The New King of Late Night Television

The battle of late night television has been going on for years.  Whether it’s David Letterman or Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien or Jimmy Fallon.  Nevertheless, if I do flip on the television to fall asleep, I always turn Cartoon Network for a great Family Guy session. (Don’t judge, if you go to sleep smiling you wake up smiling – try it out)

I am now hooked on one late night television show, and it’s all because of one man – Andy Cohen.  Andy is the host of Watch What Happens LIVE! (WWHL) a live, late night talk show that airs on Bravo at 11 PM EST. WWHL started out once or twice a week, where Andy would have on different Bravo stars from their lineup of programs from Top Chef to the Real Housewives series.

Now WWHL has guests ranging from Questlove of the Roots, the regular Sandra Bernhard, all the way to the Mary J Blige.  What’s most exciting is that the show is now on five nights a week.

I understand that many readers of PRBC might be in their regular routines, but I want to urge you check out WWHL.  Andy Cohen is by no means as recognizable as the talk show kings, but he is making strides and I think he is going to be bigger than all of them. Andy not only exudes confidence and charisma, but Andy does something with his show that really makes him stand out – he interacts with his viewers every night.

Beyond the fun atmosphere of “The Clubhouse,” where the show takes place, viewers are drawn to idea that they have the chance to interact with Andy and his guests.  More than the chance to call in to the show, Andy asks his viewers to tweet, e-mail, and Facebook him.  What a better way to draw an audience? The chance to potentially be mentioned on WWHL by one of the coolest faces in television is very appealing.

The interaction between Andy and his viewers is amazing.  Everyone that calls up is always filled with joy, maybe because they got through the line, or the fact that they were able to ask a question to one of their stars – something that not many people get the chance to do.  Further, not only does Andy interact with his viewers on screen, he also very active in responding to his Twitter followers on a regular basis.  Not something other stars and hosts do.

Another reason WWHL differs is because it feels like a party (for me I hate the fact that I am in bed watching it. From mazel’s to llamas, there is not a talk show on the air that I ever wanted to be a guest on more than WWHL.  Luckily, due to one amazing woman, I was fortunate enough to experience “The Clubhouse” a few months ago, and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

My night at “The Clubhouse” was quite the experience with cocktails flowing and great people and all in an audience of about twenty.  The air conditioning was broken, but that didn’t matter. The guests, Tamra and Vicki from Real Housewives of OC, were unbelievably awesome – they even invited my coworker and I out for dinner afterward (12:30 am on a Sunday night was a bit rough though so we passed, and regretted it ever since).

I was even able to participate in the online aftershow.  Check it out here, I show up at around the three minute mark (Yes, I was 25 lbs heavier). I wish I could be a guest every night, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Overall, if you are not watching WWHL yet, you need to check it out. DVR it, HULU it, check it out. I’d be surprised if you didn’t want to be a guest on the show.  I honestly think that as time goes on, Andy will become the King of Late Night TV. I might lose some sleep staying up later, but hey it’s worth it.  If you have any questions about WWHL tweet @bravoandy – chances are, he’ll respond.

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