Since roughly the beginning of time, late night talk shows have originated from New York or Los Angeles, which, let’s face is, is all kinds of played out. How refreshing would it be to have a major late night talk show based somewhere “out there,” in the heartland, in “real America?” Well, the city of New Orleans — led by its mayor, Mitch Landrieu — is pushing to become such a place by petitioning Stephen Colbert and CBS honcho Les Moonves to consider basing his the new Late Show there.
“Though it may seem like an unlikely fit, New Orleans and The Late Show or its successor would be a great fit,” Landrieu writes in a letter addressed to Moonves. “New Orleans is a brand unto itself and it is particularly attractive for the key demographic you are trying to reach. We offer you not only our unique culture and rich history, but attractive business incentives for film production.”
Realistically, a network show being broadcast out of anywhere but New York or LA is a longshot, to say the least. Those two cities are the media capitals of the country and it’s easy to book celebrity guests in both towns. But there’s arguably no city outside of NYC or LA more viable as a location to host a late night show than New Orleans right now. OBVIOUSLY! There’s a reason New Orleans has become known as “Hollywood South” and the city itself would become a vital recurring character in the show. MAKE IT HAPPEN CBS AND STEPHEN COLBERT!
Landrieu’s full letter is below…
Again, it’ll probably never happen, but God bless Mayor Landrieu for trying.
(via Nola.com)