Kilborn

From Paul Vercammen
CNN Entertainment Correspondent

Web posted on: Friday, April 23, 1999 1:59:54 PM EDT

(CNN) - Tom Snyder is out. Craig Kilborn is in. And the "Late Late Show" on CBS is making its play for younger viewers. Pay a visit to the set of the show and you'll find yourself at an epicenter of contagious irreverence and one-liners.

Kilborn comes to the "Late Late Show" from Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and brings with him his love of sports and verbal jabs. Take a look around the set and you might even find a cocktail or two.

And with such guests as Bill Murray and soon-to-be-pro football running back Ricky Williams, Kilborn already has brought younger viewers to CBS, according to the ratings. "I think maybe it wasn't that hard to do," says Kilborn, "because you have a guy like me who appeals to 15-year-old boys."

Kilborn's set features a fully-stocked liquor cabinet

Which may also explain why the show at times seems to lapse into a pageant for the pretty and perky. "I'm a red-blooded American male," says Kilborn, "but I try to be classy."

It's a bachelor-pad set all the way, with more features than a furniture show room, including a "fully stocked" liquor cabinet. "We're not chugging beer here," Kilborn says, "we're having Scotch."

And let's not forget Kilborn's interest in sports. He played basketball in college, although his reputation in that arena is admittedly less than stellar. "Yah, I played at Montana State. Led the Big Sky Conference in turnovers," he says. "I don't even know how to handle the ball."

All kidding aside, don't look for a "can Kilborn keep the ball in the air?" ending to this story. He's made his mark with his own brand of comedy. The most serious line you'll hear? Maybe the closing: "Remember I'm proud of you. Goodnight, everybody."