EPISODE NUMBER: Season 1, Episode 52 (Wednesday, November 25, 2015)
GUESTS: Gloria Estefan | Eric Greitens | Jake Wood | Daniel Boulud
SEGMENTS: Monologue | Thanksgiving is the Most Politically Divisive Meal of the Year | Gloria Estefan | Stephen Releases “The Late Show” Test Ape | Eric Greitens and Jake Wood | Daniel Boulud | Stephen’s Thanksgiving Dinner
SUIT REPORT: Navy Suit | White Shirt | Navy Patterned Tie
Monologue
On tonight’s (Thanksgiving Eve) Late Show, Stephen greeted the audience and admitted that he was glad of one thing… which was not having to travel anywhere this year for Thanksgiving, considering the US government has issued travel alerts world-wide.
Stephen gave us a heads up of the supposed information relayed by government officials, in all its vague glory.
- The government has warned that multiple groups may target official and private locations, using a variety of threats through conventional and non-conventional methods. He paraphrased this as meaning, “be on the lookout for any person, place or location.”
If it’s a noun, hit the ground.
In closing out the monologue we learned that Snoop Dogg is going to be giving out turkeys to 1500 families in need … according to Stephen, needless to say, those turkeys ‘will be smoked’.
Thanksgiving is the Most Politically Divisive Meal of the Year
After the monologue, Stephen discussed the ongoing debacle regarding the differences between ‘sweet potatoes’ and ‘yams’, which are technically the same.
It’s the same way that Garbanzo beans changed their name to Chickpeas, when they move away from the ethnic food aisle.
Don’t forget who you are Garbanzo, don’t forget your roots.
This isn’t the only known holiday controversy, however. The presidential turkey pardon comes into play. When normally one turkey is chosen, last year, President Obama did something different … he ‘spared’ the life of two turkeys named ‘Mac & Cheese’. Notable comments continued from the Public Policy of Polling.
- Approval of President Obama’s executive action to pardon 2 turkeys - Democrats were in favor 59% while Republicans were at 11%.
- Regarding Cranberry Sauce, Democrats were in favor 66% while Republicans were at 60%.
- Sweet Potatoes with/without Marshmallows, Democrats were in favor at 34% while Republicans were at 27%.
Interview — Gloria Estefan
Stephen welcomes seven time Grammy award-winning artist Gloria Estefan to the show, to discuss her success as well as her latest dabble into the world of Broadway, with her upcoming musical entitled ‘On Your Feet’.
Stephen: (Regarding the musical) Now, this is your life in Broadway form. How does it feel to sit there in the audience and see someone play you on stage […]?
Gloria: They’ve done a phenomenal job, we’ve actually been in since the first moment. We let them do their thing, and they’ve done such an amazing job. Ana Villafañe and Josh Segarra, there’s great chemistry there, cause, you know, that’s very important because we’ve been married 37 years and together 40. […]
Some hilarious sentiments regarding her hit “Rhythm is Gonna Get You’, followed.
Stephen: Is it true that the song was originally titled “Boogie Man’s Gonna Get You”?
Gloria: Yes, indeed. My drummer co-wrote it and he comes with those lyrics, and I say, nuh-uh, I’m not singing ‘the boogie-man’s gonna get you’, so I kind of re-wrote it, and said you know what’s going to get you, the rhythm.
We also learned that the “woosh” sound in the song has always been an homage to the original lyrics. How funny is that?
Stephen addresses her recently becoming a recipient of the Medal of Freedom from President Obama, and shows the audience, one of the highest civilian awards given. She and her family’s history of how they got to this country says a great deal as to why she received it. Her father fought in the ‘Bay of Pigs’ as well as in Vietnam. Gloria insists Stephen try it on, but he declines, and admits that having Captain America’s shield is enough for now.
Stephen: You were born in Cuba and your family were refugees to the United States. What do you think of our country opening up diplomatic relationships with Cuba again? Does that make you hopeful?
