S22.E13: New Year's Eve Show

[Athena]

Quote

Together on Graham's big Hogmanay sofa are Hollywood great Hugh Jackman with his co-stars in the new musical spectacular about PT Barnum, The Greatest Showman, Zac Efron and Zendaya; the star of drama Doctor Foster Suranne Jones and Oscar-nominated actor Gary Oldman, playing Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. With music from The Leading Ladies, performing One Night Only.

[StatisticalOutlier]

So did the show not check with Zendaya beforehand to see if she could/would do something on that hoop?  Although, as usual, Graham Norton handled the whole thing like a pro.  And for the record, I can wiggle my ears like that. 

Hugh Jackman didn't quite do it for me this time around, but it's nice to see someone who so completely owns being a ham.  Although I felt bad for the guy in the audience who did the Wolverine impression and Jackman apparently couldn't see that his fingers were bent on the ends and was unimpressed.

[MissLucas]

I can't imagine they had not talked that through beforehand. Maybe Zendaya had said that she wanted to see how she felt in the moment? I was glad Graham didn't push. She was not comfortable with the idea and that was that. Some of those celeb stunts look downright dangerous. Mark Ruffalo on the unicycle made me very nervous.

Jackman did hog the couch a bit - but since he was so charming about it I did not mind.

[Quof]

As much as I dislike Miriam Margolyes, I did want her to show up and smack the "like" out of Zac Efron. 

[Ms Lark]

Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill channeling James Brown was too funny for words! Good, bad, or indifferent guests, Graham beats the hell out of any of "our" NYE celebrations!

[Clanstarling]

I want a gif of Jackman's soccer picture. Too hilarious - reminds me of my own hammy child.

I can do the Wolverine claw too, though it's a little tougher to do as time goes on. I felt for the poor guy who couldn't get his tongue to fold - and didn't watch Zach's spit bubble efforts. Yuck. (though my husband tells me he knows how to do this, and Zach was right about spittle needing to be just right)

It wasn't the best couch in the world, but it wasn't bad.

Happy New Year!

[dubbel zout]

I don't usually comment on Graham's suits because they're more like costumes, but tonight's was heinously ugly, I thought. 

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

Jackman did hog the couch a bit - but since he was so charming about it I did not mind.

Will Smith, take note. (Though to be fair, Graham prompted Jackson more than the others.)

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

I can't imagine they had not talked that through beforehand. Maybe Zendaya had said that she wanted to see how she felt in the moment? I was glad Graham didn't push. She was not comfortable with the idea and that was that.

Yeah, that's the sort of thing the person needs to be really comfortable with. I'm sure the rigging was safe and secure, but I don't blame Zendaya for not wanting to try.

36 minutes ago, Ms Lark said:

Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill channeling James Brown was too funny for words!

It was adorable.

Beverley Knight's hair was amazing.

Graham was resting his arm on the pull lever for the Big Red Chair at the end. I suppose they always plan for it, but I'm always disappointed when time runs short, even when the guests are good.

[Quof]

I think the Zendaya thing was planned, she never was going to do it.

I haven't seen Suranne Jones since Coronation Street, where she was a fabulous psychotic bitch.  I don't recall her being so gorgeous.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I don't usually comment on Graham's suits because they're more like costumes, but tonight's was heinously ugly, I thought. 

Beverley Knight's hair was amazing.

I think I've seen that suit before, though it seems unlikely. I don't mind - he's often a bit over the top.

I am not familiar with Beverly Knight or the redhead, but I was delighted when I finally recognized Amber Riley. 

[peeayebee]

Like Cher, Graham can carry off crazy kinds of clothes.

 

8 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Jackman did hog the couch a bit - but since he was so charming about it I did not mind.

I didn't think he was hogging the couch; he was filling the vacuum. Zendaya and Zac Efron were terrible. Ugh. I've never liked Zac in interviews. He exhibits zero personality and zero intelligence and zero sense of humor. 

Loved Jackman. He really is the consummate showman. Loved the old photo of him as a boy with his soccer team.

[StatisticalOutlier]

11 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I can't imagine they had not talked that through beforehand. Maybe Zendaya had said that she wanted to see how she felt in the moment? I was glad Graham didn't push. She was not comfortable with the idea and that was that. Some of those celeb stunts look downright dangerous. Mark Ruffalo on the unicycle made me very nervous.

9 hours ago, Quof said:

I think the Zendaya thing was planned, she never was going to do it.

Whichever it was, she needs to get different people because it sure didn't make her look very good.  Refusing to do it, for whatever reason, was awkward and made her look like a bad sport, especially when another guest imitates a velociraptor, saying, "Goodbye career" before she starts.

Unless she was sure she wanted to do it, she shouldn't have had it even brought up.  Of course, wiggling your ears isn't that great, but it was particularly not great when compared to swinging around on one of those hoops.  It made me wonder how much of what was in the movie was real, which I'm sure is not the intention.

I remember Mark Ruffalo on the unicycle, and it scared me, too.

[attica]

Random thoughts:

• I guess I've only ever read Zendaya's name. I always supposed it was pronounced 'zen-dye-ah'. But Graham kept saying 'zen-DAY-ah'. On the other hand,  he kept pronouncing Jackman's first name as 'yugh'. Sigh.
• It annoyed me that the singers didn't use the version of the song  with the line "I really don't have the time.' Putting the lyric in the 2nd person makes it boringly heteronormative.
• I'm old enough to remember when Gary Oldman was married to Uma  Thurman. That was a long time ago. She still seems young, though. Him, not so much.☺
• I'm starting to think that Churchill will be like Hamlet: a role that every English speaking actor will play.
• Hugh once attended a play on the same night as I did. He snuck in right as the house lights went down.  But it was not too dark for me to appreciate his tight black t-shirt.

[TexasGal]

15 hours ago, attica said:

• Hugh once attended a play on the same night as I did. He snuck in right as the house lights went down.  But it was not too dark for me to appreciate his tight black t-shirt.

Hubba hubba.  He was a bit much but agree that his co-stars were snores so it wasn't annoying.

Gary Oldman was unrecognizable in that Churchill makeup.

[frogzapper]

I usually don't have much to criticize about the show since I usually love (or mostly love) every episode, but this one just didn't work for me. I thought most of the "special talents" (including the audience ones) were kind of duds and they just went on too long - I found myself losing patience waiting for Zac Efron to form the perfect consistency spit bubble and waiting for the guy in the audience to quit cracking up so he could fold his tongue or whatever he was trying to do. The only ones I enjoyed were Hugh Jackman juggling and the video clip of Oldman doing Churchill doing James Brown - that was very cute! 

I think Hugh Jackman is very charming, but since I have zero interest in the movie "The Greatest Showman" I found myself mostly bored.

All in all, it just seemed like a lackluster couch to end the year!