Late night guest line-ups: November 9-15

Another week in talk shows, another week of the same ol' listings, right? Wrong! I've made two posts today that might be of interest to fans of late night television, talk shows, and this weekly post. First, I posted an account of my experience a couple weeks ago attending live tapings of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. It's a little "rambly", but hopefully it'll give you a bit of an idea of what each show is like behind the scenes. I also finally have my previously promised interview with Kevin Pollak, of Kevin Pollak's Chat Show fame (oh, and I guess his great stand-up career and movie roles), up and posted on ShowbizMonkeys.com.

My planned in-person interview with Mr. Pollak ended up falling through, and since I was on there for a short time and a new time couldn't be scheduled, we didn't get to speak until this past Thursday over the phone (once I got back to Winnipeg). But be sure to take a listen, as I think it's one of the best interviews we've done to date!

There are also THREE new episodes of Kevin Pollak's Chat Show embedded below, since I took a week off from posting on here (blame my post-L.A. trip to Las Vegas for that one). But first, here are my picks for this week's must-watch guests on late night television and the full listings...

  • Jim Parsons (Thursday on Conan) – So I haven't been loving Big Bang Theory as much this season as in the past, even though I don't think the show itself has gotten any "worse". I think perhaps my sitcom tastes have changed a bit. However, I still do enjoy it, and Jim Parsons is certainly as hilarious as ever as Sheldon on the show. My first introduction to Parsons was a small-ish role in Zach Braff's Garden State, and I've followed his career every since. This is his first time off his own network (he's previously been on Craig Ferguson and David Letterman), and I'm curious to see how he interacts with Conan.
  • Jason Mraz (Thursday on Conan) – Thursday is a pretty stacked episode of The Tonight Show. Besides Parsons, Al Gore will be the first guest, and finishing off the show will be Jason Mraz. We're big fans of Mraz here at ShowbizMonkeys.com (his latest CD was #4 on our Best Music of 2008 list) and any chance we get to watch him perform is a good thing.
  • Woody Harrelson (Thursday on Colbert) – Did you see Zombieland? One of the best films of the year, in my humble opinion. Harrelson totally knocked it out of the park! Yes, being that he's on The Colbert Report, he'll probably be talking about something environmental (he's a well-known environmentalist and hemp advocate), but he'll probably be pretty funny (and kick-ass) while he does it. The Report is the kind of show that doesn't need a good guest for it to be a good episode, but having on someone like Harrelson can't hurt.
  • Kate Walsh (Wednesday on Letterman, Thursday on Fallon) – You can get a double dose of the Private Practice (and former Grey's Anatomy) star this week! Yes, I admit, I watch both of those shows. (I watch a lot of television, though... is that a good enough excuse?) Anyway, Kate Walsh is extremely pleasant on the eyes, but she's also terribly funny. A couple years ago, I saw her do a hilarious little bit as part of a Cancer Research Benefit Show in L.A. put on by Rob Corddry, and I've been a much bigger fan of hers since then. There's something about an attractive woman with a dark sense of humour that's amazing.
  • Harry Connick, Jr. (Friday on Ferguson) – Speaking of dark senses of humour, Harry Connick, Jr. has surprisingly been known to have one of his own over the years. He used to make semi-frequent appearances on Conan's old Late Night show, and just killed it every time. Sure, as a longtime fan of jazz, the guy has made some amazing music (and not just the more popular Big Band stuff with his smooth-as-silk vocals, either). But he's also a decent actor and a funny talk show guest. With Ferguson following no specific conversational line, it could end up very entertaining.

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (NBC)

  • Mon 11/09: Kelsey Grammer, Major Brian Dennis and his Iraqi dog of war Nubs, David Gray
  • Tue 11/10: Jessica Biel, Super Dave Osborne, John Fogerty
  • Wed 11/11: Heather Locklear, Rodman
  • Thu 11/12: Al Gore, Jim Parsons, Jason Mraz
  • Fri 11/13: Reese Witherspoon, Danny DeVito, Kris Allen

The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)

