S18.E17: Elton John, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Jack Black

[Athena]

 

Graham chats to Sir Elton John, who performs Blue Wonderful from his new album Wonderful Crazy Night; Hollywood stars Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Penelope Cruz, together in the hotly awaited Zoolander 2; and actor and comedian Jack Black, promoting fantasy adventure Goosebumps.

 

[Kromm]

Prediction: Jack Black takes over the whole show. Annoyances follow.

[sugarbaker design]

Could anyone make out Elton John's hotel aliases?  The audience loved them, but they were bleeped out and I couldn't read EJ's lips.

 

Isn't it funny the three stars of a comedy are such unfunny people on a talk show?

[Amello]

This was one of the most boring episodes of the series. 

 

Is there a reason the latest Miriam Margolyes episode was skipped? She was as fantastic as she always is. It'd be a shame for anyone to miss.

[Kromm]

Could anyone make out Elton John's hotel aliases?  The audience loved them, but they were bleeped out and I couldn't read EJ's lips.

If you locate a stream of the UK broadcast (through whatever your personal methods are), they aren't bleeped on those.

 

Probably not worth the trouble, I heard them and they went right out the other ear (because they weren't a quarter as funny as everyone there was making them out to be). 

Edited February 9, 2016 by Kromm

[attica]

I twigged "Take me to the Pilot" within 5 notes of Jack doing the riff. I don't know what it says about me that I recognize old Elton John songs quicker than he does.

[dubbel zout]

Jack Black "singing" as Elton was pretty spot-on to how Elton sounds now. He kind of huffs into notes. 

 

Cruz looked a little lost during all the cross talk. I always feel sorry for people when that happens.

[theatremouse]

Isn't it funny the three stars of a comedy are such unfunny people on a talk show?

Plenty of known-for-being-comedic actors are only funny when something's pre-written for them. Being terrible on chat shows then follows.

Also, I think, too many guests this show. I mean, I know they were there together to promote the same movie, but the backstage people know when they've got a bunch of guests who are not generally good on chat shows and piling 'em up like that doesn't help. Although I'm sure it was a probably "you can have them all or none" sitch...

[Mumbles]

I can't believe a show with Elton John as a guest could be so boring. And It wasn't Jack Black who was the problem this time (and I do admit I thought he would be....but he was very respectful and uncharacteristically non-attention-whoreish.) The real problem was the Zoolander energy-suckage. Way too much time on the Blue Steel bit (it was briefly funny, 15 years ago). And the selfie stick bit was interminable.

[attica]

I give Graham credit for out-loud asking Elton 'so what's up with your accent when you sing?' This is something I've always wondered about -- not just EJ, but most Brit popsters/rockers. Why do they go to the trouble of sounding not-British? By his reaction, I took that maybe Elton hasn't ever really thought about it until Graham asked.