Gloria: Well, I hope that it eliminates the excuse that government there has had forever that everything is the U.S. fault, because it really isn’t. The biggest embargo there is that the government has an embargo on the people. Up to now, they’ve done business with every other country in the world, they’ve had travelers from everywhere and if you were American and really wanted to go to Cuba you could, but nothing has changed for the Cuban people so they always blamed us, but hopefully now it’ll give the people of Cuba more hope and little-by-little they’ll be able to make a change. […]
Stephen Releases “The Late Show” Test Ape
We live in an age of scientific marvels. […] We wouldn’t be where were are scientifically without those who dedicated their lives to science […] Lab chimps have been some of the great contributors for scientific research. After decades of being used for research in the NIH […] we can say they have an innate curiosity about people in yellow hats. The NIH is ready to offer serious monkey retirement. Animals kept on standby will now be sent to a federal sanctuary. According to the NIH, these proposals haven’t ever been justified. I’d like to thank apes for all the breakthroughs they’ve given us over the years.
With this being said, Stephen brings out the Zobo, the Late Show ape, to release him back into the wild so he can make something more of his life.
I don’t know what he’s gonna do out there, but whatever it is, I wish him well …
Interview — Eric Greitens and Jake Wood
Stephen welcomes out veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, Eric Greitens and Jake Wood. These men are here to talk about how they’re continuing to serve their country here at home and abroad. Both are the subject of Joe Klein’s new book entitled Charlie Mike regarding how they successfully brought their mission back home with them.
Eric Greitens wears many hats as he is a former road scholar, Navy Seal, photographer, writer and CEO of ‘Mission Continues’. Jake Wood is a former US Marine, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, veteran advocate and CEO of ‘Team Rubicon’ and winner of numerous awards within the media and press.
Stephen: What does Charlie Mike mean, and who is Charlie and Mike?
Eric: Charlie Mike means ‘continue the mission’ and this mission for Jake and I started when I came back from Iraq, I was serving there when my team had been hit by a suicide truck bomb. I came back home, went to the hospital (noticed everyone there and how they felt) […] and figured out a way for them to continue their mission. What I found saying to them was ‘we still need you’, ‘we still need your strength, you still have something to offer’ and we wanted to find a way for all the veterans to come back home and continue their mission of service here at home.
Stephen: What are some of the ways they can do that through Mission Continues?
Eric: What’s incredible with Mission Continues is that today we have over 5,000 veterans around the country and they are out, they are working with Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs… they’re taking on some of the toughest problems in this country - gang violence, childhood illiteracy, hunger, veteran homelessness. When they are out serving everyday what happens is that through their service they rebuild a sense of purpose while at the same time helping others to build stronger communities.
Stephen: What is Team Rubicon and how did that get started?
Jake: So, I came back in 2009, I did a tour in Iraq and a tour in Afghanistan as a scout sniper in the Marine Corps, and when I came back I wanted to go to business school but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life but I found myself in my living room watching the devastation unfold after the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, and wanted to get down there, knew when I saw what was happening that I had the experiences and the skills to make a positive impact there, so together with another Marine, William McNolte, we organized a team of veterans and doctors, we got down to Port-au-Prince (after some of their calls pleading for spontaneous assistance were declined).
Stephen: Why is the motto of Team Rubicon ‘We Do Chaos’?
Jake: After 15 years of war, we have two and a half million men and women who are coming back who have been doing chaos overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and they can still do it here at home, and Team Rubicon is a non-profit team responding to disasters all across the country around the world taking the skills and experiences of thousands of veterans and, retraining them for disaster response and sending them into communities in their greatest time of need. We Do Chaos, it’s what we do well.
Interview and Cooking Segment — Daniel Boulud
World renowned French chef Daniel Boulud stops by the Late Show to help Stephen out with a more unique Thanksgiving recipe idea, the Turducken (aka menage-a-ducken), but using a stuffing technique containing 5 birds - quail, squab, duck, chicken and turkey. Though the preparation process was borderline risqué for network TV, the results were that of pure deliciousness.
Stephen: Clear something up for me. You are a chef. What is the difference between a chef and a cook? Does the chef have a nicer hat or something?
Daniel: The chef is the big boss. The chef is the one who governs everybody.
Stephen’s Thanksgiving Dinner
In the show’s conclusion, Stephen invited his guests along with the beloved house band, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, to his table for a wholesome Thanksgiving dinner. Stephen went around the table and asked everyone what they were thankful for.
We hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this year, as we have so much to be thankful for, including such a wonderful new show that Stephen, CBS and his writers have put together for us!