I’m not really sure what to say about Daniel Craig’s recent visit to Jay Leno’s show. There to promote the new 007 film Quantum Of Solace, Craig was understated, subtle and Bond-like. He was also the antithesis of Bond in his vulnerability, both physical and emotional.  There is a shyness to Craig that probably works better as a vehicle for his charm with women rather than men.

Arriving with his arm in a sling – and not offering much explanation of why other than the six or seven (ask his doctor!) screws in the shoulder – Craig went on to discuss several other injuries he’s suffered of late. Very un-Bond-like.
Craig also talked about his life as an actor and, like almost every other actor out there, his dislike of the audition process, funny story included. Further confirming his less-than-suave real life, Craig talked about getting the phone call that he was the new Bond while shopping, alone, at a Baltimore Whole Foods Market. He immediately went to the liquor department, bought a bottle of vodka and drank it. Not shaken or stirred.

Craig did spend time explaining the title of the new film.  A smart move considering most have been bewildered since first hearing the title.  The whole appearance was a bit like the chicken or the egg dilemma – did Craig get the part because he is the strong, silent type or is he now the strong, silent type because he got the part…and is now doing promotion? Hard to know. But whichever it is, he has proven good for the franchise, reinvigorating and even reinventing the character as a more serious, contemplative James Bond. I believe Ian Fleming would be happy.

As for Craig’s talk show persona, his light humor and stoicism combined well to offer a Bond-like, if not electric appearance. Craig’s power is clearly better demonstrated on the screen not on the couch.

If you didn’t know Mark Wahlberg and saw him for the first time on Jay Leno’s show, you would think he was a nice, respectable young actor. You would have no idea of his history. A history even he joked about. Wahlberg spent much of the interview talking about his childhood, being the youngest of nine kids. He also joked with Jay about having just had his third child, his upcoming wedding and trying to sell his house…to Jay, “come on, Jay, help out a fellow Bostonian!” (He did his homework! Good move.)

Walberg’s low-key persona is quite the opposite of that previously mentioned wild history that inspired the series Entourage, which he produces.  It’s a history which is best described in his own words – when Jay asked about how he would deal with his kids finding out about it – he said “I’m trying to figure out how I can destroy evidence or come up with…I have a few years to figure out a good excuse, but I [will] have a lot of explaining to do. Between my music career, the underwear stuff and Boogie Nights, I don’t know how I’m gonna explain that!”

Wahlberg did talk about his new film Max Payne and did a good job explaining its origins as a video game.  Once again, playing against character, he said he chose the role because after playing a science teacher and an accountant in his last films, he felt the need to “bust some heads.”

From rapper to sex symbol to edgy actor to smooth talk show guest, the adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover” really applies here. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

I really wanted to like Molly Shannon on Jay Leno’s show, but she made it so difficult because, frankly, I was so exhausted after watching her. When she walked out, she brought chips and salsa to a couple at a mock Mexican restaurant table set up on stage – a bit Jay and Co. were doing. She was a good sport to participate and seemed genuinely excited to be there, waving at the crowd and grinning that huge grin. The trouble began when she sat down. From continually fixing and touching her hair, to either genuinely or playfully losing concentration, to telling uncomfortably awkward stories about her family and upbringing — Shannon was all over the place. She sensed it herself I think, when she started to drink from Jay’s cup – he stopped her – and she tried to cover, joking with “I’m a real classy guest.”

They did talk about her new show Kath and Kim and showed a clip, but by that time I was so beaten up by all of the frenetic energy, that I could hardly concentrate.  Now, I’m pretty sure on some level this is all about nerves, but it just shouldn’t happen. Shannon needs someone to sit her down in a quiet place and teach her to channel her energy and focus on her direction and intent.

I think we’ve discovered why she is so talented and adept with characters. Now if she could only “play” a calm, centered talk show guest, she’d have it made. Perhaps she could add that to her repertoire.

Dressed eerily similarly to Leno, Jimmy Kimmel had to take a ribbing before he even sat down, “is that the Jay Leno young men’s collection?” referring to his wardrobe.  Not to be tarried with, Kimmel launched into his own diatribe, smartly including the audience.  He said to Leno, “may we speak privately for a moment? (with a knowing glance to the crowd) You guys are cool, right?” He proceeded to express his concern for the rumor that, upon his eviction from NBC, Leno would be coming to ABC, where, in case Leno didn’t know, he has a late night talk show of his own.  Kimmel continued on his sarcastic rant for quite some time telling Jay how bad ABC was to work for and how his car kept getting keyed, as he knew all things automotive are near and dear to Leno’s heart, and finally ending the misery definitively with “so don’t come there!”

