Zhou Libo steals holiday ratings

• Source: Global Times
• [20:15 February 22 2010]
• Comments

By Zhang Cao and Zhao Yi

The Mr Zhou Live Show featuring Shanghai comedian, Zhou Libo’s, received the highest national ratings of any television show during the Spring Festival, weighing in at a whopping 7.62, according to CSM Media Research.

The program borrowed heavily from the American Late Late Show by CBS. Economic and political issues were the main material in Zhou’s talk show. Yao Ming, the popular basketball player, was a star guest.

Zhou lampooned current events such as the real estate market, Obama’s visit to China, A(H1N1) and Spring Festival transport.

Officials remain silent about his willingness to speak frankly on topics such as social problems and even on Chinese leaders.

On the Mr. Zhou Live Show, Zhou has dropped his Shanghai dialect in order to make his humor more accessible to a wider audience.

“In the near future, Zhou plans to continue the TV program, which will still be called the Mr Zhou Live Show,” said Chen Jiahao, assistant for Zhou Libo, adding that the show may tentatively turn up on TV this year.

“Zhou will pay more attention to theater performances this year, where Zhou becomes popular to Shanghai audiences,” Huang Zhengwei, another of Zhou’s assistants told the Global Times.