Name: James Corden.
Age: 35.
Appearance: Son of Ricky Gervais.
I don't know who Corden is. Would you happen to be American, by any chance?
For the purposes of this article, let's say yes. Well, that's fine. Soon enough, you're going to be just as sick of him as everyone else.
Why? Because he's rumoured to be taking over from Craig Ferguson as the host of the Late Late Show on CBS.
Really? That's why everyone's so excited? Because he's going to host a little-watched talkshow, at about 1am, in an already saturated market? That doesn't sound like much of a step up in the world. But it's a prestigious slot. Ferguson managed to win a Peabody Award for what he accomplished in his time.
Which was? A livewire mixture of puppetry, spontaneity and sudden bursts of disarming sincerity. It's really good. You should check it out on YouTube.
Will Corden be a suitable successor? It's difficult to tell. When he's on his game, he can be a genuinely thoughtful, engaging host and an energetic performer. But when he's off it? Yeesh.
Yeesh? The quote that's doing the rounds in the US today comes from a piece published by the Guardian in 2011: "[He] is arrogant and loud, his humour laddish and dated ... he has an unappealing, thespy air of entitlement. Also, most essentially, he's attention-seeking."
Oh, now I remember who he is. He's the guy who keeps ruining the Brit Awards. That's him. And, thanks to America's infatuation with talkshow hosts, there's a horrible possibility that he'll one day do the same to the Oscars.
What else do I need to know about him? He's written well-received sitcoms like Gavin & Stacey and The Wrong Mans, starred in The History Boys, he beat Philip Seymour Hoffman to a Tony award in 2012 for One Man, Two Guvnors, and he's about to star opposite Meryl Streep in a movie adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. Also, he's the host of A League of Their Own.
I don't know what A League of Their Own is. I have never been more jealous of anyone.
Do say: "Another shining example of world-class British talent!"
Don't say: "You do realise that this isn't a straight swap for Piers Morgan, right America?"
