I get the feeling that a lot of British people are mystified by James Corden’s relative success in America. I have a theory about that: Corden is rather unabashedly nerdy, geeky and dorky, like he’s the sweet, well-meaning kid who loved glee club in high school. And Americans sort of like that. Plus, Corden stays in his lane, in that he’s not trying to convince people that he’s the next David Letterman or Craig Ferguson or whatever. Corden owns who he is, and he loves to sing and he likes to flatter celebrities.
I think Americans also like Corden because we truly enjoy his Carpool Karaoke series. He’s done the series with various singers and celebrities, but two of my favorites were the Adele episode and the Stevie Wonder episode (I cried during the Stevie episode). And now I have a third favorite: Corden’s pre-Tonys episode! Corden is hosting this year’s Tony Awards and that’s perfect synergy for CBS, the network airing the Tonys (Corden is CBS’s new favorite property). Plus, Corden is a total theater nerd, more specifically a musical theater nerd. So not only does he bring along this year’s Tony Awards darling Lin-Manuel Miranda, but he also picks up Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Krakowski and Audra McDonald. I wasn’t expecting to love this so much but I did. When everyone sings “One Day More” from Les Miserables, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The whole thing is just amazing!
WHAT?! Yeah, now I’m excited for the Tonys. Plus, you know Lin-Manuel is going to win everything (as he should). This was an excellent episode!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I honestly don’t even watch his carpool karaoke vids – he won me over with the One Direction and 5SOS skits he did – and the ghost hunting one.
I really really enjoy Corden. He seems like a nice, really genuinely nerdy guy, and it’s nice to see.
I loved the 5SOS one! I’m totally looking forward to the day they do a CK!!!
Yes, he seems genuinely nice. It helps that my first introduction to him was as the mouse in The Gruffalo. I love James.
I think Cordon really came into his own with this talk show (not that he wasn’t talented before). He seems to be having a good time with it and people respond to that. I think Graham Norton and Alan Carr have the feel good talk show format tied up in the UK. So why not try over here? I love that he brings Jack Hana on so much
Penguin!
He HAS a Tony.
Also look up Gavin and Stacy on Netflix. He wrote it and starred in it, it is pretty great. Also loved him n the Wrong Mans. it was hysterical. He’s very talented.
I liked The Wrong Mans! Clive James said those two are like the Morecambe and Wise of the 21stC.
Also, I loved him as Craig, the hapless guy who gets an unwanted flatmate in the form of the Eleventh Doctor.
G&S is one of my very favourite shows – packed full of laughs!
Everyone should watch it
Had no idea Cordon had a Tony until your post. Thanks for the education! I love him.
They’re doing international encore cinema screenings of One Man, Two Guvnors, which he won the Tony for, from June 16th.
Gavin & Stacey is one of those British shows I picked up without actually remembering how or why, and it is hilarious. The Christmas special is part of my annual pre-Christmas viewing and I will randomly sit down and watch several episodes just for the heck of it. I have recited Smithy’s dictum against sharing his food with people who order boring things to friends in restaurants. Because, seriously, hands off.
I also enjoyed him in Fat Friends with Ruth Jones, though I’ve only ever seen the first season.
The “club wise, boo boo?” line from Leo Dicaprio to Jlo was hilarious! I couldn’t believe how hard I laughed, because I am NOT a Jennifer Lopez fan, but that had me in tears.
Wow, amazing performers, just amazing!
All of them singing One More Day gives me life today. Les Mis is my favorite musical, and I might have maybe teared up a little at the end.
@ Rachel-YAAAASSSSSS 🙌 Les Mis is one of my top 5 favorite things in my LIFE 🎶 💖🎶
I practically STROKED in delight when James said ‘we have to sing “one SONG more”; glorious perfection!
Audra. Freaking. McDonald. That high note at the end. I could listen to her sing all day.
She is amazing.
AMAZING. gave me chills. she’s fantastic.
LOVE Lin-Manuel, too…and the way they all sighed when he put on Rent. this was great!
She is the Queen.
Goosebumps and tears. Goosebumps and tears.
I’m surprised the windows didn’t crack with that high note, lol. Just awesome and really loved this clip.
And loved James in Into the Woods, which was the first time I ever heard of him.
I love Audra so so much! Her voice and performances are always so excellent. When she hits that note at the end even the other performers are a little in awe of her voice. She is magic.
I LOVE YOU, BABY!!!!
