tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post49157596239449686..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: My thoughts on Fallon replacing LenoBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35405707612622213622013-04-04T17:20:59.871-07:002013-04-04T17:20:59.871-07:00No one I know watches Leno. And I haven't hear...No one I know watches Leno. And I haven't heard anyone even discussing this change. No one truly cares. cityslkrzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02219741224566984854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47421071287758987812013-04-02T03:45:58.167-07:002013-04-02T03:45:58.167-07:00Jay Leno was a classless jerk when he forced Johnn...Jay Leno was a classless jerk when he forced Johnny Carson out by telling NBC he was going to sign with ABC for a competing 11:30 show.... and NBC executives were their usual classless morons, and chose Leno over Carson, who would have liked to retire a year later. Carson took the high road and left. Leno and NBC took the low road and ruined The Tonight Show forever. Leno and NBC are getting everything they deserve. I love it,and I'll bet Johnny Carson is loving it too... :)Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08772668629511953810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25162586461382591592013-04-02T03:22:16.283-07:002013-04-02T03:22:16.283-07:00People still watch TV? I watch Youtube and DVDs.People still watch TV? I watch Youtube and DVDs.Dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09092985199027690430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28277885158526053252013-03-31T22:30:35.097-07:002013-03-31T22:30:35.097-07:00If there's no good movie on, I'll watch Le...If there's no good movie on, I'll watch Letterman because he's going to go Paar-ballistic one of these days and crater CBS. Depending on the guests, of course. Fallon's idiot laugh makes me physically sick. Ferguson could be great but he doesn't care -- with his pantomime horse and toys he's a witless Pee Wee's Playhouse. Is Leno still on the air? I'd gladly trade all of them for Joel McHale.<br /><br />Michael Hill, excellent Thomas Wolfe reference. Well done.<br /><br />Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70251075122342454192013-03-31T13:46:38.685-07:002013-03-31T13:46:38.685-07:00Fallon is not funny. Even if the writing is funny,...Fallon is not funny. Even if the writing is funny, he can't seem to deliver it...of course there's the writing is rarely funny. NY-NYGeoff Edwardshttp://geoffedwards.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61447846738863229462013-03-30T15:12:13.529-07:002013-03-30T15:12:13.529-07:00My favorite "late-night" show is Graham ...My favorite "late-night" show is Graham Norton on BBC. I love the style of the show, how the guests are encouraged to interact and play off of each other. <br /><br />I also love how it is a mix of American and British entertainers. One of the best episodes was when a senior British female comic challenged will.i.am to tell a story in proper English with using the word "like" in every sentence.<br /><br />I was only a kid when Carson retired, but I loved him. It was a treat to be able to stay up late and watch Johnny. I never really got into Leno or Letterman or Conan. I don't if every host just got more and more crass, or maybe Johnny was crass, too, and I was too young to understand it at the time.Barbara C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13066983078171521691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62016575648825216952013-03-30T09:50:08.425-07:002013-03-30T09:50:08.425-07:00Grumpy Cat might make a good host... Your Moment O...Grumpy Cat might make a good host... Your Moment Of Squeee... How is ABC news Instant Index thing doing?<br />I really do waste more time on YouTube.<br />Groban sings Kanye's Tweets was really good though.Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16847456527691891022013-03-30T09:42:13.638-07:002013-03-30T09:42:13.638-07:00having Kenneth the Page host The Tonight Show migh...having Kenneth the Page host The Tonight Show might be fun...Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77876836345926862232013-03-30T09:33:46.945-07:002013-03-30T09:33:46.945-07:00I'm already confused by the Jimmys.
