen Colbert used to describe the shooting on Monday. On The Late Show’s kid sister, After Midnight, Taylor Tomlinson said she’s probably the only host who looked at Mangione and thought Would, but also said it was good news he was caught. But maybe it was good news because it meant more pics?

Most shows fixated on the thirst for Mangione, sort of obscuring that a lot of the fandom for him isn’t expressing “He’s hot”; it’s “He’s right.” That’s not something that can be addressed fully in anything but the most jeremiad-esque of think pieces. Jon Stewart probably got closest on The Daily Show: He apologized to his booing audience for breaking the news that he’d been caught. “Look, I’m sorry, guys. Apparently, a bystander at McDonald’s ratted him out. And normally, I’d say ‘Snitches get stitches,’ but obviously, without pre-approval …”

However, it wasn’t just Mangione’s thirst traps that made headlines this week. Let’s dive right into the top 5 highlights instead!

5.
A Classic Showbiz Tale on The Late Show

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=7_mknEKxKqI

Is it relevant to Gen Z whether Billy Crystal perfectly imitates Howard Cosell? It’s not a concern, as Colbert finds it entertaining. Crystal recounts his experience guest hosting The Tonight Show for Johnny Carson, where he had a difficult guest in Cosell, despite their friendship. This anecdote is reminiscent of the classic showbiz world and seems outdated compared to today’s Twitch streamers and Instagram influencers who are famous for pulling epic cheese stunts. However, for those who appreciate this vintage, “That’s Entertainment!”-style content, this talk-show moment was like watching Babylon.

4.
Colin Jost Crashes Out on Late Night

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=r5q4MiKRoqI

Colin Jost appears to be intentionally struggling during his interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers. He launches into a lengthy complaint about mannequins being more attractive than before, labels the audience as know-it-alls for guessing the answers to his Pop Culture Jeopardy! questions, and spends an excessive amount of time trying to recall the ending phrase of “This ain’t your grandma’s ____”. Essentially, he can fill in that blank with whatever he chooses. Throughout this, Seth Meyers maintains a broad smile, reminiscent of the Sun Baby from Teletubbies. In summary, it was an entertaining segment and a genuine display of human behavior by Jost.

3.
Jeremy Strong Does Jimmy Kimmel’s Astrology Chart

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=2AZBjlsdR1o

In this interview, Jeremy Strong and Jimmy Kimmel rarely seem to agree, yet they appear to be thoroughly enjoying their disagreements. Their dynamic resembles the friendship between a curious black cat and a friendly golden retriever. For instance, Strong references Rilke, to which Kimmel replies, “Who is Rilke?” On the other hand, Strong claims he found out Kimmel’s astrological sign on a website about primitive astrology and jokes that Kimmel is like Keith Urban – a panda. The conversation between them flows effortlessly and seamlessly, making for an excellent talk-show appearance with no need for scripts or notes.

2.
John Mulaney Learns Loving Steely Dan Is Not Genetic

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=XXFDhfFCpNg

John Mulaney’s comedy centered around his child is simply thriving. It can be a tricky situation when comedians become parents and their humor shifts to include these new family members, but Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney seems destined for stardom. Recently, Mulaney performed a traditional couch set on The Tonight Show (a quintessential location for such performances), sharing fresh jokes about his son, his son’s developing rockabilly style, and his son’s dislike for Steely Dan. Rest assured, John, when he becomes a father, he too will embrace dad rock.

1.
Who Is Borky?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=sCf7UcZ3wwk

As a movie reviewer, let me express my genuine amusement: I haven’t laughed this hard since the days of Howard Cosell and mismatched guest-host interactions. However, Vinny Thomas’s segment about “Borky” feels more like an insider peek into a classic talk show’s writers’ room than the actual program itself. One individual comes up with the most absurd idea, and we all erupt in laughter, waiting for the head writer to shut it down. But on After Midnight, they say, “Forget the rules,” and give us “Borky” on network TV. It’s that audacity that sets this show apart!

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2024-12-13 19:55