Gone

Quite the week for departures, wasn't it?  CBS Radio News, dead before it could reach 100.  Bill Kurtis retiring from one of our favorite NPR shows, "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me."  And, of course, the biggie, Stephen Colbert.

The Late Show's penultimate skit, in our opinion, could have been its last.  Stephen sings a New Orleans-style rendition of Elvis Costello's "Jump Up" with Elvis, his old band leader Jon Batiste and his new band leader Louis Cato.  At the end, Stephen looks in the camera and says "Goodnight."  It could have ended right there and been fine.  Following it with a raucous rendition of "Hello Goodbye" with Paul McCartney looked like a proper sendoff for his fine staff, who all got to join in - but ending on the softer, more intimate song seemed a little bit better.  Still, this was the ending of a TV network show - and the ending, for now, of all late night shows on CBS - so you can't blame them for going out big.  Watch it here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG0HFw0edXY&list=RDzG0HFw0edXY&start_radio=1

Oh, yeah, and the funniest thing you'll see all year is this show Stephen did the night after his network show closed.  He's hosting a cable access show in Michigan, just like he did before he took over the Late Show in 2015. Pure fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DlF5Cf4VLM

Another landmark of this week, of course, was the 200th episode of the Musical Innertube, featuring more guest stars than there are in a bowl of chicken and stars soup!  Disappointing many, we won't be ending -- Episode 201 is on its way!