My broth...I'm already confused by the Jimmys. <br /><br />My brother - who is 6 years *younger* than I am - got choked up over Johnny retiring. Meanwhile, I never watched late night - or any - talk shows, unless there was a guest I was interested in, and yes, DVR and fast forward.<br /><br />Noticed a storyline on Duet, years ago, about Letterman vs (Leno?) btw. I'd never seen Letterman, at the time, so I didn't get it at all.<br /><br />And yup, my brother now watches (worships?) Jon Stewart.<br /><br />When is Arsenio coming back? People said he never listened to his guests but he did great Scott Bakula interviews. Scott was on in his final week, even with nothing to promote.<br />Sorry I missed that Newhart thing. Really.<br /><br />As for talk shows in general, being a big fan of anyone famous leaves you with proof most shows don't last. My tape library shows the littered remains of a couple dozen failed talk shows Scott Bakula and Donny Osmond have appeared on. <br /><br />Relatedly - I got over Sonny's talk show really fast. I'm a fan but daily? I think I could watch Scott daily but I dropped to only watching Donny when he had family as guests or when he was, himself, the guest.(Or that time he had Scott on (and thy sang together)).<br /><br />Bergeron - I remember his local 12:30 pm talk show in Boston, People Are Talking. Sometimes normal, sometimes a bit Springer. He once has Salem's official town witch and a Protestant minister. But mostly not Springerish. I hear before he was host, it was referred to as Nuts and Sluts. In any case, I read his book and really loved it. Yet, he's not known for the monologue thing (sorry, I missed Breakfast Time or whatever it was called). He's great with guests though - conscious or not.<br /><br /><br />Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61588939882995788652013-03-30T07:44:43.105-07:002013-03-30T07:44:43.105-07:00In general, many of TV's pillars are showing s...In general, many of TV's pillars are showing signs of cracks. It was news when Katie Couric anchored the CBS News, the results were mixed, now no one really talks much about the new guy.<br /><br />Today is getting attention for backstage drama but not for the show, which is sagging.<br /><br />As for late night, here's my view for all it's worth:<br /><br />Jay is a poor little rich man. He's never really been accepted as the new Johnny, his early Tonight Show history was marred by Kushnik Kapers and no matter how he delivers and tries to be a company man, they don't seem to care. <br /><br />I don't think he's terrible at interviews, depending on the guest. I skip over Jaywalking because too many of the people seem to be acting hopefuls who say dumb things to get on camera and be discovered.<br /><br />My question for NBC is: what ever happened to the grand celebrationary sendoff? Johnny had a week of clips and tributes, Jay's going out angry. <br /><br />Surely his departure this could have been managed in a more dignified, positive and ratings-getting way than Jay being treated like any old cog in a corporate wheel that's downsizing.<br /><br />Fallon has a lot going for him -- impish nonthreatening looks, not-too-edgy, not-too-snarky humor, contemporary pop and rap and an easy, reassuring manner. I only wish he'd been given just a little more time to mature into the role. He tends to loooooove everyone and seems sincere about it, but sometimes the guest just isn't worthy.<br /><br />The key thing that NBC is counting on with Fallon, beside ratings, is social networking. He has tweeted to fans from day one. The networks aren't sure where the new media is going but they want to be as ready as they can be. That's as big, or bigger, then demographics.<br /><br />Conan can chug along as long as he wants in his little pond as the biggest fish. When he has a good guest, he does fine, but he's best in some sort of fringe, whether at 12:30 or on cable. He has a great band, though I miss Max.<br /><br />Letterman still is a master of the craft, but he's not as passionate about pushing the envelope as he used to be. I respect the fact that he doesn't seem to be hiding his opinion about his guests. <br /><br />His is the only show upon which I would watch an interview with Paris Hilton or a Kardashian because only Letterman can interview on two levels, seemingly deferential, yet letting his audience know just what he and they really think.<br /><br />Ferguson is the most brilliant of all of them, an incredible mind so dynamic he can hardly get the words out fast enough. He is a curious blend of "vulgar lounge comic" as he puts it, sophisticated and intellectual ("Oh sure, another late night comic talking about Proust and existentialism!")<br /><br />On the other hand, I love Secretariat and the vocal talents of the robot, but Ferguson sometimes falls into the repetition that affects Letterman. I miss "Murder She Wrote."<br /><br />Not sure if Ferguson can -- or even wants -- Letterman's spot. He seems destined for other avenues for his talents. And he'd have to tone down the naughtiness.<br /><br />That leaves the mystery of Jon Stewart. "The Daily Show" lacks some of its punch when there isn't an election, just like Saturday Night Live, but it still scores often. But is Jon Stewart REALLY leaving JUST to direct a film, or also to make some career negotiations? <br /><br />Gotta wonder. His current show gives him a Peabody winning platform, but a bigger show and bigger audience (perhaps retaining some Daily Show elements) has got to be tempting.