  • Mon 11/09: Bill Murray, Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe
  • Tue 11/10: Jack Hanna, Shakira
  • Wed 11/11: Andre Agassi, Kate Walsh, Norah Jones
  • Thu 11/12: Kid Scientists, Amanda Peet, the Cribs with Johnny Marr
  • Fri 11/13: Mariah Carey, Kumail Nanjiani

The Jay Leno Show (NBC)

  • Mon 11/09: Dane Cook, Diablo Cody
  • Tue 11/10: Howie Mandel, the latest Biggest Loser castoff
  • Wed 11/11: Sandra Bullock
  • Thu 11/12: Penelope Cruz, Dolly Parton
  • Fri 11/13: Terrence Howard, Terry Bradshaw, Sheryl Crow

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)

  • Mon 11/09: Laurence Fishburne, Elmo & Rosita
  • Tue 11/10: January Jones, Troy Polamalu, Wale
  • Wed 11/11: Jason Schwartzman, Joan Cusack, Carly Simon
  • Thu 11/12: Kate Walsh, Penn & Teller, Goodie Mob
  • Fri 11/13: Amanda Peet, Steven Ward, Kid Sister

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)

  • Mon 11/09: Carla Gugino, Dennis Lehane
  • Tue 11/10: Adam Arkin, fashion director Nina Garcia
  • Wed 11/11: Kenneth Branagh, the Swell Season
  • Thu 11/12: Trace Adkins, Nick Griffin
  • Fri 11/13: Harry Connick Jr., Peter Sagal

Jimmy Kimmell Live (ABC)

  • Mon 11/09: Joshua Jackson, Big Bird, Ghostface Killah ft. Raheem DeVaughn (Repeat)
  • Tue 11/10: Chris O'Donnell, Bill Simmons, the latest Dancing with the Stars castoff, Amerie
  • Wed 11/11: Dominic Monaghan, Holly Hibner & Mary Kelly, Los Lonely Boys
  • Thu 11/12: Streeter Seidell & Amir Blumenfeld, Switchfoot
  • Fri 11/13: Super Dave Osborne, Huey Lewis & the News

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, CTV)

  • Mon 11/09: Sen. Christopher Bond
  • Tue 11/10: Serena Williams
  • Wed 11/11: Clarence Clemons
  • Thu 11/12: Dr. Jane Goodall

The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, CTV)

  • Mon 11/09: Thomas Campbell
  • Tue 11/10: Maria Shriver
  • Wed 11/11: Christopher Caldwell
  • Thu 11/12: Woody Harrelson

Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC)

  • Mon 11/09: Emmanuelle Chriqui, Yo La Tengo (Repeat)
  • Tue 11/10: Paul Scheer
  • Wed 11/11: Jared Leto
  • Thu 11/12: Danny Glover
  • Fri 11/13: Emmy Rossum

Lopez Tonight (TBS)

  • Mon 11/09: Eva Longoria, Kobe Bryant, Ellen DeGeneres
  • Tue 11/10: Jamie Foxx, Marc Anthony
  • Wed 11/11: Queen Latifah, Oscar De La Hoya, Lisa Lampanelli
  • Thu 11/12: Larry David, Kelly Osbourne

The Hour with George Stroumboloupoulos (CBC)

  • Mon 11/09: Isabella Rossellina, AJ Jacobs
  • Tue 11/10: Valerie Bertinelli, Misha Glenny
  • Wed 11/11: Michael Buble, Patricia Clarkson, Clive Owen (Repeat Guests)
  • Thu 11/12: Cory Doctorow, Morgan Freeman
  • Fri 11/13: Bill Maher, Vivica Fox, Hugh Dillon (Repeat Guests)

Kevin Pollak's Chat Show (Online)

  • Sun 11/15: David Koechner

Tags: The Tonight Show, Late Night, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Hour, Conan O'Brien, Kevin Pollak, talk shows

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Paul Little is the founder and Managing Editor of ShowbizMonkeys.com. When not interviewing his favourite musicians and comedians, he can also be found putting on and promoting music and comedy events with The Purple Room in Winnipeg, or co-producing the live comedy game shows Pants on Fire and The Great Patio Showdown. (@comedygeek)

Original Comments Posted (1)

ariana says...

"It says balls on your face." HAHAHA Jim Parsons. Epic.

Nov 10, 2009 2:14pm

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