"The Late Late Show With James Corden" Special "HomeFest" Episode Featured BTS, Billie Eilish Performances
"Let's be honest, none of us really know what day it is," The Late Late Show host James Corden said in his opening monologue, before announcing performances from BTS, Billie Eilish, and more to "bring some joy and some music" in what he called the "strangest" episode of the show yet.
He's not wrong. While on-set filming on The Late Late Show has halted amid the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent social distancing, James and other late night TV hosts are carrying on in DIY fashion.
On March 30, The Late Late Show With James Corden hosted BTS, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish with Finneas, and more in a special episode of the late night show called "HomeFest." Other featured guests included Andrea Bocelli, David Blaine, John Legend, Will Ferrell, and the cast of Dear Evan Hansen, including star Ben Platt.
The hour-long episode kicked off with John (and a cameo from Chrissy Teigen), performing from Los Angeles his new song, "Actions." Will Ferrell then provided a comedic bit about hand-washing with song recommendations for getting that 20 seconds in.
"It's a weird time," Billie Eilish said as she cradled two puppies in her parents' home. She was joined by her parents and brother/collaborator Finneas as they discussed productivity (and lack thereof) during self-isolation. No worries, they're not getting much done either. For their performance, the siblings played Billie's recent single "Everything I Wanted" at the piano together.
As the episode continued, David Blaine joined for magic tricks over video chat, which was about as slow and procedural and confusing as you might think — and that just made the "found your card" trick even more impressive. Meanwhile, Dua Lipa was up next on the performing slate, as she joined the broadcast from her flat in London to do a version of "Don't Start Now" complete with full band and backup dancers in individual video chat boxes.
Another moving moment came when Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli sang from Tuscany, Italy. "Be positive. Have hope, and be assured that soon everything will be finished," Andrea said before launching into the iconic "Con Te Partirò" at the piano.
But for ARMYs, the highlight of the evening came when BTS took the screen to perform "Boy With Luv." When asked by James how the group was holding up, Jung Hoseok, a.k.a. J-Hope, answered, "We are doing well." The small show came shortly after the announcement that BTS's North American Map of the Soul tour has been postponed because of the pandemic, so fans were eager to see the group in full form.
BTS then performed "Boy With Luv" in their studio, and the infectious pop hit from 2019 was extremely the pick-me-up we needed. Especially when BTS member Kim Namjoon, a.k.a. RM gave a message to fans waiting eagerly for the next time they'll see BTS. "It's quite a difficult time time for everyone in the world right now," Namjoon said. "We're so grateful we can connect with you from here. It may seem like we're isolated but we're still connected through our shared experiences, courage, and laughter."
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