Research Project

I am really interested in watching late-night television and the associated talk shows on the local networks; CBS - David Letterman, Craig Ferguson; NBC - Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien (the best), Jimmy Fallon (the worst); FOX - Spike Feresten, an unknown writer who worked as a writer for the shows "Saturday Night Live", "The Simpsons", "Seinfeld", "Late Night/Show with David Letterman" and "Space Ghost Coast To Coast" - a parody cartoon talk show; ABC - Jimmy Kimmel. These are the entire talk show host on network television. Comedy Central, a cable channel, has a talk show with Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show", and after him comes on "The Colbert Report", starring Stephan Colbert, a correspondent for Jon Stewart until he had his own spin-off.
I want to talk about the different sections of late night programming like Letterman, Leno, Conan, and Kimmel. The first part is the monologue, a stand-up routine where the host talks about currents events and makes jokes about it. After the monologue, the host walks to his desk and continues to talk about some current events but also perform a comedy skit with some of the shows performers and writers. The skit may or may not have to do with current events, but it usually does. Then, after the comedy act, two separate celebrity guest come out for an interview in front of cameras and a live audience (which I've been in three times on Late Night with Conan O'Brien). Sometimes the first guest would stay for the second interview, but most of the time they leave, probably due to tight schedules. On Conan's show, sometimes there would be a comedy skit in between interviews or during them, the latter seems to be the funniest. When all the celebrity guests have been interviewed, a musical group performs, of any band that the either the host or the producers chooses, and is usually a current band. Sometimes the group leader of the band would come to the hosts’ desk and sit down next to it for a brief interview before the end of the show. This is the standard procedure all late -night television programming, however, each show varies in how they present them, with different writers and performers and with a different host, each show is different. Most of the time, issues discussed in interviews have to do with current events, the hosts’ stand up monologue, and the celebrity guest sometimes only appear on the show to promote their new movie that they’re in or trying to sell something. Musical guests are common, but sometimes, instead of a music group or solo act, there is a stand-up comedian, usually an unknown. Less commonly, instead of celebrity guest, they could be a cook or a chef, or an animal trainer, bringing live (sometimes dangerous) animals. It always provides entertainment.