While I’m not really sure what he was there to promote, he talked about his parents, who were in the audience (perhaps that’s why he was there, his parents wanted to see the Jay Leno show!) He then jumped back on his soap box commenting about Jay having sent his Mom flowers saying, “It’s not enough to take my show, you have to take my mother from me too?”  Even when they returned from the break, Kimmel lead with his calculation of Leno’s worth ($703 billion dollars, by his most recent count) and saying he doesn’t need another job.  It was funny, but bordering on real… too real… and uncomfortably desperate.  A fine line that Kimmel continued to walk.  They went on to chat about Kimmel’s Emmy, which he said was really won by his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Silverman and his cousin, and then ended the interview showing a clip from his own show.

Again, I really am not sure why he was there, but it was an entertaining appearance.  Certainly two people who know better than most about comic timing, pace and humor; they played well off each other, Jay teasing Jimmy like the Jedi Master joshing the Young Padawan.  It will be interesting to see what the future holds for these intergalactic stars.

It’s not often that we would review the talk show appearance of  a star so recently.  But in the case of Brendan Fraser, he has spent the Summer of ‘08 is the desirable position of having to promote two potential blockbusters released within 30 days of each other.  As I was admittedly critical of his early Summer appearances, I thought it fair to give him another look.  Unfortunately, things haven’t gotten much better.

While he was hawking Journey to the Center of the Earth, I mentioned that Fraser may have taken his movie promotion role a little too seriously, foregoing the fun his personality usually promises.  On his recent outing on The Tonight Show for Mummy 3, he seemed to be over-correcting and trying too hard.  His appearance felt engineered and too rehearsed, with lots of props and plenty of energy, but little genuine connection between him and Jay and even less with the audience.

Things did not get off to a promising start.  There’s an old adage in show business: never work with animals or small children.  Now, if you’d think if anyone could handle this situation, you’d think it would be Brendan Fraser with his vast experience of working with animate and inanimate objects.  Yet he apparently met his match as his appearance was preceded by a contingent of animals that included a woodpecker, jungle cat, raccoons and a massive anteater, and every one of them seemed more at ease in the Guest Seat than Fraser did.

He started out promisingly, trotting through the curtains and acknowledging the band, the audience and even a hey-howdy gesture right into the camera.  But even when he launched into his own animal-related escapades, he seemed curiously forced, with a hint of flop sweat.

What would have helped?  Maybe a touch of the dry humor he exhibited in the first Mummy movie, the kind of wry self-composure that serves the likes of George Clooney and Gillian Anderson so well when they hit the talk show circuit.  Even the action clip from The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor felt full of frenzy rather than fun.  Fraser introduced it with “As you know, I work with animals frequently…”  Maybe they should have kept the anteater on past the commercial!

When Seth Rogen edged out onto The Tonight Show set, he looked less than a sure thing.  Sure, he had a nice suit, fashionably loose tie, and a fashionable-three-years-ago five-day beard.  But he looked painfully uncomfortable, rarely making eye contact and sitting tensely.  What a wonderful surprise to see him turn in a textbook performance as a great guest.

He first blew our expectations out of the water when Jay displayed a cover of GQ with Rogen front and center.  Pointing out his modified-fro curls, Jay asked, “Is that your hair?”  “Yes,” Rogen replied. “And if you’re wondering, the carpet matches the drapes.”  The audience fell apart!  Rogen milked his doofus persona and kept Jay in stitches throughout his segment.   He had done his homework: bringing out a picture of Jay in jeans and denim shirt (his favorite outfit), Rogen referenced his Northern roots by noting “We call this a Canadian tuxedo.”

The comedy centered on Rogen’s underachiever past, showing a clip from Dawson’s Creek that revealed the stoner character he plays in Pineapple Express (which he was promoting) has deep roots.  Jay even bounced jokes off of Rogen’s parents – in the audience – throughout the segment.

So why did Rogen succeed when he broke so many standard guest appearance rules?  He stuck close to the most important rule: reveal something about your true self that the audience and the host can relate to.  Play to your entertainment strength.  And he did this masterfully.

This will probably be one of the shortest reviews ever for The Guest Whisperer.

Will Smith is a perfect guest! He’s fun, funny, personable, full of energy and just plain great. He listens, interacts, dresses appropriately, brings visuals, is deferential to the host, has great timing, great stories and makes them interesting.

Want to hear about him golfing with Tiger Woods? Tiger’s comment about Smith’s severely curving shot, “whoa, let’s get a skirt for that hooker!” Or maybe you want to hear about his daughter’s new pet frog, which turned out to be a 3-foot boa constrictor which will eventually turn into a 12 foot boa constrictor, “Jay, I’m on your show tonight as cry for help.” Or his prowess in the bedroom — he calls it Willagra.

There to promote his new film Hancock, about an alcoholic superhero, Smith talked about donning a harness for stunt flying in the film 70 feet in the air at 60 mph for two city blocks. “ You can be sure I’m not doin’ that again, Jay.”