I need to be in that car.
Not going to lie… I’ve watched this 5 times already and almost cry each time at the end of One Day More. They all slayed and there is just something about that song that gets me every time!
And Audra McDonald is everything.
Really excited about the Tony’s this year. I’ve been wondering which song the cast of Hamilton will perform. I’m leaning towards either My Shot or Room Where it Happens. Can’t wait!
Some have suggested Yorktown based on a rehearsal photo. I wish they could do two numbers.
Ohhhh, Yorktown would be great – Watching Hamilton was such an amazing experience and I can’t wait to see once again the amazingly talented cast perform any of the songs from the musical.
And yes, I wish it could be more than one.
They have so many amazing options to choose from, but I would love it if they did Yorktown. I nearly wanted to come out of my seat in the theater after that number.
“Immigrants… we get the job done!” Love it!
What about the idea that they mash-up two or three songs? I wouldn’t be surprised if the goal was to include everyone in the cast – But Yorktown doesn’t have the Schuyler sisters though, does it? Maybe they will do abridged versions of a couple of songs?
Someone already said this, but just showing the whole thing that night would be great too.
I agree that an abridged version of two songs may happen to get the Schuyler sisters in with the rest of the cast.
I don’t think British people are at all mystified why James Corden is so successful in America. He is still a fairly huge star in Britain. He wrote and starred in Gavin and Stacey which was HUGE and he won a slew of awards for it. He hosted the BRITs three years in a row and was fairly successful and he hosts his own panel show. He is very well known personality over here and continues to be.
His nerdy fanboy schtick is definitely something he has cultivated over the years. I think he is closer to his Smithy character from Gavin and Stacey than he would like to admit. He really let fame get to his head after Gavin and Stacey and I still remember how HARD the tabloids went after him. He recovered well though and came out of it with a much softer, humble persona.
I agree with that. I even like League of their own, which can be incredibly funny. It seems so long ago that he was going out with Sheridan Smith.
I want Lin-Manuel Miranda to win all the Tonys except best actor. For me, that belongs to Leslie Odom, Jr.
Leslie is totally winning Best Actor!
+1
I do remember him playing the big I AM after the great reviews for Gavin & Stacey and then getting shot down by the media. No surprise he is doing well as he is very talented.
The only thing that mystifies me is when some d-lister announces they are off to the US. They seem to think they will make it big there based on UK tabloid coverage of their silly antics to stay in the spotlight.
Ha! Love your posting name!
I think what she’s referring to though is all the comments you see around about him. I too was wondering what the deal was there. It’s pretty common to see Brits slagging him, saying he’s unfunny, why the hell do we like him, glad he’s over here and not there. Which really surprised me when I first started seeing them. I have seen him in so many panel shows on youtube, the special with Gary and stuff like that, so I thought he was well liked and popular.
There’s a lot of tall poppy syndrome in the UK, and he did get a lot of success very quickly and get an inflated ego about it, no question. But he seems to have gotten over it now.
Honestly I think people just love to hold a grudge against people.
That’s the Britisher way! He was well liked for some genuinely good work. Then he got a bit obviously excited about being popular, so being the good Britishers that we are, we took him down a peg or two. Then he became contrite. Then we liked him again.
We can be a mean-spirited bunch. But we do make some good jokes while we’re about it. Sometimes!
@Sixer and KTE: ah, ok! That makes sense. I was starting to get impression he was on Piers Morgan hate-level and never got it! He seems to be an okay dude! 🙂
No-one matches Piers Morgan hate levels.
@KTE Thank you for introducing me to the term “tall poppy” syndrome! Its only surpassed by schadenfreude in my mind. I simply love that most people hide the fact everyone has gotten joy from others misery, but not the Germans! And they did it so succinctly too.
I. Love. This. So. Much.
I’ve loved all his episodes (they even made me think One Direction was adorable and helped me tolerate Bieber a little more). This is a thing of glory.
Same here. I love all of them, especially Stevie, Adele and the Tonys, but even with people I normally dismiss I still love them.
He’s pretty well known over here, and I think most people who saw Gavin and Stacey have a fair bit of affection for him. That show was genius. The British tabloid press just tend to have a case of Tall Poppy Syndrome and I think he’s taken a bit more seriously in the US because of the Tony and some of his previous antics haven’t followed him over. The Graham Norton formula goes down so well that I wasn’t all that surprised to see something similar woking for James.