<br /><br />My two cents.Greg Ehrbarhttp://cartoonresearch.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69778041933805617912013-03-30T05:35:30.294-07:002013-03-30T05:35:30.294-07:00I'll offer a minor defense of Jay Leno. I'...I'll offer a minor defense of Jay Leno. I've seen his act since the 1970's and I admire his work ethic, however...I didn't find him that funny when he started out and when I saw his name as a guest on David Letterman's show, I cringed, however, when I saw the actual show, Leno was funny to me. It was the most I ever laughed at him. <br /><br />When he got the job as host of the "Tonight Show", I tuned in again and granted, it is hard to be funny night after night, Leno went back to being not funny to me.<br /><br />As for the relevance of late night, yes, of course there are wealth of options not afforded the average 1970's TV viewer. Those who have first-hand knowledge of this may tend to be less interested in the splintering and the splinters of late night and the younger will tend to, as Mr. Levine said, not be all that interested.<br /><br />The upshot is that in the days of the Big Three, a lot of worthwhile people went unnoticed or under-noticed, but the weeding out did produce some quality. Nowadays, there are many more pathways, but that hasn't necessarily upped the quotient of talent, but it does make the hunt a lot more interesting.Brian Phillipshttp://ultrasonicremote.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79672918673803627602013-03-30T00:32:33.382-07:002013-03-30T00:32:33.382-07:00Hey, Johnny W... have YOU ever had Cockaleekie in ...Hey, Johnny W... have YOU ever had Cockaleekie in Ballylickey?<br /><br />StormStormnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83756213366121767232013-03-29T08:49:58.639-07:002013-03-29T08:49:58.639-07:00Intellectual depth used to mean something late at ...Intellectual depth used to mean something late at night, thanks to standards set by Jack Paar, Carson and Dick Cavett. Fallon seems to have very little, and even less than his rivals.candanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13390976270693852772013-03-29T07:05:17.234-07:002013-03-29T07:05:17.234-07:00Any Sasha Grey reference gets you a 10. Well done....Any Sasha Grey reference gets you a 10. Well done. I never watch chat shows but I would dvr that one.Quiet Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5021428000637690652013-03-29T04:32:25.418-07:002013-03-29T04:32:25.418-07:00Wow, you got to meet Johnny! I'd love to know ...Wow, you got to meet Johnny! I'd love to know what that was like. A man born to host chat shows, smart, funny, talented, but who was apparently cripplingly shy and never got close to anyone. I really should read DeCordova's book.<br /><br />I know the TV landscape has changed, but it's very easy to believe that it was Carson who made things such a big deal. Leno isn't anywhere near as loved as he was. <br /><br />It's actually quite shocking to me that this news is so incredibly dull now. Maybe the Conan fiasco is partially to blame for stealing its thunder. Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22868211841676730652013-03-29T03:57:26.085-07:002013-03-29T03:57:26.085-07:00You're not going to get any of those "Con...You're not going to get any of those "Conan who?" type comments from me, since this is my bailiwick. I've been working nights, writing radio morning show material, for over 20 years. I don't see daytime TV, and very little prime time, but I watch/DVR all the late night talk shows, because I like them, and because I don't want to repeat any jokes they did the night before. <br /><br />I still like Conan, and it's easy to watch his show since it starts half an hour earlier than the others. His filmed bits are often brilliant, and he has a writer/comic on staff who is hilarious (don't know his name, but he plays the 1940s door-to-door salesman and the 1930s crooning ghost). Plus Triumph still drops in occasionally. <br /><br />Kimmel has some of the sharpest monologue material, but I often tune out after that's over. Jay obviously works the hardest at his monologue, and his bits after that can be really funny, if they are based on reality and found humor (Headlines, Dealing With The Public, Jaywalking) but not so much if they're scripted. Dave is just going through the motions these days. Craig Ferguson is the only one who makes me laugh out loud every night, although I do miss the puppets. He has a touch of natural-born comic genius about him that doesn't require the writers' help. But he's probably too much of a specialized taste for the 10:30 CST slot. <br /><br />That brings us to Jimmy Fallon, who is likeable but just not that amusing. He has a few reliable bits that are actually funny, like "Wheel of Carpet Samples," and