A popular American late-night talk show will have a new host, likely next year.
The Late Show with David Letterman is on every weeknight starting at 11:35 p.m. in most North American cities.
Letterman is a comedian who interviews celebrities. Musicians often play during his show, and sometimes it features funny skits.
Letterman has been hosting late-night talk shows for more than 30 years–longer than anyone else.
Last week, David Letterman announced that he is going to retire, likely in 2015.
People wondered who the new host of The Late Show would be.
On April 10, it was announced by CBS (the network that produces The Late Show) that the new host will be Stephen Colbert.
Colbert is currently the host of a popular late-night talk show called The Colbert Report. However, on his show he plays an obnoxious and funny character. As host of The Late Show, he will drop the character and just be himself. Some people wonder if Colbert will continue to be popular, as “himself” rather than the funny character.
There are a number of other late-night talk shows including The Tonight Show, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Late-night talk shows are watched by many people, especially in North America. That’s because they tend to feature very popular celebrities and musicians; the things they say during the late-night interviews frequently end up on the news. So even people who don’t watch the shows often end up being aware of them.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
If you had your own talk show, which guests would you invite? Write one interview question for each guest.
Reading Prompt: Responding to and Evaluating Texts
Today’s article explained that many viewers wonder if Stephen Colbert will be liked when he begins to act as himself. Do you think Stephen Colbert, who has played an obnoxious character on TV for several years, can change his persona and maintain his popularity?
Primary
Express personal opinions about ideas presented in texts (OME, Reading: 1.8).
Junior
Make judgements and draw conclusions about the ideas and information in texts and cite stated or implied evidence from the text to support their views (OME, Reading: 1.8).
Intermediate
Evaluate the effectiveness of both simple and complex texts based on evidence from the texts (OME, Reading: 1.8).
Language Feature: Latin
Today’s article informs the reader that,
The Late Show with David Letterman is on every weeknight starting at 11:35 p.m. in most North American cities.
But what does p.m. actually mean? P.M. is an abbreviation for two latin words, “Post” and “Meridiem.” The latin word “post” means after, and the latin word, “meridiem” means midday. Together, they refer to a time: “after midday” or “afternoon.”
A.M stands for two latin words as well, “Ante” and “Meridiem.” What do you think this abbreviation stands for?