He is a publicist or film marketing chief’s dream – coming off as a great guy doing a great interview. Watch it and you’ll feel like you’ve had a shot of adrenaline. That’s all there is to say.

When something looks too good to be true… sometimes it just might be. Such is the case with Cindy McCain. She made a visit to Jay Leno’s show recently and appeared nearly perfect – pretty, well-put-together, forthright, humorous, a little overly controlled… and even willing and able to make fun of her Presidential candidate husband, John McCain, saying “he’s not a very good driver” and admitting that he lied about his age when he met her (he subtracted five years). Guess what? So did she (she added five). They didn’t find out until they applied for the marriage license.

McCain talked about her medical problems (prescription drug addiction, a stroke), being a pilot (she flew hubby in his first bid for the Senate) and a race car driver (drift cars with her son) and teaching special education. I bet she’s a gourmet chef, too.

She did achieve what, I think, she set out to – conveying how fit and young her husband really is — he’s going to hike the Grand Canyon again this summer, without her.

Interestingly, Leno was compelled to behave. He had a few mild zingers but, perhaps because she could be the next First Lady, he treated her with respect. And, in all fairness, she was, as Jay said, a “great guest.” Only time will tell if she’s the real thing.

If you didn’t know much about David Beckham other than his soccer prowess, half-naked billboards and marriage to Posh Spice Girl Victoria, you might have been surprised to see and hear him on The Tonight Show recently. A very polite, slightly nervous English chap, who dressed up for the show (is that just a British thing?) in a suit and tie, chatted with Jay like they were mates – well almost, they are actually neighbors. And in connection with that, Beckham took the opportunity to apologize for all the paparazzi.

The surprise about the usually silent superstar is that, while he looks like he might be upper crust, he is actually a working class bloke. His accent bespeaks his upbringing with a gas-fitter dad and a hairdresser mum. He was really quite humble and proud when he said he is living his father’s dream. (His dad was a huge soccer fan and his parents completely supported him throughout his career.)

On to the interview.

What is it with Jay that he has to continually pull out the juvenile pranks to try to embarrass guests with ambush photos, video and “grade school” level questions? Didn’t he learn anything from his recent “tail between his legs” apology to Ryan Philippe for going down a ridiculous gay round of queries?

When Jay showed the aforementioned half-naked billboard, Beckham was genuinely uncomfortable. He said he was “so nervous” doing the shoot because he had never posed in his underwear and he knew his wife, friends and mother would see it. While being nervous and shy can be the kiss-of-death for a talk show guest, Beckham made it work by coming off real and charming.

Eventually they got to the reason for his visit, his 100th game for England (the National Team), an achievement only reached by four other players in history, and not for 20 years. Oh yes, he did mentioned that the Galaxy’s season was about to begin – good thing as we seem to recall they paid him a pretty penny to turn around the fortunes of the LA franchise.

The best part of the interview, however, was not part of his interview at all. It was actually when the next guest, Sherri Shepherd, came out and continually flirted her butt off, saying “he’s fine!” over and over again. She admitted that she even had cut out a picture from a magazine of Beckham and his wife in bed, and put her face over Victoria’s…and it was “HOT!” The entire time, Beckham’s reactions were priceless. Reverting to his silent nature, he never uttered a word, just grinned appropriately and laughed like he loved every minute of it. And we believe he was, which made the audience love it even more. Sometimes, silence is golden.

If anyone should be naturally equipped to make a great showing on a talk show, it’s a career politician several months into a national campaign. They’re rehearsed and experienced, with a ton of anecdotes at their fingertips, plus ample prepping by a squad of professionals behind the scenes. We expect them to be relaxed, witty, informed and on their game

Senator Hillary Clinton fulfilled all expectations when she swept onto The Tonight Show in her customary pantsuit, topped in bright red to up the energy quotient. She pre-empted any questions on her recent “misspeaking” about her experiences in a Bosnian landing zone and confessed, “Obviously, I had a lapse.”

When Hillary and Jay went after the serious subjects, she delivered her opinions with a humorous slant, proclaiming, “It’s the economy, stupid – and unfortunately it’s a stupid economy.” When Leno brought up Chelsea, noting, “She said you would make a better president than her dad,” Hillary had a perfect comeback, “Oh, she’s such a smart young woman.”

Her natural gesturing kept the visual energy high and she made an excellent connection with her host. Her body language was solid, as she leaned in toward Leno and patted his desk to make her points. But she barely misses a 5 Whisper rating because she failed to maintain eye contact consistently. This appearance was marred by an annoying habit of looking at the floor for long stretches, making it impossible for the camera to find her and keeping the viewer from making a connection. If she could direct some of that eye line to the crowd, she would have aced our scoreboard.