James Corden’s first time as Grammy host appeared to be off to a disastrous start on Sunday night, when his initial entrance to the stage was stalled by an apparent mechanical failure. Quickly after pulling himself onto the stage, the popular late-night host proceeded to tumble down the stairs. It was at that point the audience realized the joke was on us, and it was just Corden’s quirky way of making an entrance. Without missing a beat, he joked about the “disaster” that had occurred and moved swiftly into a rap about all of the famous faces in the audience.
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While it is commonplace for late-night hosts to transfer their skills to award shows (Jimmy Kimmel will host this year’s Oscars and Jimmy Fallon recently emceed the Golden Globes), perhaps nobody is more qualified for music’s biggest night than Corden. His popular talk show segment “Carpool Karaoke,” where he drives around with famous musicians singing along to their hits, has become so popular it was made into an Emmy-winning primetime television special. It has also given him a special rapport with some of pop music’s biggest stars.
Corden’s quick wit and comedic timing proved beneficial throughout the night. Minutes after Twenty One Pilots took their pants off while receiving their Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Stressed Out”), Corden appeared in his underwear, no less, welcoming viewers back from commercial break and introducing the next performance.
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One of the highlights of the night included Corden strolling through the audience behind a cardboard cutout of the “Carpool Karaoke” logo. After spotting Jennifer Lopez, Corden sat down beside her before they were joined by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Keith Urban, Jason Derulo, Ryan Tedder, and Neil Diamond for a rendition of Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline.”
Later in the evening Corden went into the audience once again to congratulate his parents on their anniversary, only to find supermodel Heidi Klum conspicuously sitting in his father’s lap. His father was quick to note that he was granted a “free pass” for the night from Corden’s mother. She was then than spotted with her own toy for the evening, Nick Jonas.
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Overall, Corden seemed comfortable and the mutual respect between himself and the stars in the audience was apparent. But how do you think Corden did hosting the Grammy Awards? Take our poll down below and sound off in the comments section and in our forums.
