By Gregory Clay--Knight Ridder Tribune
January 28, 2004
When asked about Super Bowl XXXVIII during a telephone call, Kilborn, who has to be the tallest talk-show host in civilization, responded in his clever tone: "No matter who wins or what the final score is, Pete Rose will lose at least $10,000."
What about the much-maligned King of Pop? "Michael Jackson bet on youth baseball."
That's Kilborn's comedic schtick in the world of late-night televistion talk shows.
Kilborn, who is from Hastings, Minn., left as host of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central for "The Late, Late Show" on March 30, 1999. Before that, Kilborn, a diehard Minnesota Timberwolves fan, used his trademark sarcasm in sports, as a witty broadcaster for ESPN.
He even played basketball in college. Kilborn had the height (6-foot-5), but he didn't have much game at MOntana State. "I led the Big Sky in turnovers," he says, "and I rode the bench."
What was the good part? "I could shoot the three," he says.
As for some light notes of levity on the Super Bowl matchup between the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots, Kilborn, 41, offers, "OK, Greg, I have been working on these jokes for you."
Here we go:
"If one team goes up by mroe that 17 points, someone will say Houston we have a blowout."
"Beyonce Knowles will become the first performer in Super Bowl history asked to back that anthem up."
Kilborn has enlisted beefy Tony Siragusa, the gregarious, food-addicted defensive tackle for the 2000 NFL champion Baltimore Ravens team, to serve as a special correspondent for "The Late, Late Show" during Super Bowl week.
In February, Kilborn's main guests will be the covergirl supermodels, such as Petra Nemcova, who grace Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue.
That's sports, late-night style. NBA commissioner David Stern, another scheduled February guest, will just have to wait his turn in the late-night popularity poll.
My, how this genre has changed from the days of the late Jack Paar, the godfather of late-night talk who died on Tuesday morning at age 85. Paar's "The Tonight Show" debuted in 1957 on NBC with sort of a sanitized brashness.
"All of us who have been fortunate enought to host a light-night talk show owe a debt to Jack Paar," Kilborn says. "I'm not sure if he invented the actual desk and chair, but he came up with 100 other things that all of us still use to this day."
It's no secret that the nation's young demographic segment (18 to 34, and especially the college students) often gets much of its news from the monologues of late-night TV hosts, from Jay Leno to Kilborn to David Letterman (Kilborn's idol) to Jimmy Kimmel. Which makes the Democratic political races prime fodder for catch phrases and punch lines.
"It's theatrical," says Kilborn. "It makes my job easier."
He adds: "We actually do well on all the demographics. We reach a lot of people, a lot of people at different ages. But we do reach a lot of young people.
"It's a responsibility. We have to teach the young people. It's my job to introduce new bands to America and break down Howard Dean's rant."
Are you a Democrat or Republican? "Publicly, I'm on neutral ground."
Kilborn, who lives in Los Angeles, tapes his show Monday through Friday, starting at 6 p.m. Pacific time. "I'm out by 7:15," he says.
Nice hours if you can get it.
He writes much of his comedy material, but as Kilborn says, "I have a good group of writers."
Kilborn- a jazz aficionado from Frank Sinatra to Sarah Vaughn to Stan Getz-has a role in Wes Craven's "Cursed," a yet-to-be released werewolf movie starring Christina Ricci and Shannon Elizabeth for the big screen.
Now, let's put the final touches on the Big Game.
Kilborn says beware of the Panthers...
"It's interesting because Carolina is good," Kilborn says. "People are saying they're good, so it should be a close game. It should be a good one.