his song parodies. But he's not quick-witted like Dave, Craig or Jimmy (and not even in the parking lot outside of the same ballpark as Carson). In both his interviews and monologues, he still often comes across like a jittery sixth-grader with stage fright, sweating under the lights in his first long-pants suit. Plus I don't get the Roots worship. Probably my least favorite band in late night. Is it in the SAG contract that every guest has to slobber over them before the interview can start? I just don't see him holding Leno's older audience or bringing that much more of a younger audience to "Tonight" (if he does something worthwhile, they'll catch it on the web.) If Leno does go to Fox against Fallon, "Tonight" is over. <br /><br />I'm amazed nobody else has noticed this, but Jimmy Fallon is not a "Tonight" show caliber host. TV executives used to have enough sense to know where he belongs, but I guess nobody does at NBC anymore. <br /><br />Jimmy Fallon is a natural-born daytime host. What he does is identical to what used to be done by guys like Art Linkletter. He can be kind-of humorous, but is no comic genius. He's cute and likable, and bored or frazzled housewives would enjoy spending an hour with him when they can get the kids to shut up for that long. What he enjoys doing most is playing parlor games with celebrities and audience members, and giving everyone a prize, even when they lose. The kind of host Ernie Kovacs once described as running around in a ladies' hat, popping balloons with a flyswatter. He's a slightly more masculine Ellen DeGeneres, or a slightly less masculine Rosie O'Donnell. At 10:30, he'll be a disaster, but at 2 p.m., he could maybe be the next Ellen. Pat Reederhttp://www.hollywoodhifi.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77407478757360545292013-03-29T02:14:22.265-07:002013-03-29T02:14:22.265-07:00SO glad to read that it's not just me that'...SO glad to read that it's not just me that's gotten annoyed with what's become of Craig's show lately. The night I started watching it regularly happened to be the night he stopped doing the musical intro numbers (Nov.'10: After working hard all week on a Doctor Who theme opening for guest Matt Smith, his director told him at the last second they hadn't gotten around to securing the rights to the bloody song; he was beyond pissed, and has only done it like once since), which I loved and miss so much. I dealt with it because he still did Sid the Rabbit and actual comedy bits, but he's long since abandoned them. I love Geoff and Secritariat, but I don't know... the monologue needs to GO, for one thing; he keeps saying he's fighting Tired Late Night Tropes, but there he is every night, doing a tired monologue (Clinton/sex jokes? What year did I wake up in?) and acting like he doesn't want to be there.<br /><br />Oh, and he has the same few people on WAY too much (KATHY GRIFFIN PISS OFF), and an endless stream of nameless bimbo actresses on to promote whatever crap they're on, being bewildered and confused by the weird old Scotsman asking unscripted questions. OK, that bit's funny, but the bimbos are tired.<br /><br />I just want him to answer my Tweetmail: Have you ever had Cockaleekie in Ballylickey? I don't really care, I just want to drive the censor crazy with LEGITIMATE WORDS!<br /><br />Cheers, thanks a lot,<br /><br />StormStormnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31981498578229577122013-03-29T01:25:49.713-07:002013-03-29T01:25:49.713-07:00I've always thought that Letterman's staff...I've always thought that Letterman's staff takes a Mad-Libs approach to humor. It seems like their jokes are composed by drawing phrases out of a hat, whether or not they make any sense when you stick them together.<br /><br />The problem with Jay can be traced back to his prime time show. He and his staff believed they had to go a different direction from the Tonight Show so they started doing bits after the monologue that were painfully unfunny. When he returned to late night he abandoned the format that made him #1 and instead tried to emulate the prime time show. Result -- he is now unwatchable.DwWashburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057278992504418291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1051077730312034522013-03-28T22:47:16.400-07:002013-03-28T22:47:16.400-07:00This sweater.... that's what makes him laugh.This sweater.... that's what makes him laugh. Hotchahttp://www.hotcha.chnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16108084386453202342013-03-28T22:34:06.293-07:002013-03-28T22:34:06.293-07:00Since late-night TV is still largely the province ...Since late-night TV is still largely the province of older viewers, this can end only one way: The two Jimmys split the miniscule 18-34 audience, and everyone over 40 migrates back to Dave, making him #1 again. And the chowderheads at