‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction’ Season 1, Episode 2: “You Be the Newsman, I'll Be Liz Taylor"
By Eli Sokeland
The first episode of David Letterman’s show left much to be desired. Even though it did boast a prestigious guest, it lacked much content in terms of today’s society. For the next episode, George Clooney isn’t as well known as the 44th president. Despite that, Letterman once again strikes up an intriguing conversation that is entertaining and informative.
The show opens with Letterman and Clooney outside of the studio near an airport. This part of the show feels almost meaningless with the duo only discussing plane types and eating food. The episode then goes quickly into the previous interview style like the other episode.
Compared to the previous episode, Clooney is very quick to explain his childhood. He elaborates on how his parents, Nick and Nina Clooney, were prominent figures for the media. Due to where he grew up, the show takes new scenery in the Midwest.
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Letterman creates the best moment of this episode when he connects his own experience in Indiana with Clooney’s experience in Ohio and Kentucky. For example, Nick Clooney used to do his own talk show. It was also entertaining to learn that George would dress up as holiday characters to be interviewed on the show. By visiting Clooney’s parents, Letterman truly connects the audience with Clooney’s childhood. Letterman also illustrates Clooney’s close connections to his parents. The most interesting takeaway from this was a photo set that compared a photo of Nick Clooney’s interview with President Ford to another photo which showed George Clooney listening to President Obama.
The show thankfully glances over most of Clooney’s acting career. Clooney says that he got his acting career from his uncles and showed some of his first acting roles. While Letterman did ask Clooney where he got his passion from, the show takes an interesting turn toward Clooney’s wife, Amal. Amal Clooney is an international law and human rights lawyer. It is funny to see George fail in the comparison between his films and her legal accomplishments.
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Unlike the last episode, Letterman proceeds to talk about more current events. Currently, the Clooney family is supporting an Iraqi refugee named Hazim Avdal. Letterman gets the privilege to talk to him about how ISIS is currently hunting down people of his religion. Avdal is of the Yazidi minority religion and is extremely grateful for his ability to get an education in the United States. Letterman even compares Avdal’s pursuit of education with his own education at Ball State. The Clooney family is connected with Avdal due to George and Amal’s attempts to prevent the Yazidi genocide by bringing ISIS criminals to court. The couple describes it as enacting rightful justice instead of violent revenge.
The episode concludes at the same beginning location. Letterman tells a poor joke to Clooney and that’s all. This creates the same sensation of confusion as the beginning. There is clearly a humorous connection between the two celebrities.
Throughout the show, there was a greater variety of people that Letterman interviews. Also, his conversation with Clooney was just as original and quick as episode one. The defining theme of this episode is that people are more connected than they realize.