As a total musical theatre geek, I found every second of this delightful. I love how unashamedly earnest everyone is.
“unashamedly earnest” Perfect description! Love it.
This was awesome. James Corden generally annoys the crap out of me, but I do like Carpool Karaoke.
More Lin-Manuel/Hamilton posts please!!!
Loved this!!!
I hope the Tony’s get some coverage here on Celebitchy the day after.
I love Lin-Manuel Miranda and think Hamilton is one of the most amazing pieces of musical theater ever written.
I was really impressed that James Corden could rap Guns and Ships as well as he did.
“I was really impressed that James Corden could rap Guns and Ships as well as he did.”
I think Miranda was, too! and I agree, I loved that.
Daveed Diggs confirmed on Twitter that he has heard Corden do it and approves.
I *loved* Gavin & Stacey and think we got a preview of these segments when Gavin and Smithy sing along to “It’s Christmas time….”.
His two episodes of Dr. Who, especially the first one, are some of my favorites!
+++++
That’s what I thought of the first time I saw the car bits. Loved G & S.
I never made the connection and I LOVE the G&S Christmas episode. You are so right.
I’m British and I understand his success completely, in fact I think a lot of people do and are proud of him doing so well. The people who dislike him are the loudest and most frequent commentators, as with most celebrities. But I would say it’s unfair to say we don’t understand his success. He was incredibly successful here too!
I LOVE James Cordon and I don’t think anyone is mystified by his success here. Its my British friends that turned me onto him in the first place before he blew up stateside. He’s got a genuine charm about him that is enjoyable to watch. Plus every time he raps I’m just so in awe of his flow. So enyojable
Carpool karaoke gives me life and I got emotional hearing One Day More. All the harmonies and Audra with that high note. YES
GAHHHHH I love him I LOVE EM ALLL I dont even like musical theather ffs but I LOVE all these people so much ( though Honestly the Hamilton soundtrack is just the best thing ever)
Craig Ferguson is, was and will always be my King of Late Night but it’s nice to see that James has hit his stride. I always look forward to watching these clips (often multiple times) and this one is no exception. Love, love, love it!
Whenever I watch the Adele CK, I absolutely die at the part in which he’s belting it and her eyes become wide open because she’s completely taken aback by his voice. I’m so happy that his show is such a success.
Amazing! They are all so incredibly talented. Audra slayed. Pregnant and hitting those high notes. My queen!! I didn’t know Corden could sing so well. This was a great episode.
That’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen on TV. Hands down. Can’t wait to watch the Tony’s now (which are words I thought I would never type).
I loved him in Gavin and Stacy. Good show! I love all the BBC shows like IT crowd and The Office, etc. I just hate that the shows usually end after a certain number of episodes. Which I think is good because some U.S. Shows go on waaaay too long.
I love this so much! I am a Broadway fan and whenever I went to NYC , I would watch a play.
I got teary in the last song.
This was sooooo good! Les Miserables is my favorite musical so the end was amazing! Jesse pushing Jane off him was hysterical.
Totally laughed at that. He kept pushing her away while he was singing.
Corden is genuinely, unabashedly sincere (or really, REALLY good at faking it) and people respond to that. I have this pet theory that sincerity (or being straightforward in your sensibilities) is on the rise due to overload of snarkiness, smarminess, meta-whatever that’s been flooding our culture for most of this century. Just straight-up enthusiasm and a modicum of humility is a winning combination in a culture where being seen as above-it-all is a requirement.
I watched this video three times in a row yesterday. That bit with Jesse (as Marius singing to Fantine) repeatedly pushing away Jane’s hand (as Eponine) was HILARIOUS.
Audra McDonald is so fabulous. And Jane Krakowski positively GLOWS.
OMG that was the best carpool karaoke ever!
Words cannot express how much I LOVE THIS!!!!!
Not exactly on topic but I so wish that we had an equivalent to NTLive in the US, as Hamilton would be the perfect candidate and it would be great to capture it with the original Broadway cast. I know Lin is leaving in July and I doubt he’s the only one as I believe most of their contracts end in July. It will still be a great musical and I’m sure they’ll pick wonderful actors to fill the roles of those who leave but I would really love to see it with all of the original cast in place.
Back on topic, James Corden is adorable and I love how he’s brought the UK (or at least Graham Norton and Chatty Man) style of bringing the host out from behind the desk and bringing all the guests out at the same time.