S15.E10: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Sheen, Amanda Holden, Ed Sheeran

[Lisin]

Together on Graham's sofa are Hulk star Mark Ruffalo, talking about his new movie Begin Again, actor Michael Sheen promoting Soccer Aid, Britain's Got Talent's Amanda Holden and music from Ed Sheeran performing his new single Sing.

[Vandy10]

So what happened to Nicole Kidman?

 

I really like Mark Ruffalo every time I've seen him on this program, and his story about how he found out he got the part of the Hulk, with the morning car, cracked me up.

[dubbel zout]

So what happened to Nicole Kidman?

 

Grace of Monaco is such a bomb that she's probably not doing any publicity for it. It totally tanked at Cannes (the terrible reviews are hilarious to read), and the Grimaldis have expressed Extreme Displeasure with the movie. 

 

Amanda Holden sort of looks like Kidman, so they tried. Heh.

 

Michael Sheen was delightful.

 

The Poppy and Georgie bit was excruciating.

[peeayebee]

I was surprised at how the Poppy and Georgie segment went. First off, I don't think the audience knew how to take them. Second, I think Graham didn't do this "straight" interview quite right. Maybe there wasn't any other way to do it. I'm not sure. Anyway, I thought they were both very funny, which you only get if you know that this whole thing is a big Borat-like prank.

 

George: She's always right.
Poppy: I'm not always right.
Georgie: No sorry. She's not always right.

 

As for the rest of the show, it was pretty good. I love Michael Sheen -- I just put Masters of Sex in my Netflix queue -- and I loved that he opened the show doing Graham. So funny.

 

I'm not completely enamored of Amanda Holden. I think I felt the same way the last time I saw her here. She's pretty funny and sharp, yet I don't like her interrupting others.

 

I like Mark Ruffalo. I felt bad for him when Graham asked if he'd try the tall unicycle. Mark was game, but that looked scary.

 

I think Ed Sheeran performed the same song on SNL. And I swear, he sounds so much like Tracy Chapman.

 

The Red Chair -- I didn't care for the first story about peeing in a phone booth, but I loved the second one. That was good.

[FormerMod-a1]

I "got" the Poppy and Georgie segment, but I still thought it was an odd interstitial.  And it said it was recorded just for BBCA.  Why?  What did we miss of the actual show to get that?

[peeayebee]

I agree that having it in there was odd. I guess BBCA just wanted to insert a promo into Graham's show. They must have thought it was a good fit to have Graham interview this couple. Like I said, I enjoyed them and knew what they were all about since I've been seeing the regular promos, but the way the interview was done didn't quite work. BTW, at the end of the interview there was a caption that the laugh track was provided by the Graham Norton Show as requested by Poppie and Georgie. I thought that was funny, and yet it didn't really work either because the audience didn't laugh all that much.

 

As far as what we missed, I wonder too. Actually, before the Poppie and Georgie bit, I was thinking how great it was that we were getting a full hour of the show. Oh well.

[attica]

I first saw Sheen playing Mozart in the David Suchet Broadway revival of Amadeus. I've followed him ever since (except maybe some of those Underworld flix) One hears he has quite a way with the ladies. After seeing him here, I can believe it. Pretty high-wattage charm. He's not particularly tall, so I was surprised to see him taller than Ruffalo. Ruffalo has always struck me as a tall fellow, but: guess not.

 

I might have to call shenanigans on his Hulk-casting story. According to Whedon on the Avengers commentary, he wanted Ruffalo from the start. Now maybe the will-he-or-won't-he had to do with Norton and contracts and things, but I suspect somebody is telling tales.

 

I feel bad for the poor bloke that wanted to make a call in the post-pee phone booth.

[dubbel zout]

I think there were some legal wranglings with Norton and Marvel, and I don't think they could officially get Ruffalo until that had been worked out, so maybe it came down to the wire for Ruffalo to go ComicCon.

 

I feel bad for the poor bloke that wanted to make a call in the post-pee phone booth.

 

Same here. That's why I don't find those sorts of stories amusing. 

[solotrek]

It felt like Amanda Holden is auditioning for her own talk show or something. She somehow inserted herself into EVERY little bit.

 

For someone who hasn't ridden a unicycle in 25 years, Mark Ruffalo did a pretty decent job. I don't think I would have even given the tall one a try.