'Late Night' variety show airs on campus

By Andrea Ragni

As college students all know, staying up into the wee hours of the morning is an all too regular occurrence. It's also a fair assumption that all those hours are not spent feverishly working on homework.

Some may take refuge from their work by making late-night Wendy's runs, while others enjoy the array of late-night television shows. Many love popular shows such as Saturday Night Live and David Letterman, while others have random favorites. But now, there is a whole new opportunity to become addicted to late-night television that involves students here at Santa Clara.

"College Late Night with Michael Castellano" is an opportunity for students to watch their peers in a late-night variety show much like the ones they love so much.

"It's a combination of our favorite shows: we have sketch time like SNL, interviews and guest segments like Conan O'Brien and a central host like the Dave Chappelle Show," host Michael Castellano said. "It's like the best of the best of entertainment, all with a college feel."

The first episode of "College Late Night" premiered on May 17 to a very receptive audience.

"We have already heard a lot of positive feedback," Castellano said. "The buzz is spreading around campus and many students are interested in helping out in some way."

For the time being, the show is using many "in-house performers," having the members of their founding club on the show. Though this is the setup now, next year the group hopes to hold open auditions so that anyone with an interest could try-out for a part on the show.

Casting directors Erin Wood and Mary Claire Lauerman will invite students to audition for characters, and if they accept the role and can make the shooting time, then the part is all theirs. This is a unique opportunity for anyone looking for experience in this field.

Castellano said the real goal of this student-produced show is to highlight students, teachers, organizations and talent on campus. A show such as this will give students the opportunity to not only watch their favorite show, but also participate in it. And who doesn't want to see themselves on television?

"We hope that students find a unifying school spirit when they sit down to watch the new episode of College Late Night (and other shows produced by this organization)," Castellano said. "We want every passion at this school to be showcased and this is the best way to do it."

This might be just what Santa Clara is searching for in terms of unifying school spirit, something that many would agree needs to be worked on. Giving students the opportunity to perform in such a thing would encourage them to partake in more student organizations leading to a better sense of unity. These are subjects in which many students at Santa Clara are interested. College Late Night is an opportunity for such students to test-drive their skills and abilities in a "real life situation."

"College Late Night with Mike Castellano" airs Monday, Thursday and Sunday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on channel 37. The club hopes to eventually bring new shows to the channel to cover more airtime for Santa Clara students.

û Contact Andrea Ragni at (408) 554-4546 or aragni@scu.edu.