NBC willl stare out the window and wonder what went wrong.cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6533606492222997742013-03-28T22:15:07.549-07:002013-03-28T22:15:07.549-07:00Frankly, I'm over this catering to the 20-some...Frankly, I'm over this catering to the 20-something crowd bullshit. <br /><br />I'm closer to 40 than 30 now, but it insults the hell out of me. <br /><br />Several of us would rather see smart, witty, intelligent comedy instead of masturbating bears or whatever the hell that was, an interview with the latest jerk from some so-called reality show or another Kardashian yucking it up with Jay or Dave. <br /><br />But what do you expect in a world in which people think they're getting news from Colbert and Stewart, and Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell are doing real news in the morning on CBS while "Good Morning America" wins ratings with stories about cars landing on somebody's roof and people actually give a shit about Matt Lauer's future. <br /><br />Some of us are mad as hell, don't want to take it anymore and are tired of having our intelligence insulted. <br /><br />Thank god for DVDs and/or Netflix streaming of MASH, MARY TYLER MOORE, DICK VAN DYKE, BOB NEWHART SHOW, and CHEERS, "Charlie Rose," "The Big Bang Theory," PBS, NPR and any Jack Benny, Johnny Carson or Dick Cavett audio or video clip I can find on the internet.Jake Mabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01908036270824377919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63191016719139376552013-03-28T19:24:08.468-07:002013-03-28T19:24:08.468-07:00You're right - late night talk show is like Ch...You're right - late night talk show is like Chicago XXXIX - who really gives a fuck? Until the networks abandon a format that's over 60 years old and comes up with something truly exciting for the 20-something crowd, late night TV will wallow in who-caresland. As a 60-something, I don't what that truly exciting format might be, but it's time for a radical change - comeon, isn't there anyone at the networks who has a clue what young adults want to watch if they're tuned into the tube near midnight? Geez, a frickin; Fillmore-type light show would better than the shit they're running now...Mark Hellmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13073066837716593272013-03-28T18:47:25.862-07:002013-03-28T18:47:25.862-07:00Fallon is Funny and Fresh and deserves the top spo...Fallon is Funny and Fresh and deserves the top spot. Leno is old,tired and boring and considering the number of writers he has, not funny. Jay should pack it in. Letterman is just weird and not funny.He is too old and has lost any originality. See ya Dave. Ferguson tries hard and sometimes hits it. But find someone else before giving Dave's spot to Graig. In the long run, he's boring too. Kimmel was good for a short time but he has stagnated and become like a morning show. And what is with Gee-Airmo ? Please! I say give cousin Sal the show and we will all rejoice. Conan who ? With Fallon taking the Tonight show, hopefully very soon, we will all be happy and can get to sleep sooner feeling nourished and satisfied. The others just aren't worth investing my sleep in.Poppa Wheeliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05462480098712027354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60047154517333000822013-03-28T18:42:44.399-07:002013-03-28T18:42:44.399-07:00Jay went back to getting his usual numbers
Not re...<i> Jay went back to getting his usual numbers</i><br /><br />Not really, his current numbers are worse than what Conan got. (And NBC claimed they lost a huuuuge amount of money with Conan's numbers...)Tomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44798687063593660092013-03-28T18:02:16.091-07:002013-03-28T18:02:16.091-07:00Carson was the king. Period. Nobody was, is, or ev...Carson was the king. Period. Nobody was, is, or ever will be in his league. <br /><br />He isn't Carson, but I loved Dick Cavett's ABC and PBS shows. Eclectic. Cool. Intelligent. Vidal and Mailer cat fighting. Cheever and Updike waxing poetic for 30 minutes. <br /><br />I think NBC should just say to hell with it and run a show called "Tonight" with tons of Carson reruns and Jack Paar and Steve Allen thrown in every now and then to make things fun. They have NOWHERE to go but up at this point.<br /><br />I would call Jay Leno a joke, but that would presume he is funny. He isn't. He is an unworthy successor to The King. Dave should have gotten "Tonight." <br /><br />That being said, Dave has lost his edge, I haven't watched a late night show regularly since Tom Snyder's run ended on "The Late, Late Show" and I won't be watching Fallon, unless the show moves back to New York, in which case I'll watch the first episode.Jake Mabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01908036270824377919noreply@blogger.com