jakobnicholas Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Just 2 more weeks with Leno at the helm. Leno says his last week (May 25-29) will include some of his favorite guests, including Mel Gibson, Billy Crystal, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wanda Sykes and his last guest will be Conan O'Brien (!). And Leno promises "something special" for the last show....he doesn't want to spoil whatever it is. Conan will take over the following Monday, June 1st. I grew to like Leno a lot. He's a class guy and his opening half hour was very strong. But I can't wait to see THE king of late night TV take over the Tonight Show (with Andy Richter!!). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Leno seems like a hell of nice guy, but I can't stand to watch him deliver jokes or interview people. He got a little better over the years, but I still find him annoying as a host. Bring on Conan. I won't be watching Leno's new 10 PM show. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I have felt a little lost not being in the "Cone Zone". Fallon has had great musical guests (Van, Cat) but I just tune in at the end for the music. Bring on Conan, indeed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 It's going to be way better. Leno is boring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Letterman was a comedic god from the debut of Late Night through about 1998. He's really lost it, but still a million times better than Leno. O'Brien is okay. Not my taste. My late night viewing now belongs to Stewart/Colbert. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobbob1313 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Leno is not popular here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ThisIsNowhere Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I'm gonna miss Jay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Kinsley Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 They'll never be any good without Jay! He was the whole reason for the popularity and the writing will go totally to crap. Without him in the studio... huh? Leno? Oooooooh. Nevermind. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Letterman was a comedic god from the debut of Late Night through about 1998. He's really lost it, but still a million times better than Leno. O'Brien is okay. Not my taste. My late night viewing now belongs to Stewart/Colbert. I agree that Letterman's show was great at COMEDY for a long time, especially at NBC. But what happened to Letterman's focus? Is he trying to be funny or is trying to be John Stewart? I prefer late night "comedy" to be off the wall, silly and just funny without having to inject a political angle to it. It's very hard to make political jokes or skits that don't irritate or offend a good chunk of the audience. Making jokes and skits about how dumb George Bush is EASY. Making jokes and skits that are timelessly funny is HARD. Letterman was BRILLIANT at this at NBC. Dave's silly conversations with guests, Chris Elliot bits, Larry Bud Melman, tossing watermelons off buildings...etc were all golden. His quirky humor is what inspired how Conan approaches some of his show. Letterman still has moments that remind me of his old self, like his interactions with Alan Caulder and his attempts at getting humor from his stagehands. But his show is a complete dud anymore. He's become WAY more political, and because he's kinda nasty and a smart-ass, the political bits come off as lecturing or hatred (mainly towards Bush and Republicans). To me, he's an un-funny, lecturing grump. Jay Leno is at least likeable. I think Conan will be terrific because he combines the silly humor of Letterman in the 80's, with Leno's likeability, with Carson's quick-witted thinking and reactions and ability to be funny when acting out bits during the show. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I like to watch Jay Leno talk about cars. The Speed Vision Channel should give him a show. Jay Leno's Garage Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 Caught Leno last night. It's easy to see why his show is so popular. He did a bit where he goes to an apartment complex and gets residents to act out movies, using costumes and even later-added special effects. William Shatner showed up to play Captain Kirk in a Star Trek bit. All very silly but fun. Terry Bradshaw and Jay had a good exchange. Blink 182 did their thing. And check out this song by an 8 year old piano-playing prodigy....pretty good little tune: http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_J...-51909/1107581/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pnêyu Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Pete: There was the tall gangly red haired guy who played guitar all the time.Liz: Conan. The Times has a big write-up on Conan today:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine...tml?_r=1&hp Can. Not. Wait. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aricandover Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 [quote name='pn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 Great article. I love that he loves Johnny Carson. I'm even more stoked to see the new show. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Good Old Neon Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I love that he loves Johnny Carson. Does he really even have a choice? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 Does he really even have a choice? I don't think Conan is just spouting the company line: O Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I'm sure Conan's a true fan, but GON has a point - the only person in the entire history of entertainment to say a bad word about Johnny Carson's act is Howard Stern. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bula Matari Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I'm sure Conan's a true fan, but GON has a point - the only person in the entire history of entertainment to say a bad word about Johnny Carson's act is Howard Stern. Stern is such a narcissistic egoist that he cannot comprehend why he isn't REALLY the king of all media. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 I'm sure Conan's a true fan, but GON has a point - the only person in the entire history of entertainment to say a bad word about Johnny Carson's act is Howard Stern. From a professional standpoint, IS there many bad things to say about Carson? Carson may not have been EVERYONE's cup of tea, but he seemed like the perfect personality for hosting what the Tonight Show is...an hour-long show to entertain and make laugh the biggest and broadest audience possible. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 It sounds like you're arguing. I'm confused. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 It sounds like you're arguing. I'm confused. I guess I took GON's reply of "Conan having no choice" to mean he's saying Conan loves Carson so much because he works for NBC and he'll soon be the host of Carson's show. But if he meant it as Conan has no choice 'cause there's really no reason to not love Carson, then we're all on the same page. I just realized Conan has his own Tonight Show page with some awesome new videos....with Conan, Andy & Max: http://www.thetonightshowwithconanobrien.com/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I guess I took GON's reply of "Conan having no choice" to mean he's saying Conan loves Carson so much because he works for NBC and he'll soon be the host of Carson's show. But if he meant it as Conan has no choice 'cause there's really no reason to not love Carson, then we're all on the same page. Ahh, I took it as the latter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I could barely tolerate Leno and would record it only to see what music was on it. As for O'Brien, I detest the sight of the floppy haired prick. I hate his idiot style and everything about him makes me want to stab him several hundred times. The only one worth watching in that style is Jon Stewart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Doug C Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Ahh, I took it as the latter. Damn it, man! You missed a golden opportunity to work 'latterly' into a post! Johnny Carson is the gold standard. I loved the show then. Letterman would have been the proper replacement for him, not Leno. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I could barely tolerate Leno and would record it only to see what music was on it. As for O'Brien, I detest the sight of the floppy haired prick. I hate his idiot style and everything about him makes me want to stab him several hundred times. The only one worth watching in that style is Jon Stewart.I've said it many times, but the first 10 minutes of The Daily Show is my favorite piece of late night television. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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