Those who know me and know who I am are most likely (not) wondering how I feel about late night TV and the big shakeup at NBC. Why would they wonder this? Because I have a strange, secret, not-so-secret crush on Jay Leno for god knows what reasons that I don't dare to try to explain. Anyway, was I sad he left the Tonight Show? No. I never watched it as of late, to be frank, mainly because I don't watch much TV at all anymore. Do I care that his 10:00 p.m. show has been cancelled? No. It was a little cheesy and an hour was too long. I really wished he hadn't started it in the first place. The rumored contract in Vegas with him performing a la Wayne Newton would have been a better choice for him based mainly on his strength as a stand-up vs. his weakness as an interviewer. Do I think he should go back to 11:35 and that this will solve NBC's problems? No.
My suggestion would be to keep Conan O'Brien and the Tonight Show name at 11:35 and sandwich Jay, if he's got to be in there at all, in at 12:35 for a half-hour program (a monologue and an interview would be about it, and on some nights maybe a short monologue, a skit, and an interview). To me, if Jay's show as a lead-in is to blame for Conan's falling ratings, NBC would have to admit this and Conan would get the time and attention needed to find his footing a little better. If Conan still slips in the ratings and continues to underperform across from David Letterman (why would anyone, though?) then Conan and all the Jay-haters will have to realize that Jay's show was not the cause for Conan's poor ratings.
Anyway, I love Jay and am extremely fascinated by his choices, personality, and legendary good-nature. I wish, however, he would retire from television. He can go back on the road or book himself in Vegas or whatever he has to do to fuel his need to work, but he should stop subjecting himself to the critics who hate him so much. All of these talk shows are hit-or-miss anymore but it just seems like his misses get more attention than other shows' misses, and vice versa, other shows' hits get more attention than his hits. He is, without a doubt, some kind of masochist.
I guess all comedians are?
(I'm disgusted that I call them Jay and Conan, by the way, as I would yell at my students if they used the first name of a celebrity or politician, but I suppose Jay and Conan are so familiar it's different?)
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Why is NBC so beholden to Leno? Why can't they fire him, put scripted shows in that place, and let late night stand as it is. I mean, it takes time to build an audience - Leno and Letterman both took YEARS to build up to their peaks. The networks have to let O'Brien have some time or we'll never know what he's capable of in that time slot.
ReplyDeleteBut you know that I was upset over them giving Leno that slot in the first place. I have no love for him. I say he's gotta go.
Smart people can disagree, right?
I don't disagree, really, except that I do have love for him. And it's out of love for him that I kind of wish they would...let him go. NBC should give Conan more time and that's why if NBC is so determined to keep Leno they should put him on after Conan. Or tell him to go off on the road for five years and they'll give him a contract if Conan can't get any better by then. Yeah, five years is enough time.
ReplyDeletePlus, let's not forget about Carson Daly, who, I guess, no one likes but me. I love Carson, I think he's a smart, funny interviewer, and I don't want him screwed over by moving Leno up in the rotation in front of him. Because my adoration of Daly is not quite to your Leno love, but it is there. In a deep secret place we will mention no more.
ReplyDeleteActually, I feel for you because no, the critics have no Daly love just like they have no Leno love. So it's unfortunate that no one cares about him because it isn't "cool" to like Daly. And even a lot of them don't care about Fallon either. I just really hope that now that Conan has decided to leave the Tonight Show Jay Leno leaves too. He cannot save face and take over 11:35. I will love him despite his faults, but it just won't be pretty.
ReplyDeletePlease, Jay, stop asking to get kicked around.
P.S. I switched to calling them by their first names halfway through, so I'm going to just let my inner sixteen-year-old valley girl come out and call the president Barack.
ReplyDelete