The Best of So Graham Norton
Part talk-show host, part comedian, and all-out extrovert, the very Irish and very gay Graham Norton is one of the few people who deserves all the adjectives that are thrown at him: "bawdy," "saucy," "outrageous," "extreme," and "hilarious" are a few of them. His BBC talk show,So Graham Norton, is something that you just couldn't find in America: a rampant exercise in audience titillation that wallows gloriously in bizarre human behavior. Okay, so it sounds like something hosted by Ricki Lake (who's been one of Norton's guests), but in reality it's more like an audience-interactive NC-17Saturday Night Live, with occasional breaks for celebrity chit-chat. If you ever wanted to see Orlando Bloom, Gillian Anderson, Cher, Sophia Loren, or Dolly Parton (a Norton favorite) break the talk-show mold with bawdy sex talk, then your dreams have come true. And Norton's cringe-inducing yet compulsively watchable audience polls, which ask common folk to relate embarrassing, adult-oriented tales, reveal a European openness (and sense of humor) that just wouldn't fly here if tried in the U.S. Alas, for most American Norton fans, this DVD will be something of a letdown, as it takes bits and pieces from various shows and splices them together, instead of showcasing separate episodes. (One of Norton's strengths is his inspired pairings of A-list and B-list celebs in an entire episode.) Still, this greatest-hits style compilation will provide a wild-ride intro and satiate fans eager to revisit prime Norton moments--especially uncensored. A little unexpurgated Norton is better than none at all!--Mark Englehart