James Corden has the best late-night response yet to Melania Trump's plagiarism scandal


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Stephen Colbert and Laura Benanti set a high bar for late-night comedy responses to Melania Trump (or her speechwriters) lifting entire phrases from the 2008 convention speech given by Michelle Obama, but James Corden really stepped up on Tuesday's Late Late Show. "We can all agree that plagiarism is an awful crime, absolutely deplorable, but Melania claims she is innocent," Corden said. "In fact, she had a lot of explanations, and we have them here in our brand-new segment — you guys are going to love this — it's the Late Late Show Top 10 List!"
Corden's David Letterman impersonation is not all that good, but bandleader Reggie Watts does a respectable Paul Shaffer. And the list itself is quite decent. No. 9, for example: "I'm from a communist country where we share everything — including speeches." No. 5 might have been a little risqué for the audience, and No. 2 hammers the joke home with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but hats off to the Late Late Show team for getting the details right. "Coming up we've got Jay-walking, Mean Tweets, and Thank You Notes," Corden said after reading No. 1 — showing that CBS isn't scared to borrow from other networks as well. Watch below. Peter Weber
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Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.
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