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CBS late night salutes Spartans

December 11, 2001
“The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn” will integrate MSU jokes and themes into several of its segments Wednesday. The “Late Late Show” airs 12:37 a.m to 1:37 a.m., after the “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS.

CBS late night is going green and white this week.

Craig Kilborn, host of “The Late Late Show,” is turning his Wednesday night program into an MSU-fest, integrating the university into jokes and his regular segments, including “Five Questions.”

It’s unclear if viewers should expect the typical farm and riot jokes. Kilborn, who writes his own material, said the segments are under wraps for the moment.

“We’ll do some kind of MSU “In The News” joke, a “Five Questions” concerning Michigan State, and, let’s see, I haven’t decided yet,” Kilborn told The State News. “I can’t give it away.”

But he said material about Magic Johnson will be included.

Kilborn, a basketball player for the Fighting Bobcats while at Montana State University and former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor, gushes praise for Johnson, who led the Spartans to their first national championship in 1979.

“I’m a big fan of the Magic man, and they’re a hell of a basketball team still,” Kilborn said. “Magic’s the greatest player of all time.”

The show, dubbed a “salute” to MSU, is one of a series of college-themed “Late Late Shows” to appear on Wednesday night programs.

“When I was in college the weekend started on Wednesday,” Kilborn said.

The series began in November with the University of Florida and has included The University of Tennessee, U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy. Indiana University and The University Alabama have pending salutes.

Kilborn said he’s only received warm responses to the college shows - but then he said fan mail is all he ever receives.

“It’s just the young people warm up to ‘The Late Late Show,’” Kilborn said. “We speak their language.”

That language, Kilborn said, is the language of “love.”

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